NEW YEAR'S EVE AND DAY SCORING

If I had been canny enough yesterday (31st), I could have boosted Peter Thompson's obit by including the historic point of his ex-manager, Bill Shankly making his professional football debut for Carlisle United as a 19 year old on December 31st 1932. The former coal miner played against Rochdale in Division Three North at Brunton Park. Score 2-2. And local rivals' famous manager, Alexander Chapman Ferguson was born in Govan in 1941.

January 1st 1927, George Camsell of Second Division
Middlesbrough, scored in his 12th consecutive league game, a feat never achieved before (or after), scoring 29 goals in total (1,1,1,4,1,4,1,2,4,5,2,3). In his next game he scored in a cup tie v Leicester City.
In this 1926/7 season Middlesbrough scored 122 goals and Camsell helped himself to 59 of them. (both records were beaten after a year).

Billy Sharp at 5'9" and 11 stone, aged 32, scored today against Wigan away in the 54th minute and made his tally 139 apps and 79 goals in his latest spell with Sheffield United. I saw him play earlier in the season
he is now the leading goalscorer in English League football this century with his 220th goal a typical "tap in". He has overtaken Rickie Lambert's record and has 17 goals so far this season.

Who has he played for having started at Sheffield United? Well the Blades three times-this latest visit since 2015, Rushden and Diamonds, Scunthorpe, Doncaster 3 times, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Reading and Leeds.

On November 2nd 2011, Sharpe scored for Donny against Middlesbrough in a league game and under his team jersey he wore a t-shirt with "That's for you son" printed on it, a reference to the death of his two day old son, who had passed away a few days before. Doncaster lost the game and the referee did not book Sharpe despite the well known law!
A few days later he scored in a win against Ipswich Town at Portman Road and the home fans gave him a standing ovation!