1888–89 FA Cup qualifying rounds
Home Club Score Away Club Date
Chester 5-1 Over Wanderers 27 October 1888
Maidenhead 1-2 Old Brightonians 27 October 1888
Old Harrovians 0-1 Crusaders 27 October 1888
Notts County 4-2 Beeston St John 's 27 October 1888
Blackburn Olympic 1-3 Oswaldtwistle Rovers 27 October 1888
Staveley 4-0 Matlock 27 October 1888
Sheffield Heeley 2-1 South Bank 27 October 1888
Chatham 4-0 London Caledonians 27 October 1888
Clitheroe 0-7 Higher Walton 27 October 1888
South Shore 7-1 Southport Central 27 October 1888
Rossendale 4-3 Darwen 27 October 1888
Derby Midland 2-1 Derby St Luke 's 27 October 1888
Leek 4-0 Oldbury Town 27 October 1888
Newark 4-4 Grimsby Town 27 October 1888
Sunderland 5-3 Elswick Rangers 27 October 1888
Casuals 1-3 Clapton 27 October 1888
Chirk 12-0 Nantwich 27 October 1888
Burton Wanderers 4-0 Shrewsbury Town 27 October 1888
Horncastle 0-1 Boston 27 October 1888
Chesham 3-3 Luton Town 27 October 1888
Second Qualifying Round
The FA Cup, from this season onwards, began to incorporate a series of qualifying rounds in order to determine qualifiers for the actual Cup competition itself. The qualifying rounds were made up of amateur teams, semi-professional teams, and professional sides not yet associated with the Football League, such as Nottingham Forest. The only game to be played on Christmas Day took place, Linfield Athletic beating Cliftonville 7-0. Everton became the first Football League team to withdraw from the Cup after drawing Ulster in the first qualifying round. See 1888-89 FA Cup for details of the rounds from the First Round onwards.