The magic of the football pyramid (and its cup competitions) is that, every so often, a professional club finds itself facing a semi-pro non-league side in a competitive match.
Everyone loves these ties. The idea that a team made up of plumbers, estate agents and shop assistants might knock out some of the most well-paid athletes in the country is a big part of what makes football here so compelling.
What often gets forgotten, though, is just how regularly these shocks actually happen. Ask someone to think of a massive cup upset and they’ll usually point to Macclesfield’s remarkable win over holders Crystal Palace earlier this season, or Maidstone’s 2-1 victory against Ipswich Town in 2024.
But for every upset that’s replayed and retold, there are plenty more that caused just as much excitement at the time and are barely mentioned now. This is a look back at some of those forgotten giant killings, and the non-league sides who pulled them off when nobody expected them to.
Crawley Town 2-1 Derby County (FA Cup, 2011)
In January 2011, non-league side Crawley Town welcomed Championship club Derby County to the Broadfield Stadium for a third-round FA Cup tie, with little expectation from anyone outside West Sussex.
Whilst Derby finished only a few places above the drop that season, they arrived with a squad full of professional athletes on more money per week than most of the opposition were on per month. Crawley, then plying their trade in the Conference, approached the game with nothing to lose, a position that can make football a dangerous game for favourites.
The Red Devils took a deserved lead on the half-hour mark, due to a Craig McAllister right-footed shot from close range. Derby eventually levelled just after the hour through a Miles Addison header, a moment that would have seemed to swing momentum firmly in the visitors’ direction. Historically, this is usually where stories like this end.
Crawley had other ideas. They kept the game level, and in the first minute of stoppage time produced the moment that decided the tie. A cleverly worked corner found Sergio Torres on the edge of the box, and his strike flew into the net, sending a side three divisions higher crashing out of the FA Cup.
The result caused a stir at the time, but it’s rarely mentioned now, perhaps dulled by Crawley’s subsequent rise into the Football League soon after. At the time, though, it was a sharp reminder that the gap between non-league and the professional game is often smaller than it looks.
Histon's Matthew Langston celebrates scoring against Leeds in the FA Cup. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA
Histon 1-0 Leeds United (FA Cup, 2008)
In November 2008, Histon were a non-league club in the Conference, playing their football in front of around a thousand people at Bridge Road. Although Leeds United were playing outside the top two divisions at the time, they were still one of the biggest names in English football.
Drawn at home in the second round of the FA Cup, Histon faced a Leeds side chasing promotion from League One and arriving with a squad full of experience, expectation and pressure. For Histon, the tie was a free hit.
What followed was exactly the sort of performance that makes the early rounds of the FA Cup special. Histon did not allow Leeds to dominate the game. They stayed compact, worked tirelessly on and off the ball and matched Leeds in every aspect. Just before half-time, the breakthrough came. A corner from the right was met by defender Matthew Langston, whose header found its way past the Leeds goalkeeper and into the net.
Leeds pushed and probed for an equaliser, but could not break Histon’s stubborn defence down. When the final whistle blew, a semi-professional village side from Cambridgeshire had beaten the goliath of a club that is Leeds United.
The result barely registers now, often lost among Leeds’ own long road back to the top-flight. However, on that afternoon, Histon delivered one of the most impressive non-league victories of the modern FA Cup era.
Norwich City 0-1 Luton Town (FA Cup, 2013)
In the 2012/13 season, Luton Town were competing in the Conference for the fourth consecutive season, still dealing with the fallout from their dramatic plunge out of the Football League in 2009. Financial problems and a 30-point deduction had sent the club to its lowest point, and the 2012/13 campaign would ultimately see Luton finish seventh, their lowest league position to that point.
Norwich City, meanwhile, were a firmly established Premier League club, playing their second season in the top-flight since promotion in 2011. The fourth-round FA Cup tie at Carrow Road was seen as formality for the hosts, who arrived with top tier quality throughout their squad and the comfort of home advantage.
Instead, the game unfolded in exactly the way the favourites dread. Luton made the match scrappy and physical, feeding off the away atmosphere. Chances were relatively limited, and Luton went into half time the happier of the two at 0-0.
The breakthrough finally came with ten minutes remaining, and it was Luton who took it. Scott Rendell’s right-footed shot inside the area found its way past the Norwich keeper, silencing the home crowd. Norwich pushed hard for an equaliser, but could never break down Luton’s defence, and when the final whistle went, a non-league club had knocked a Premier League team out of the FA Cup for the first time since 1989.
Whilst this historic result did not translate to Luton Town’s league campaign, the game in isolation remains one of the most impressive non-league wins ever.
Stevenage 3-1 Newcastle United (FA Cup, 2011)
Although no longer a non-league side by the time this tie was played, the 2010/11 season marked Stevenage FC’s first campaign in the Football League, following promotion from the Conference the previous year. Competing in League Two, they were still adjusting to life at a higher level when they were drawn against Premier League opposition in the FA Cup.
Their opponents were Newcastle United, newly re-established in the top-flight after spending a year in the Championship following relegation in 2009. Normal service had resumed at St James’ Park, with Newcastle enjoying a comfortable mid-table season and arriving at Stevenage’s ground in the third round of the FA Cup as clear favourites.
As with many of the upsets that define this competition, expectations were straightforward. Newcastle would have expected to come through the tie with minimal fuss and book their place in the fourth round.
It didn’t turn out this way.
A cagey opening saw both sides go in level at half-time. The second half though, was box office. Five minutes after the restart, Stevenage took the lead when Michael Williamson turned the ball into his own net after a big deflection. Just five minutes later, the shock deepened as Michael Bostwick doubled the advantage with a powerful strike that rattled in off the post.
Stevenage’s grip on the tie tightened further when Cheick Tiote was sent off just after the 70-minute mark for a rash challenge on Jon Ashton. What had looked like a routine cup tie for Newcastle had unravelled completely.
The visitors did rally late on, as Joey Barton pulled a goal back deep into stoppage time with a superb long-range effort, briefly raising hopes of a dramatic finish. Any momentum was extinguished almost immediately, though, when Peter Winn chipped Krul to restore Stevenage’s two goal cushion.
The final whistle confirmed a historic result. Stevenage became only the third side from the fourth tier of English football to defeat Premier league opposition since the league’s formation.
Burnley 0-1 Lincoln City (FA Cup, 2017)
The 2016/17 season marked Lincoln City’s sixth consecutive year in the National League, following their relegation from League Two in 2011. Their FA Cup run that year had already surpassed expectations, and their fifth-round tie against Premier League side Burnley had been their biggest test so far.
Lincoln had done extraordinarily well to make it to the fifth round. They had already eliminated three Football League clubs, most notably Championship runners-up Brighton & Hove Albion, a result that alone would have stood as a major upset. Even so, the trip to Turf Moor was widely seen as the point where their run would end.
The game consisted mainly of Lincoln soaking up pressure. Burnley registered 17 shots, with five on target, yet could not find the back of the net. Lincoln had executed their game plan perfectly, and with one minute of normal time remaining, they opened the scoring.
Burnley had conceded a corner in the 89th minute. A well-delivered ball into the box was knocked back into a dangerous area by Luke Waterfall, where Sean Raggett met it with a header to send the ball past Tom Heaton.
Lincoln saw out the remaining seconds to seal a historic victory. The result made them the first non-league club since the 1913/14 season to reach the FA Cup quarter finals.
While the result is often remembered as part of Lincoln’s route to the quarter finals, it stands on its own as one of the most impressive non-league victories in FA Cup history.