With replays unwanted during the second world war a Play to the Finish rule came in. In 1940 West Ham won the Football League War Cup, a tournament of some 137 games played in the space of only nine weeks. The following year drawn ties were awarded to the team with the superior league record, but this too caused unhappiness. On 30 March 1946 Stockport County hosted Doncaster Rovers in the second leg of a League III North Cup match. At 203 minutes, excluding intervals, the match had pipped the Cardiff game by three minutes.

Source: The Guardian March 29, 2018 10:52 UTC