There were two surprising competitors in the first FA Cup final held after the First World War. Second Division Huddersfield Town were nearly dissolved due to lack of funds, only saved due to contributions from townspeople. Villa were bottom of the First Division, but still managed to win for the sixth time thanks to a lucky goal in the seventh minute of extra time from Billy Kirton.

Stamford Bridge was the venue of the 1921 final featuring two previous winners, Spurs and Wolverhampton Wanderers. A heavy shower turned the pitch into a mud-bath, preventing any constructive play and Spurs won by a single goal in the 55th minute scored by Jimmy Dimmock.

Huddersfield secured their first and only FA Cup triumph to date through Billy Smith's penalty, the first time a spot kick had decided the final. They defeated Preston North End in the last final to be held before the new Wembley Stadium was opened.

The first final held at Wembley Stadium (known as the Empire Stadium at the time) is one of the most famous contests in the Cup's history. It became known as the 'White Horse Final' as 200,000 fans rushed the gates and it was down to mounted policemen, including a giant white horse called Billie, to restore order. The game eventually began 45 minutes late, with the crowd playing an important part in the battle between Bolton and West Ham. One spectator was knocked unconscious by a shot on goal and a West Ham player became entangled with fans on the touchline and was prevented from returning to the pitch for a time. Bolton eventually won 2-0 through goals from David Jack and Jack Smith.

A slightly more manoeuvrable 91,000 people packed Wembley to see Newcastle take on Aston Villa in a repeat of the 1905 final. Villa were favourites but were stunned by two quick goals from Neil Harris and Stan Seymour in the last ten minutes of the game.

Cardiff were the first Welsh team to reach the final as they met Sheffield United in the Wembley final. The English team took advantage of a defensive mistake and won by a lone goal from Fred Tunstall. 

The 1904 finalists met again at Wembley, but this time it was Bolton's turn to take the advantage and beat Manchester City by a single David Jack goal, thanks mainly to the display by Dick Pym, the Devonshire fisherman in the Bolton goal.

Cardiff, the defeated finalists of two years earlier, returned to Wembley and finally got their hands on the Cup thanks to a famous error by the Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis, a Welshman, who failed to gather the ball allowing Hughie Ferguson to score. The lone goal was enough to ensure the Welsh win, in the first final to be broadcast by BBC radio.

After one of the fastest goals in FA Cup history, a mere thirty seconds, Blackburn took the upper hand against favourites Huddersfield. Two goals from Jack Roscamp and a third from Tommy McLean were enough to sink Town for whom Alex Jackson scored their only goal in a 3-1 defeat.

For the third time in the decade, Bolton lifted the cup , beating Portsmouth 2-0 in the Wembley final. The balance of the match changed in the second half when Pompey's left-back was injured and Bolton took advantage, scoring twice in the last ten minutes through Billy Butler and Harry Blackmore.

A FA Cup tradition was formed in this final as both sides ran onto the pitch side-by-side, a nod to Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman, who had also managed opponents Huddersfield Town previously. Arsenal won their first cup, through goals from Alex James and Jack Lambert, but the final is best remembered for images of the world's largest airship, the Graf Zeppelin, which flew over the stadium during the match.

The Baggies always seemed to face Midlands rivals in the Cup final having had a number of famous tussles with Villa over the years. This year it was Birmingham City's turn to take on the Albion, in their first Wembley final. Not only did Albion win 2-1 thanks to two goals from WG Richardson, they were also promoted from the Second Division, performing a unique 'double'.

This was the famous 'over the line' Cup final, with Newcastle battling Arsenal and scoring one of the most contentious goals in Wembley history. Arsenal took the lead through Bob John before Jack Allen claimed a controversial equaliser. The Gunners defence relaxed as they saw the ball go out of play for a goal kick, but no whistle came, so the ball was passed into the box for Allen to score. The striker then scored the winner in the 72nd minute.

This final saw numbers attached to players jerseys for the first time, with Everton bearing the numbers 1-11 while opponents Manchester City wore 12-22. Everton trounced their north-west rivals 3-0, including a goal from the legendary Dixie Dean.

Manchester's opponents Portsmouth scored first in this final through Septimus Rutherford, due to an error by goalkeeper Frank Swift. The youngster was distraught to have had let his side down, but City attacker Fred Tilson assured the keeper he'd score two goals in the second half. His prediction came true and City won 2-1. Swift fainted with relief at the end of the game. He'd go on to captain England.

Wednesday were flying high in the League, having been champions in the previous year, while West Bromwich Albion were Cup final veterans. Many expected fireworks and weren't disappointed in this six goal thriller. The score was 2-2 with only five minutes to go, but two late goals from Ellis Rimmer assured victory for the Owls.

Arsenal legend Ted Drake scored the only goal in the '36 final, defeating Second Division Sheffield United. Drake would go on to manage Chelsea to League success.

Despite success in the league, cup glory still eluded Sunderland and, with Preston North End taking the lead through Frank O'Donnell, fans feared more failure. But the north-east side pulled it together in the second half, scoring three times through Bobby Gurney, Raich Carter and Eddie Burbanks  to lift the Cup.

The previous year's defeated finalists finally lifted the Cup...but only just. Huddersfield Town held them to a goalless draw well into extra time. The first final to be televised by the BBC, commentator Thomas Woodrooffe vowed to eat his hat if a goal was scored. Preston were then awarded a penalty, which was converted by George Mutch and Woodrooffe, rumour has it, went through with his promise.

Wolves were the favourite in the final, as their young team led by the legendary Stan Cullis were riding high in the League. But perhaps the enormity of the occasion got the better of them - Portsmouth took advantage of nerves and goalkeeping errors to win 4-1, with Cliff Parker scoring twice. Due to the war, the next final wasn't held until 1946.