The Giant Killers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Newcastle United 1

In the 1971-72 season, Hereford United were members of the Southern League and, as a result, entered that season's FA Cup in the Fourth Qualifying Round. Defeats of Cheltenham Town, King's Lynn and Northampton Town saw them reach the Third Round for the first time in six years, and only the third time in the club's history. In the Third Round, they were paired with Newcastle United of the Football League First Division (now the FA Premier League), with the game to be played at St James' Park. The tie was originally scheduled for 15 January 1972, but had to be postponed twice due to rain, before it was eventually played on 24 January. Although Hereford scored after just 17 seconds, they were 2-1 down by the 15th minute before an equaliser from Hereford's player-manager Colin Addison gave the non-league side a replay.

The weather again caused multiple postponements to the replay, with the game at Edgar Street eventually taking place on 5 February, the same day as the Fourth Round began. The muddy conditions made the game difficult, and it was only in the 82nd minute that Malcolm Macdonald gave Newcastle the lead. However, Hereford responded by bringing on substitute Ricky George - three minutes after Newcastle took the lead, it was George's attack that ultimately led to Ronnie Radford hitting the ball from 30 yards out to equalise. The match went into extra-time and in the 103rd minute it was George that gave Hereford the lead, to which Newcastle could not respond, giving Hereford their most famous victory, and the first instance of a non-league side knocking out a top flight team since Yeovil Town beat Sunderland in 1949.

Answer: Coventry City 1

In season 1988-89, Sutton United were members of what was then known as the GM Vauxhall Conference, which was the fifth tier of English football, one level below the lowest division of the Football League. Owing to their non-league status, they entered that season's FA Cup in the Fourth Qualifying Round. Defeating Walton & Hesham (after a replay), Dagenham and Aylesbury United led to their reaching the Third Round for the second successive season, in which they were drawn against Coventry City of the First Division. Just 20 months previously, Coventry had won the FA Cup for the first time, while their league form that season was excellent, sitting fifth when their FA Cup tie was played. Sutton had be drawn at home and, despite being given the option to switch to either a bigger local ground, or to Coventry's Highfield Road stadium, elected to play the game at Gander Green Lane, which had its capacity temporarily increased to more than 8,000 for the fixture.

The game was played on 7 January 1989, kicking-off at 2.00pm. Although Coventry showed early dominance, the home side rapidly grew into the game. Despite having the majority of the possession in the first half, Coventry were unable to assert control over the midfield or achieve any degree of penetration along the wings. With the game still goalless coming up to half-time, it was Sutton that took the lead when Tony Rains headed in a corner. It took just seven minutes after the restart for Coventry to level the tie when David Phillips passed the ball into the net to make it 1-1. However, parity did not last long, as just seven minutes after Coventry's equaliser, Sutton retook the lead from a volley by Matthew Hanlan. Although Coventry had numerous chances during the remainder of the game, Sutton ultimately saw it out to achieve one of the competition's most famous results; the previous instance of a non-league team beating one from the top flight was 24 years earlier.

Answer: Woking 4

In the 1990-91 season, Woking were playing league football in the Isthmian League Premier Division which, at the time, served as Level 6 in the English football pyramid, two steps below the lowest division of the Football League. This saw them enter that season's FA Cup in the Fourth Qualifying Round, beating Bath City for a place in the First Round Proper. Requiring two replays to get past Kidderminster Harriers, they then trounced Merthyr Tidfil 5-1 in the Second Round to set up a trip to West Bromwich Albion. West Brom were then in their fifth season in Division 2, having been relegated from the top flight in 1986, and were struggling in the league that season. However, given the disparity between the two clubs, allied to the fact that Woking were drawn as the away side in the tie, most expected a fairly routine West Brom victory to take them into Round Four.

Played on 5 January 1991, the hosts eventually took the lead through a header by Colin West right on half-time. West Brom taking the lead led to an expectation that they would ultimately win comfortably. This proved not to be the case as Woking came out for the second half in a fired mood, launching attack after attack at the home side's defenders, with pacey striker Tim Buzaglo getting the equaliser on the hour mark. Just four minutes later, and Buzaglo got the visitors' second goal to put them in front, with another ten minutes passing until he got his and his team's third goal. Terry Worsfold got Woking's fourth in the 88th minute, which meant that the last minute goal from West Brom's Darren Bradley was merely a consolation. With a final score of 4-2 to the visitors, the game proved to be one of the most memorable FA Cup shocks, and the most famous win in Woking's history.

Answer: Arsenal 1

At the end of the 1990-91 season, Arsenal and Wrexham had finished at the very opposite ends of the Football League, with Arsenal having won the league title by seven points over their nearest rivals, while Wrexham came last in Division Four. The club only avoided relegation out of the Football League by virtue of the plan to expand the First Division in the 1991-92 season leading to no relegation to non-league. Wrexham entered the 1991-92 FA Cup in the First Round, and got past non-league teams Winsford United and Telford United to reach the Third Round, where they were drawn against the league champions, the first time the sides had faced each other since 1978. The disparity between the two clubs led to every pundit, even in the absence of some of their leading players, predicting a routine Arsenal victory.

The game was scheduled alongside the majority of the Third Round, kicking off at 3.00pm on 4 January 1992. From the start, Arsenal were able to dominate possession, although it was only in the 43rd minute that their superiority finally told when a low cross from Paul Merson found striker Alan Smith, who slid the ball into the net. However, for all of their possession in the second half, Arsenal struggled to capitalise, with Wrexham's players not giving time or space to make their superiority count. With the score still 1-0, Wrexham won a free-kick in the 82nd minute that captain Mickey Thomas hit into the Arsenal net from fully 25 yards to equalise. Just two minutes later, a poor clearance from Nigel Winterburn reached veteran midfielder Gordon Davies, who squared the ball to Steve Watkin. Getting past a tackle, Watkin slid the ball in to make the score 2-1 to Wrexham. Although Jimmy Carter put the ball into the Wrexham net late on to seemingly give Arsenal a lifeline, it was ruled out for offside, and Wrexham held on for one of the most famous FA Cup victories in history.

Answer: Kidderminster Harriers 2

As a non-league team playing in what was then the Vauxhall Conference, the highest level of English football outside the Football League, Kidderminster Harriers entered the 1993-94 FA Cup in the Fourth Qualifying Round. Their route into the competition proper saw them get past Chesham United in a routine fashion, before victories in ties against Kettering Town and Woking, both of whom played in the same league, led to their reaching the Third Round for the first time ever. By the weekend of the FA Cup Third Round in early January 1994, Kidderminster had lost just once in 16 games and were top of the Conference, while their opponents, Birmingham City, were at the foot of the First Division (now the Football League Championship), the division below the Premier League. However, despite having struggled all season in the league, Birmingham were still expected to beat their non-league opponents, despite the joke going round at the time that the upset would be a Birmingham victory.

The game was one of a number played on 8 January 1994, the Saturday of the Third Round weekend. Despite their difficulties, it was the home side that took the lead after just nine minutes through a goal from Paul Harding. But, Kidderminster were not cowed, and came back to equalise just 20 minutes later, when Neil Cartwright headed in, leaving the score as 1-1 at half-time. Five minutes into the second half, the hosts were awarded a penalty that was taken by Andy Saville, who ended up hitting the post, to keep the scores level. Then, in the 64th minute, Jon Purdie, a former professional who had played more than 100 games for Wolverhampton Wanderers, got Kidderminster's second of the game from 25 yards out. Although Birmingham threw everything forward, Kidderminster's goal led a charmed life, with the hosts hitting the post a second time, having an effort cleared, and seeing a goal ruled out for offside. Kidderminster held for a famous cup upset.

Answer: Wycombe Wanderers 2

Wycombe Wanderers had gone into the 2000-01 season having only just escaped relegation to the bottom tier of English football. However, during the new season, the team managed to regain form that led to them doing significantly better in terms of their league placing. This good league form was also translated into the form they took into that season's FA Cup - entering in Round One, they dealt with non-league Harrow Borough routinely, before then requiring replays in the following two rounds, against Millwall of Division 2, followed by Grimsby Town of Division 1. Two more second tier sides were also dealt with in Rounds Four and Five, with Wolverhampton Wanderers beaten at home, before a penalty shoot-out following a replay accounted for Wimbledon. This meant that Wycombe had reached the Quarter-Finals of the FA Cup for the very first time, and saw them given an away game against Premier League high-flyers Leicester City, who at the time sat fourth in the top flight.

Wycombe went into the game with something of an injury crisis, which had led the club to put out an emergency call for any fit strikers not otherwise cup-tied. This led to Roy Essandoh signing a two-week deal with the club, and being named on the bench for the game against Leicester. The game, played on 10 March 2001, was goalless at half-time, with Wycombe frustrating the hosts. It was five minutes into the second half that the visitors took the lead through defender Paul McCarthy. The away side were continually pressing when, in the 67th minute, Leicester countered and gained an equaliser, with midfielder Muzzy Izzet tapping into the net from just six yards. Both teams pressed for a winner but, with the clock counting down, it seemed as if a replay was inevitable until, in stoppage time at the end of the game, Essandoh, on as a second-half substitute, headed in from close range to give Wycombe the lead. Despite going down to ten men as a result of the celebrations, Wycombe held on for one of the most memorable of FA Cup wins.

Answer: Everton 1

The 2002-03 season was one of significant struggle for Shrewsbury Town in the league - playing the bottom tier of the Football League, Division Three (now League Two), their best run in the league had been a sequence of two wins in a row in early November before they entered the FA Cup in the First Round. However, their form in knockout competitions belied their league struggles; in the FA Cup they easily despatched non-league Stafford Rangers in Round One, while in Round Two it was Barrow that were dealt with relatively straightforwardly, which gave them a Third Round tie to look forward to. The draw ultimately gave them a home tie against Premier League side Everton, who had lifted the trophy just eight years previously. Given the disparity between the two sides, alongside the fact that Everton, who had been struggling in the league for some years, had been been challenging for European qualification for much of the season to that point, very few expected a major shock.

Scheduled for 4 January 2003, the game was one of a number kicking-off at the traditional time of 3.00pm. However, despite the 80 places between the two sides at kick-off, it was Shrewsbury that made most of the running in the first half, with Everton having their goalkeeper to thank for keeping the game scoreless until the 37th minute. Shrewsbury were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Everton box, with veteran striker Nigel Jemson curling a shot into the top corner to give the home side the lead. It was only on the hour mark, fifteen minutes into the second half, that Everton regained parity, when Niclas Alexandersson cut in from the right to equalise. This gave Everton belief, with Alexandersson a continual threat. However, two minutes from the end of normal time it was Jemson again, this time heading in a free kick from another veteran, Ian Woan, to give Shrewsbury the lead that they did not relinquish, making them one of the first major FA Cup giant killers of the 21st century.

Answer: Luton Town 1

Although Luton Town had pedigree in league football, having played in the top flight as late as 1991, the 2012-13 season was their fourth successive year in non-league football, having dropped out of the Football League in 2009. That season saw them start strongly, with 13 wins from their first 24 league games, plus a run in the FA Cup. As a non-league side, they began in the Fourth Qualifying Round with an away victory over Cambridge United, another former league side before wins against Nuneaton Town and Dorchester Town put them into Round Three, where they defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers of the Football League Championship, the division below the Premier League. This led them to the Fourth Round, and a match up with Premier League side Norwich City. Norwich had cemented a place in mid-table by their entry into the FA Cup, and were largely expected, given home advantage, to make their way to the Fifth Round.

Despite Norwich having the home advantage, it was the visitors that made the running during the first half, although they were unable to create many chances, and almost fell behind when Leon Burnett hit the post before half-time. With the first half goalless, Luton continued to press in the second period while maintaining the shape at the back to prevent the home side finding a breakthrough. It was with just ten minutes left on the clock that Luton took the lead through Scott Rendell's deft finish. This proved to be the winning goal as the visitors saw out the clock to become the first non-league side since 1989 to knock a top flight team out of the cup, and the first since 1986 to do so as the away side.

Answer: Bradford City 4

In the 2014-15 season, Bradford City were a League One side, having been relegated from the second tier two seasons previously. As a team outside the top two divisions, they entered the FA Cup that year in the First Round, where they faced a trip to their neighbours Halifax Town, before facing non-league Dartford in Round Two, who were despatched with a routine win. For their Third Round tie, they travelled to Millwall and gained a 3-3 draw requiring a replay. Despite Millwall being a division higher, Bradford secured their place in Round Four with a comprehensive 4-0 win. This saw them drawn for another trip to London, this time to face the Premier League leaders, Chelsea, who were at the time looking to win a quadruple of league title, FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Champions League. Given the disparity between the two sides, as Chelsea were considered to be one of the top teams in England, Bradford were given little chance of victory.

The game was played on 24 January 2015, one of a number of FA Cup ties that day. As expected, Chelsea dominated much of the opening exchange and took the lead in the 21st minute through Gary Cahill. The home side had the lion's share of possession throughout the first half, and their expected second goal came in the 38th minute from Ramires. But, just two minutes after this, Bradford pulled one back when a free kick found its way to striker Jon Stead, who made it 2-1. The second half saw both sides fail to take chances until the 75th minute when Filipe Morais made it 2-2. Just seven minutes later, Andy Halliday gave the visitors the lead for the first time in the game. Despite their best efforts, and seven minutes of indicated time added on at the end, Chelsea could not get past the Bradford defence, and conceded a fourth through substitute Mark Yeates, to give Bradford one of their most famous victories, and the FA Cup one of its most unlikely comebacks.

Answer: Crystal Palace 1

The history of Macclesfield FC only began in 2020, when, following the demise of its predecessor Macclesfield Town, a new "phoenix club" was formed to carry on the tradition of football in the town. By the 2025-26 season, the club had achieved three promotions in four seasons and reached the National League North, level 6 in the English football pyramid. For their FA Cup journey, this meant a start in the Second Qualifying Round in September 2025; they made their way past Atherton Laburnum Rovers, Nantwich Town, Stamford, Totton and Slough Town successively to reach the Third Round of the competition for the first time in the new club's history. Their reward for this was a home tie against Crystal Palace of the Premier League. Crystal Palace were the holders of the FA Cup, having won it for the first time the previous May. When the draw was made, 117 places separated the two teams, with virtually no expectation of anything other than a win for the Premier League team.

Although the visitors had a number of first teamers in their side to begin with, they also fielded a number of young players experiencing first team football for the first time. Although the youngsters coped well during the first half, with Crystal Palace dominating possession, it was the home side that took the lead when Paul Dawson headed in two minutes before half-time. This led to a number of changes being made by the visitors for the second half; despite this, they failed to make any headway, and fell further behind on the hour when Isaac Bradley-Ricketts scored Macclesfield's second. Although Yeremy Pino got one back for Crystal Palace, this was in the 90th minute, and time ran out before they could find an equaliser. Macclesfield's victory was the first time in the Premier League era that a top flight side had lost in the FA Cup to one from level 6; while the 117 places between the two sides was also a new record for the competition. As a result, Macclesfield's win is regarded as the biggest upset in the FA Cup's history.