362* and Counting: Southport’s FA Cup Record

As the new FA Cup campaign approaches, the usual clichés will surface again: giant-killings, the magic of the cup, David versus Goliath, and so on. This year is a little different for Southport, as it will mark the club’s 125th season in the competition. Yet with so much of Southport’s history still overlooked or misreported, you are unlikely to hear that number mentioned.

The headline figure is that Southport have played a total of 362* FA Cup matches.

The asterisk? You spotted that? I’ll come to it…

While that figure is often quoted as a single record, it actually spans two distinct phases of the competition. There have been 209 games in the preliminary or qualifying rounds, and 153 in what is officially defined as the Competition Proper, which begins with the First Round.

The FA’s own rulebook treats these as separate competitions. There is a valid case for splitting the stats if you wanted to and some sources do exactly that. Others, including this site, treat the 362* matches as one continuous run, reflecting how most supporters experience the competition.

Nothing before 1888 is included in that total, nor should it be. As interesting as the 1882 fixture involving Liverpool Ramblers might be, notable as the town’s first appearance in the FA Cup, it does not form part of this club’s history. The Southport club recognised today did not exist at that point, and the records rightly begin in 1888.

Southport’s very first competitive fixture was a 5-4 extra-time win over Irwell Springs in 1888. The most recent appearance in the qualifying rounds was a 1-0 home defeat to Curzon Ashton in September 2024.

Breaking Down the Numbers

Appearances in the Competition Proper

• First Round: 88 games
• Second Round: 36 games
• Third Round: 19 games
• Fourth Round: 7 games
• Fifth Round: 2 games
• Sixth Round: 1 game

Full FA Cup Record

	P	W	D	L
All Matches	361*	164	72	125
Home	191	113	35	43
Away	164	49	37	78
Neutral	6	2	0	4

Ah you noticed the asterisk again? Well, there were 362 games played in the FA Cup, but one of them doesn’t count. In 1919 after a fixture away at Southport Liverpool, the home side protested the result on the grounds of an ineligible player and the FA forced it to be replayed. The record books therefore only show 361 games. Void means void.

Among the most emphatic wins were two 9-0 victories, the first against Oswaldtwistle Rovers in 1893 and the second against Portsmouth Rovers in 1913. The heaviest defeats include two 0-9 losses: to Bury in 1892 and to Newcastle United in a second replay at Hillsborough during the 1932 Fourth Round. The club’s record attendance at Haig Avenue, 20,010, came in the original tie of that same Newcastle series, a 1-1 draw.

What Gets Counted, and Why

There is no single right way to present a club’s FA Cup record. Some focus only on the Competition Proper. Others include the qualifying rounds in full. The FA itself recognises both stages and defines them separately in its rules. Some clubs will proudly proclaim “the first time the clubs have met in the competition” when they meet in the first round (see Wigan Athletic v Chorley in 2020) despite having met on other occasions in the qualifiers. Technically, it isn’t wrong. But it doesn’t meet the criteria for what most people would consider as correct.

On this site, the complete record is presented as one story. That is not to ignore the competition’s structure, but to reflect how most people experience the FA Cup. Whether facing Irwell Springs in the first qualifying round or Everton in the third round proper, it is still the same competition.

Southport have played 362 FA Cup matches. Only one of them doesn’t count. Some were against top-flight opposition in front of thousands. Others were played in front of a few hundred in the early rounds. All of them matter.

The FA Cup does not begin when the television cameras arrive in November. And as the club prepares to take part for the 125th time, it is worth setting the record straight.