1969 FA Cup Final - Route To The Final

Route To The Final

As both Leicester City and Manchester City were First Division clubs, they entered the competition in the third round.

Leicester City started their cup run against Barnsley, but required a replay to overcome their Third Division opponents 2–1. The first Leicester goal was controversial, as the referee overruled his linesman, who had flagged for a foul. Barnsley equalised with a penalty, but Leicester quickly retook the lead. Later in the second half Leicester claimed a third goal, but the referee adjudged that the ball had not crossed the line. A 1–0 win at Millwall followed.

In the fifth round, Leicester City faced Liverpool. The match was postponed six times before it eventually took place on 1 March. A 0–0 draw meant a replay at Anfield. Andy Lochhead gave the Foxes the lead on 34 minutes. Five minutes later Sjoberg's handball gave Liverpool a penalty, but Peter Shilton saved Tommy Smith's spot-kick. Liverpool attacked for much of the second half, but Leicester held out to win 1–0. The quarter final saw a trip to Mansfield Town, who had knocked out clubs from five different divisions. On a pitch described by The Times' Geoffrey Green as "resembling a glutinous swamp", Leicester won 1–0. The goal was a header by Rodney Fern from a Len Glover cross. The semi-final, played at Hillsborough Stadium, was against cup-holders West Bromwich Albion. In a game of few chances, Allan Clarke scored from an Andy Lochhead knockdown with four minutes remaining. Leicester City gained their fourth 1–0 win of the competition and reached the final.

Manchester City's first tie was against Luton Town of the Third Division, which City won 1–0, Francis Lee the scorer. In the fourth round, the club were drawn away to Newcastle United, one of only two top-flight clubs with an away draw. The match finished 0–0, and so was replayed at Maine Road. Manchester City won 2–0, but had to play much of the match with 10 men after Mike Summerbee was sent off. Like Leicester's fifth round tie, Manchester City's match at Blackburn Rovers' Ewood Park was delayed multiple times due to poor weather. When it was eventually played Manchester City were comfortable 4–1 winners. In the sixth round, Manchester City were drawn at home to Tottenham Hotspur. The match was closely contested; in his autobiography, City's Mike Doyle described it as the hardest match of the whole cup run. As in the third round, City won 1–0 thanks to a Francis Lee goal.

The semi-final, against Everton, was played at Villa Park. Everton were renowned for their powerful midfield of Ball, Harvey and Kendall, but opted to play more defensively than usual. Manchester City nevertheless paid special attention to this area, and instructed David Connor to man-mark Ball. Mike Doyle suffered an injury in the first half, and spent 20 minutes off the field. City had the better of the game, but goalscoring chances were missed by Lee and Young. With little time remaining, Young forced a corner. Young took the corner himself, from which teenager Tommy Booth scored the game's only goal.