FA Cup: The odds behind some iconic Third Round upsets

It’s FA Cup third round weekend, one of the most iconic in the English footballing calendar. For the football purists and lovers of all things dramatic, the FA Cup third round is one that excites many, as it has the most potential to throw up some delicious upsets.

From Hereford to Havant & Waterlooville, we’re going to look back at some of the biggest ‘cupsets’ in recent years in the third round, and the prices of the winning teams before the game.

Crawley 3-0 Leeds - 2021, 14/1

We’ll start off with the most recent shock on the list, and Leeds’ first appearance of two here today! Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds were back in the Premier League, and gaining plaudits left, right, and centre with their style of play. They travelled to League Two Crawley in the third round in 2021, with many expecting it to be a walk in the park for the top flight side.

That was far from the case on the day, with John Yems’ side winning emphatically, restricting Leeds to just two shots on target in the 90 minutes, and defying their pre-match odds of 14/1. Things got so good for Crawley, that they were even able to bring on ‘TOWIE’ star Mark Wright for his debut, with their only negative from the day being that their fans weren’t there to see the occasion.

Havant & Waterlooville 4-2 Swansea - 2008, 12/1 + 11/2

Who could forget the all-conquering Havant & Waterlooville team of 2007/08? Swansea will certainly wish they could. At the time of playing, Havant were in the then named Blue Square South, today’s National League South, against a Swansea side who were top of League One. Their pre-match price of 12/1 in the first tie showed what was expected of the game, but after fighting to a 1-1 draw, Havant & Waterlooville dominated the Welsh side to win 4-2 in the replay.

This set up a famous fourth round draw for the club at the almighty Liverpool, where they famously twice took the lead at Anfield.

Everton 0-1 Oldham - 2008, 12/1

Staying in 2008 for this one, there must have been something in the water that year! We travel to Merseyside, to the home of five-time FA Cup winners, Everton. The hosts were flying high at the time, sixth in the Premier League, facing an Oldham side who were plying their trade in League One. But it would be the lower league side who would take home the glory, with Gary McDonald firing home a stunning strike just before the break. 

Man Utd 0-1 Leeds - 2010 11/1

Fear not Leeds fans, we told you you’d feature in this list again, and we think you’ll like this one. Back in 2010, Leeds were down in League One, and were able to get a cracking tie against their historic rivals, Manchester United. Coming into the game, Sir Alex Ferguson had never lost an FA Cup third round encounter in his 20+ years at the club, but that was set to change thanks to a certain Jermaine Beckford.

Roared on by 9,000 passionate Yorkshiremen, Beckford sped away from Wes Brown to score at the Stretford End, leading to what can only be described as ‘limbs’ in the away end. A famous day during a struggling period for the club, and the 11/1 price goes to show how unexpected it was.

Newport 2-1 Leicester - 2019, 9/1

Our last game on the list sees us head to South Wales, to the home of Newport County. They faced a Leicester City side that was packed with players who were part of their Premier League winning side, explaining why they were 2/5 on the day to win. But it wasn’t to be for Leicester, who went down to a Newport side 74 places below them in the English pyramid, and leaving a raucous Rodney Parade with a memory to last a lifetime. The 9/1 price wasn’t too bad for them either!

Honourable mentions

We couldn’t do an FA Cup third round shocks list without mentioning Hereford beating Newcastle 2-1 in 1972. Ronnie Radford’s goal is one that will live in cup history. There’s also honourable mentions for Harry Redknapp’s Bournemouth beating FA Cup holders Man Utd in 1984, Sutton United beating recent FA Cup winners Coventry in 1989, and giant killing specialists Altrincham beating Birmingham 2-1 in 1986.