The 1884–85 Football Association Challenge Cup was the 14th staging of the FA Cup, England's oldest football tournament. 114 teams entered, 14 more than the previous season, although 8 of these never played a match.
The geographical nature of the early rounds left the competition with 9 clubs at this stage, and the Football Association Committee decided to draw two clubs for one fixture in the fifth round in order to "obviate the necessity of further byes". Following the drawing of Chatham and Old Carthusians, the Committee then drew the sixth round, the winners of the one fifth round tie being drawn to face Church F.C., who had the choice of ground.[3]
