23 April 2006
VIDEO: Middlesbrough 0-1 West Ham

Marlon Harewood fired the Hammers through to their first FA Cup Final in 26 years. Watch the highlights here.
22 April 2006
VIDEO: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool

Click here to watch Liverpool knock out Chelsea at Old Trafford, with Riise and Garcia bagging the two vital goals.

The FA Cup Final
3pm, Saturday 13 May 2006
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Winning club receives £1,000,000
Listen Live with TheFA.com



West Ham supporters will no doubt be relishing their side's first FA Cup Final since Sir Trevor Brooking, The Football Association’s Director of Football Development, scored the only goal that beat Arsenal to claim the trophy in 1980.

And with just days until West Ham take on Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium, TheFA.com takes a nostalgic look back over the club’s involvement in the world’s most famous domestic football tournament.

West Ham’s first trip to an FA Cup Final ended in disappointment as they were beaten 2-0 by Bolton in 1923. The match has gained legendary status in Cup folklore as it was the first match to be played at Wembley, then called The Empire Stadium.

The match became known as the White Horse Final as mounted police attempted to cope with an estimated 200,000 crowd crammed into a 120,000-capacity ground. If the club's supporters are looking for omens, they might be interested that then manager Syd King is the only West Ham coach to lose an FA Cup Final.

West Ham’s first victory in the Final came in 1964 when they beat Preston North End 3-2. Future England manager Ron Greenwood’s side came from behind to beat North End courtesy of goals from John Sissons, England World Cup '66 hero Geoff Hurst and Ronnie Boyce.

Eleven years later, under the management of John Lyall, the club went on to claim the first of two more Final wins. First came a 2-0 victory in victory in the 1975 against Fulham. A bigger shock, though, was when they went back to Wembley as a Second Division side and a rare Brooking header secured the 1-0 defeat of Arsenal, in 1980.

That completed a hat-trick of West Ham Cup Final wins and they now go for their fourth consecutive victory on what promises to be an emotional fifth Final for the club. For 2006 has also marked the sad passing of Greenwood and Lyall, the only two managers to lead the club to FA Cup glory.

Lyall died last month, aged 66, while former national manager Greenwood, who took England to the 1980 European Championships and the World Cup finals two years later, died in February, aged 84.

West Ham supporters will see it as a fitting tribute to both servants of their club, win or lose, that they have made it back to the FA Cup Final this year.

Stay with TheFA.com as we build up to the 125th FA Cup Final.