On the 20th April 1955 Ivor and Len Allchurch (left) and John and Mel Charles (right) played for Wales in a Home Country international against Northern Ireland at Windsor Park. John Charles, a formidable giant of a man, scored a hat trick in his country's 3-2 victory.
On the 21st April 1909 Nottingham Forest beat Leicester Fosse (now City) 12-0 in a First Division relegation battle. Fosse had just arrived in the First Division having been promoted in 1908. A internal club inquiry revealed that team mate in the Fosse camp, Turner, had a wedding two days before the match which lasted through the early hours of the morning before the match. Fosse were 9 points adrift at the end of the season coming an easy 20th. Forest were 9th.
22nd April 1964 Forfar 5 East Fife 4.
On 23rd April 1927 the FA Cup left England for the first and only time when Cardiff City beat Arsenal 1-0 at Wembley, the first time that "Community Singing" was introduced to the pre-match celebrations. The first conductor was T.P.Ratcliffe who wore white trousers and shirt and became known as the "Man in White". The band of the Grenadier Guards played the music. After the war, he was followed by Arthur Caiger. a London School headmaster. Later Frank Rea took over and stood on his raised dais until the 1970s when modern tastes changed (apparently). Songs sung included "Pack up your troubles", "Its a long way to Tipperary" and of course "Abide with Me". So a Welsh team won what was then known as the English FA Cup and their goal was scored by Hughie Ferguson, a Scot.
23rd April 1948 saw Stanley Matthews of Blackpool awarded the first ever "Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year" award. The next day Blackpool played Manchester United in the FA Cup Final at Wembley but Matthews couldn't manage a winners' medal also, his team lost 2-4 from a 2-1 lead, with 21 minutes to go.
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