The five most memorable EFL teams to make the FA Cup Semifinals
Last Saturday, Preston made the FA Cup Quarterfinals for the first time since 1966 when they beat fellow Championship side Burnley 3-0 at Deepdale and have drawn Aston Villa at home with their fans dreaming of a trip to Wembley.
Preston are one of a list of EFL sides that have made it far in the oldest cup competition in the world and here are a list of some of the most memorable runs by EFL sides.
Coventry City – 2024
The most recent EFL side to make the Semis, Coventry had a memorable run last seasons as they started by smashing League One Oxford United 6-2 then needed a replay to dispatch Sheffield Wednesday.
The fifth round saw them end the fairytale run of sixth tier Maidstone United as The Sky Blues beat them 5-0.
The quarterfinals saw an amazing midlands derby between Coventry and Wolves as after Coventry went 1-0 up through Ellis Simms before then falling 2-1 down going into added time before another from Simms and a winner from Haji Wright sent Coventry to Wembley.
In the Semi Finals Coventry were 3-0 down with 20 minutes to play against Manchester United before an astonishing comeback including a 95th minute penalty sent it to extra time and after a goal disallowed in the last minute of extra time penalties where they were eliminated 4-2 but overall, a great run from the Championship side.
Sheffield United – 2023
The Blades started their run in the 2022-23 season with a routine 2-0 win over fellow Championship side Millwall in round three before needing a replay against non-league side Wrexham, winning 3-1 at Bramall Lane following a 3-3 draw at the Racecourse.
The fifth round saw the Blades shock Premier League Tottenham 1-0 to make the Quarterfinals where they faced fellow championship side Blackburn Rovers where an added time winner from Thomas Doyle sent Sheffield United to Wembley,where they bowed out after a 3-0 defeat to eventual winners Manchester City.
Sheffield United (again) – 2014
The 2013-14 FA Cup featured two sides from the EFL in the semi-finals, but the Blades did it as a third-tier side where they started in the first-round defeating Colchester United 3-2 then beating non-league Cambridge 2-0 to reach the third round.
In the third round the Blades caused a major upset as they beat Premier League side Aston Villa 2-1 defeating them at Villa Park.
They then picked up another Scalp as they beat Fulham of the Premier League at Craven Cottage 1-0 with a last-minute goal in extra time after forcing a replay after a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane.
The Fifth-Round saw Sheffield United come from behind to defeat Nottingham Forest of the Championship 3-1 including two goals in added time again whilst the Quarterfinals saw another Championship scalp as the Blades beat Charlton Athletic 2-0.
The dream run finally ended in a great game as the Blades went 2-0 up but fell to a 5-3 defeat to Hull City.
Wycombe Wanderers – 2001
One of the sides Preston have beaten in this season’s competition, Wycombe have made a dream run of their own in 2000-01 as a third-tier side where they started by beating non-league Harrow Borough 3-0.
They then in the second round needed a replay to beat fellow third tier side Millwall beating the Lions 2-1 after a 0-0 draw at the Den.
The third round was another that the Chairboys needed a replay as they shocked Grimsby winning 3-1 away after a 1-1 draw at Adams Park.
No replay was needed in the fourth round this time though as they picked up another second-tier scalp as they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at home.
The fifth round saw a third successive win over a second-tier side as they first forced a replay coming back from 2-0 down to draw at home to Wimbledon before forcing penalties in the replay and winning 8-7 after drawing 2-2 after extra time.
Then one of the most famous stories in FA Cup history as Wycombe were facing injury Crisis and needing a striker for their sixth round tie against Premier League Leicester City they advertised on teletext to find a fit and not cup tied striker and found Roy Essandoh who amazingly scored his only goal for the Chairboys in the 90th minute to defeat the Foxes 2-1.
The unbelievable run ended in the hands of eventual champions Liverpool but that run and especially the story of Essandoh has lived long in the memory.
Millwall – 2004
We finish with the last team outside the topflight to make the FA cup final which the Lions did in 2003-04 where they started the run by defeating Walsall also of the Championship 2-1.
The Fourth-round saw the Lions end the run of non-league Telford United by beating them 2-0 before beating fellow championship side Burnley 1-0 in the fifth Round.
The Sixth-round saw Millwall needing a replay to defeat third tier Tranmere Rovers 2-1 at Prenton Park after a 0-0 draw at the Den.
The Semi-finals saw the Lions drawn against fellow second tier side Sunderland AFC where a Tim Cahill goal sent Millwall to the final to face giants Manchester United where they fell to a 3-0 defeat.
Could Preston join these sides in a few weeks when they face Aston Villa in a couple of weeks?
