| Associate Members Cup | |
| Year: | 1985–86 |
| Other Titles: | Freight Rover Trophy |
| Country: | England Wales |
| Prev Season: | 1984–85 |
| Next Season: | 1986–87 |
The 1985–86 Associate Members' Cup, known as the 1985–86 Freight Rover Trophy, was the fifth staging of a secondary football league tournament, and the third staging of the Associate Members' Cup, a knock-out competition for English football clubs in the Third Division and the Fourth Division. The winners were Bristol City and the runners-up were Bolton Wanderers.
The competition began on 14 January 1986 and ended with the final on 24 May 1986 at Wembley Stadium.
In the first round, there were two sections split into eight groups: North and South. In the following rounds each section gradually eliminates teams in knock-out fashion until each has a winning finalist. At this point, the two winning finalists faced each other in the combined final for the honour of the trophy.
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 February | Wigan Athletic | 3–0 | Rotherham United | |
| 10 March | Scunthorpe United | 1–1 | Port Vale | |
| Port Vale won 4–3 on penalties[1] | ||||
| 11 March | Bolton Wanderers | 2–1 | Tranmere Rovers | |
| 27 March | Darlington | 3–0 | Mansfield Town | |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 February | Swansea City | 1–0 | Torquay United | |
| 24 February | Gillingham | 2–0 | Cambridge United | |
| 24 March | Leyton Orient | 1–2 | Hereford United | |
| 27 March | Bristol City | 3–2 | Northampton Town |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 March | Port Vale | 1–2 | Wigan Athletic | |
| 1 May | Darlington | 0–3 | Bolton Wanderers |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 April | Bristol City | 3–0 | Gillingham | ||
| 2 April | Hereford United | 0–0 | Swansea City | ||
| Hereford United won 5–4 on penalties | |||||
General
Specific