5 reasons why we love the FA Cup

The FA Cup is the longest running club competition in the history of football. With exception of the war years from 1939 until 1945, no year since 1871 has passed without an FA Cup winner being crowned.

In contrast to the debatable League Cup, currently named Carabao Cup, any team from the 10th division upwards that is registered in the English Football League can try their luck at winning the competition, provided they meet the necessary criteria.

Whilst cup matches, in general, have a certain flair about them that just gives them that extra element of excitement, the FA Cup has proven to be one of the most wide-open competitions in European football of recent times.

While Arsenal has won the competition in three of the last four years, there have only been two clashes of the dominant top six of the Premier League in the last ten FA Cup finals.

However, sometimes the way to the supposed climax of the competition is even more interesting than the final itself. Yesterday, fourth division side Newport County held Tottenham to a draw and forced a replay, while third-tier side Wigan Athletic sent West Ham United packing.

After already defeating Bournemouth 3-0 in the third round, the Latics have already registered their second Premier League scalp of this season's competition by knocking the Hammers out of the competition.

Therefore, after another eventful day of FA Cup action, we take a look at the five reasons why we love this competition so much.

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#5 Pressure

Firmino distraught after going out to West Brom

The FA Cup is arguably the most prestigious cup competition in the world, meaning that the stakes are high, even for the top clubs. While the League Cup is often regarded as a competitive framework for testing your back-up players and young talents, the FA Cup is too important to justify this.

Whether top six club or a team from the lower leagues, victory in the FA Cup comes along with a lot of pride and is often regarded as a valid way of salvaging a campaign. If Arsenal hadn't won this competition multiple times in the past years, Arsene Wenger's days at the Emirates may have been numbered.

Additionally, there is a sense of urgency when favourites face off against lower-tier teams, as a draw results in a replay rather than extra time and penalties. Particularly teams that are still competing in Europe want to avoid the infamous replay match because it just adds further congestion to their already packed schedules.

Especially in tight games, this pressure becomes increasingly visible and often leads to somewhat frantic finishes to FA Cup matches, making them all the more interesting.

#4 Unique match-ups

Sutton United faced Arsenal for the first time in their club's history

Despite the Premier League and Championship clubs only entering the competition in the third round, the concept of the FA Cup regularly leads to match-ups that are unfamiliar, to say the least.

The reason why the third round draw is interesting every year is that there is no seeding system that restricts the teams that can play each other. It is therefore just as likely that Manchester United face Manchester City, as it is that they travel to Mansfield Town.

Two great examples of the past two years are Arsenal's fifth-round tie with Sutton United last year and Tottenham's visit to Newport yesterday. While the Gunners didn't even have to leave London for their match, it was the first time that the two teams squared off in a competitive match.

Tottenham, on the other hand, played against Newport for the first time in 68 years. The FA Cup gives the lower league teams, and sometimes even amateur teams, their only real opportunity to ever host a Premier League side and create a special moment in their club histories.

#3 Upsets

Harry Kane and his Spurs couldn't beat Newport

Despite the examples of FA Cup upsets being countless, there is no real need to look further than this season's fourth round. Two teams from the fourth-tier managed to hold Premier League sides back and force them into replays.

While Newport's 1-1 draw against Tottenham dominated the papers, Notts County's achievement against Swansea City has been flying under the radar. The League Two side held the Welsh team to the same scoreline, somewhat breaking the momentum they had just gained by defeating Liverpool.

Upsets are a regular asset of FA Cup campaigns and they create the unique feeling that absolutely anything is possible in the competition. The most important part about this is that the lower-tier sides believe this themselves and it reflects in their performances.

Most teams that make the later rounds need to have their weekend matches re-scheduled, meaning that they return back to their regular league football on the Tuesday or Wednesday after their FA Cup tie. However, this doesn't prevent them from giving it everything they have and sometimes even more, in order to progress to the next round.

#2 Tradition

The FA Cup is one the most recognizable trophies in the world

The tradition of the FA Cup is one of the key reasons, why it is viewed as such an important competition. It is the oldest national club competition in the world and its non-exclusive character sends the message, that although a lot may change, football is still everybody's game.

40 different teams have lifted the FA Cup throughout its long history and the trophy itself has only been redesigned once, in 1911. The consistency of the trophy's design just adds to the tournament's unique flair.

The biggest change that was made to the competition was the introduction of extra time and penalties. While the traditional replay matches still exist, the tie-breaking procedure is applied after another draw in the replay. Additionally, there are no more replays from the quarter-finals onwards.

If these changes hadn't been implemented, the already congested English football schedule would grow even further and wouldn't be suitable to the modern demands of professional football. Alvechurch and Oxford City took six matches to find a winner in 1971, something that would be unimaginable nowadays.

However, in these revolutionary times in the football world, where £200m are paid for players, it is refreshing to see that some things simply don't change. Despite the FA Cup growing consistently throughout the years and changes being made, the competition never lost its identity in 147 years.

#1 Fairytale campaigns

Wigan won the FA Cup in 2013 and got relegated days later

No matter how competitive football gets, nothing beats a true underdog story. From Lincoln's quarter-final run last year to Wigan beating Manchester City in the final in 2013, the FA Cup never ceases to create those fairytale runs by teams that were written off.

One of the most bizarre campaigns ever came from a team that has been tearing it up in this year's tournament too: Wigan Athletic. While nothing seemed to work for Roberto Martinez' team in the league, everything came together in the FA Cup.

The underdogs went on to win the competition prior to being relegated from the English top flight days later. Subsequently, they became one of very few teams in history to play in a European competition whilst not playing in their national top-tier.

Because of the possibility of top teams running into each other at any given point in the tournament, it can often clear the way for unlikely teams to go extremely deep in the competition, making the FA Cup all the more interesting.

The underdog stories have another positive side-effect on the competition's popularity. It gives neutral fans and supporters of eliminated teams someone to get behind and a reason to stay engaged in the competition.

The way this season's tournament has gone so far, it is likely that they will be able to do so again.