It was another 10 years before the club made another impression on the Cup. By 1935-6, they were back in the Second Division after a four year interval in the Third and, with a new manager, Jack Peart, at the helm, disposed of Brighton and Blackpool at home in Rounds Three and Four. In the 5-2 victory over the Seasiders, centre forward Eddie Perry scored four times, a club record for the FA Cup that would only stand for three years.
The Fifth Round brought Fulham and Chelsea together for the first time in the Cup. Fog led to the postponement of the first game and when it was played at the Bridge the following Wednesday afternoon, over 52,000 people managed to attend.
The two teams fought out a bad-tempered goalless draw and the replay was arranged for the following Monday afternoon at the Cottage. Still almost 31,000 people were able to miss work to see Fulham storm into a 3-0 lead. Although Chelsea pulled two back late in the game, the Cottagers managed to hang on in a tense finish.
Just five days later came Fulham's fifth quarter final. Derby County were being tipped for the League and Cup Double but at the Cottage they were hampered by an injury to a defender and were well-beaten on the day.
The pick of Fulham's three goals was the second, a spectacular long-range effort by wing half Bert Barrett. Molineux was the venue for the semi final and Sheffield United the opponents, a team Fulham had beaten 3-1 in the League game at the Cottage the previous November. By March, however, the Blades were on a roll and were the Second Division's in-form team.
The Cottagers, as in 1908, seemed to be overcome by the occasion. After missing some easy chances, they conceded two goals and, despite a late headed goal from Johnny Arnold, their Wembley hopes had to be put on ice. Ironically, the teams met at Bramall Lane for a League fixture five days later, and Fulham won 1-0, courtesy of a Mike Keeping penalty.
For the rest of the twenties and thirties, the Fulham FA Cup story was a tale of failure, heroic on occasion but more often dismal. There were three seasons in this period when the Cottagers fell to lower-level opposition, first to Southport in 1927-8, most ignominiously to Chester (0-5) in 1932-3 and then to the giant-killing Millwall in 1936-7. In the heroic category of defeats were those at the hands of Liverpool in 1933-4 (after a replay) and Sunderland 12 months later, both by 2-3. Apart from during the Cup runs of 1925-6 and 1935-6, the only other success over a club from a higher level came in 1920-1 when First Division Blackburn were beaten at the Cottage after a replay.