Championship high-fliers Southampton are preparing to take on Manchester City in this weekend’s Emirates FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday (5.15pm BST).
It’s 50 years on since the Hampshire club’s finest moment, when they won the FA Cup back in 1976 as an old Second Division team thanks to Bobby Stokes’ winning goal at Wembley to beat Manchester United.
And as Tonda Eckert’s side look to repeat that feat this season, we take a look at some memorable semi-final ties from the FA Cup's history when second-tier clubs have upset the odds to reach the Final.
Sunderland 2-1 Arsenal
7 April 1973
Hillsborough
The Rokerites, as they were known at the time, pulled off one of the greatest FA Cup Final upsets in 1973, when Bob Stokoe’s team beat Leeds United thanks to Ian Porterfield’s winner.
And they had already produced a shock in the semi-final to reach that stage, when they saw off Arsenal with a 2-1 victory at Hillsborough to claim their place in the Wembley showpiece.
At the time, Bertie Mee's Gunners were second in the First Division and looking to complete a second league and cup double in the space of three seasons, while also targeting a third successive FA Cup Final for the first time since West Bromwich Albion achieved that in the 1880s.
When the semi-final draw was made, Sunderland sat in the lower reaches of the Second Division and hadn’t been to a Wembley Final since 1937.
But goals from Vic Halom and Billy Hughes sprung a major shock, before the north-east club went on to see off Don Revie’s all-conquering Leeds in the Final to make Sunderland history and a victory that is still cherished on Wearside to this day.
Southampton 2-0 Crystal Palace
3 April 1976
Stamford Bridge
A crowd of over 52,000 headed to west London as the Second Division Saints faced Crystal Palace, themselves from the old Third Division, in the 1976 semi-final.
It was a comfortable win for Southampton, as two second-half goals proved enough to settle the tie to set-up what is still seen as the club’s greatest achievement.
Paul Gilchrist opened the scoring with a long-range effort with just 15 minutes remaining before David Peach doubled the advantage from the penalty spot to secure a place in the Final against First Division giants Manchester United.
And it’s the 1-0 victory in the Final at Wembley, thanks to Stokes’ late winner, which is being celebrated by the club this season with their commemorative shirt. Could it happen again?
West Ham United 2-1 Everton (AET)
16 April 1980
Elland Road
Second Division side West Ham United had already seen off top-flight opposition in the quarter-final with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at the Boleyn Ground to set up a semi-final showdown with Everton.
After sharing a 1-1 draw in the first tie at Villa Park four days earlier, with Stuart Pearson cancelling out Brian Kidd’s opener for the Toffees, West Ham upset the odds to clinch a place in the 1980 FA Cup Final with a 2-1 win at Elland Road.
Alan Devonshire opened the scoring for the Hammers, Bob Latchford levelled things for the Toffees but it was Frank Lampard senior who popped up with a famous late winner to send the east Londoners to Wembley to face Arsenal in the Final.
And what followed was another Cup Final upset for the Gunners, as John Lyall’s team took an early lead through what was dubbed a ‘rare headed goal’ from Trevor Brooking which was enough to seal a third FA Cup title for West Ham.
Queens Park Rangers 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
3 April 1982
Highbury
Under the charge of manager Terry Venables, QPR went into their first ever FA Cup semi-final as underdogs against the Baggies who at the time were the club with the most semi-final appearances in the competition.
With 20,000 Rangers fans packed into Highbury’s famous North Bank, it was QPR who edged it too thanks to a vibrant performance, centred around the attacking prowess of Tony Currie and Clive Allen.
It took until just over midway through the second half before QPR found the breakthrough, when defender Bob Hazell showed his presence in attacking a corner before a clearance diverted off him and was glanced home by Allen to register his seventh FA Cup goal of that season.
Rangers went on to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Final, drawing 1-1 in the first game after extra time following an equaliser from Terry Fenwick to cancel out Glenn Hoddle’s deflected opener.
The teams returned to Wembley five days later when Hoddle’s penalty proved to be the winner, despite an impressive display from Venables’ team.
Sunderland 1-0 Norwich City
5 April 1992
Hillsborough
There’s a second appearance in our list for Sunderland, who reached the 1992 FA Cup Final following a narrow victory over top-flight Norwich City.
Johnny Byrne scored a second-half winner for the Black Cats following a pinpoint cross from Brian Atkinson to seal victory for Malcolm Crosby’s team who were looking to repeat their success of 1973 just over 20 years later.
The win saw them earn a place back at Wembley for the Final, where they faced Liverpool as the first second-tier team to reach this stage since QPR ten years earlier.
But there was to be no upset this time, as goals from Michael Thomas and Ian Rush saw Liverpool win what was their fifth FA Cup title.
Millwall 1-0 Sunderland
4 April 2004
Old Trafford
12 years on from their victorious semi-final against Norwich, Sunderland were on the other end of the result in 2004 when Millwall edged them out in a thrilling tie at Old Trafford.
Under the stewardship of three-time FA Cup winner Dennis Wise, the Championship side came up against a Black Cats team who were by now an established top-flight team under Mick McCarthy.
But the Lions were on a roll, and backed by a large following from south London, they were on their way to the Final when Tim Cahill cleverly hooked home a smart finish in the first half after Paul Ifill’s shot had been saved.
Sunderland rallied after the break, but found Millwall’s formidable resistance tough to break down and once Jason McAteer was sent off late on, Wise’s team were able to secure the club’s first-ever appearance in the FA Cup Final.
They met Manchester United in the Final in Cardiff, and despite a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired 3-0 defeat, the Lions secured European football the following season due to Manchester United's qualification via the Premier League.
Barnsley 0-1 Cardiff City
6 April 2008
Wembley Stadium
The semi-finals of 2008 remarkably featured four clubs from the Championship, with second-tier West Bromwich Albion facing Portsmouth while Barnsley and Cardiff City was an all-Championship clash.
And it was settled early on in the tie in front of over 85,000 fans at the national stadium when Cardiff’s Joe Ledley volleyed home in the ninth minute to seal a place in the Final for the Welsh club in what was their first appearance at Wembley.
The Final didn’t go to plan for Dave Jones’ Bluebirds though, as they lost to Harry Redknapp’s Pompey under the Arch six weeks later.
