Beating 6 teams from higher Leagues ...

[bridgefan 93]

Apologies if this is already known or has been mentioned somewhere, but has any other team (or teams) ever beaten six (or potentially seven) teams from higher leagues in a single run in a senior English cup competition?

Anyone know?  Is this a first?  (I would have thought so)

What a fantastic achievement

Still coming to terms with reaching Wembley

[Jago 177]

Great question - I'll stick it one of the nerdy forums to see if we can get an answer - but I very much doubt it's been done before

[Miss.A.F.C.Hornchurch 294]

someone contact Guiness Book of Records 😂

[Jago 177]

And the answer is, I regret to say, NO.  Bishop's Stortford beat 8 teams above them (on the trot) in 1980/81.

Though only one was "Alliance Premier" - now the National League (Worcester City).  So we had the glamour win!

They beat Sutton United in the final.

[bridgefan 93]

Thanks Jago - but surely we are the only Havering Team to do this 😉

[Jago 177]

I think we're fairly safe on that one!

[Digits 46]

Well there is only one team in Havering 

[and1inthetree 61]

jago - where did you get these stats from?  I was about to submit this to the guardian's "the knowledge" email thing.

well done bishop's Stortford.  another club that has mr smith's fingerprints I think.  

[Sam 6]

That’s the thing, it’s not just getting to the final..it’s the manner in which they got there, some great results.. an achievement in itself. 100% have earned the right to be there.

[Jago 177]

22 hours ago, and1inthetree said:

jago - where did you get these stats from?  I was about to submit this to the guardian's "the knowledge" email thing.

well done bishop's Stortford.  another club that has mr smith's fingerprints I think.  

The thing about non league football is that it's full of trainspotter types (wot - moi?!) so loads of quirky stat sites and groundhopper sites.  So I asked your actual question on https://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/forums/index.php#non-league-football-discussion.4 and got a reply within 30 minutes!

If you really wanted, you could check the answer provided at say https://fchd.info/indexb.htm  to see who Stortford played in the trophy that year and then look at  https://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/nonleaguetables/lt1980-1981.html  to confirm what division/league those teams were in that season. 

Other sites are available! 

If you do check, you will see that 4 of the teams they beat were actually in the Southern League's joint top divisions - which had no lower divisions - so arguably the standard at the bottom half of these leagues would have been no higher than Isthmian Div 1 (where Stortford played).  But as both the Southern League divisions promoted directly into the Conference they were technically higher level - so we'd probably lose the court battle on that one!  (No Conference North/South in those days of course). 

Oh and they won 10 games in all - of which 9 were on the trot v "higher" league teams - not 8 as previously advertised.

Anyway - as you say - fantastic achievement for both clubs.  Let's just hope we win it too.  (Of course we will).  This is NOT a party political broadcast on behalf of Bishop's Stortford!

 

[Dagger03 81]

To add to Jago's post - STORTFORD - 1980-81

Prelim - Spalding - A - 2-1 - Midland League (lower)

Q1 - Chelmsford City A - 2-0 (SL South)

Q2 - Kingstonian -H - 2-0 (Isthmian Div 1 (same league as Stortford)

Q3 - Hendon - H - 1-0 (Isthmian Premier) - Higher

R1 - Bridgend Town - H 1-1 - A - 2-1 (Southern Midland)

R2 - Dagenham - A - 1-1 - H 3-1 (Isthmian Premier) - Higher

R3 - Alvechurch - H- 3-2 - Southern Midland)

QF - Worcester City - H - 4-0 - (Alliance) - Higher

SF - Dartford - A -1-1 - H -2-1 - Southern South)

F - Sutton Utd - N - 1-0 (Isthmian Premier) - Higher 

So - Hendon, Dagenham Worcester City and Sutton Utd - all Higher

Chelmsford, Bridgend, Alvechurch and Dartford - Equal or Higher, as the SL did not have any tiered divisions.

The SL South and Midland were both feeders into the Alliance - and so was the Isthmian Premier, but not in the same way. The Isthmian League had agreed to join the Pyramid, and for the 1980-81 season, clubs were invited to apply for the Alliance. Enfield, who finished second, and Dagenham, who finished eighth, were elected. There were three applicants only, the other being Oxford City, from the Isthmian Div. 1 (not elected). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cup of tea 699]

Am I right in saying we're the lowest ranked team ever to reach the final? Heard that a few times.

[LukeXIX 69]

5 hours ago, cup of tea said:

Am I right in saying we're the lowest ranked team ever to reach the final? Heard that a few times.

Lowest rank team to make the semi final and the final! 

[andydick 129]

Didn't Halesowen Town get to the semis last season.  They are tier 8, a level below us.

[LukeXIX 69]

4 hours ago, andydick said:

Didn't Halesowen Town get to the semis last season.  They are tier 8, a level below us.

I was just going by what’s been said on the radio, maybe I’m wrong 😂

[cup of tea 699]

That's what I heard as well tbf