This was also the first FA Cup Final in which a substitute was used, when West Brom's Dennis Clarke came on for an injured John Kaye.

Both clubs were members of the First Division, Everton having finished fifth during the 1967–68 league season and West Bromwich Albion eighth.

Everton were victorious in both league matches between the two sides, winning 2–1 at Goodison Park and 6–2 at The Hawthorns.

Despite it being a wet midweek night, a crowd of 56,000 watched the game, 20,000 of them Albion fans who had made the journey north.

The semi-final saw Albion drawn against local rivals Birmingham City, who were chasing promotion from the second division at the time.

The clubs had met in a final back in 1931, which Albion had won, and the match was staged at the neutral venue of Villa Park.