Sunday, 23 April 2023

APRIL EXCITEMENT

 23rd April 1948 The day before the 1948 FA Cup Final at Wembley, Blackpool's Stanley Matthews was named as the first winner of Football Writers' Association 'Footballer of the Year' award. The final didn't bring more success for him with Manchester United beating Blackpool 4-2 in a classic Wembley final and Matthews had to wait another five years for that elusive winners' medal. Below, here is Stan mesmerising a Bolton defender in 1953, as he provided passes and crosses in a 4-3 win.


On the same day (but in a "reversed year" ), April 23rd 1984, a 0-0 draw at Grimsby, was Cambridge United's 31st League match on the trot without a win. They beat Newcastle in their next Division 2 match, but those 31 matches without a victory set a record that lasted until Derby suffered 36 winless matches in a row in 2008.

Derby County from 22 September 2007 to 13 September 2008not only have the worst points total in Premier League/Championship history, with only 11pts, but they jointly hold the record for the longest run without a win, a staggering 32 games with Macclesfield Town, whose record in League Two, between January 2nd to May 5th 2012 and then in a new season, August 4th to 12th October 2018 was equally pathetic!! It was the Rams' 109th season and their worst season in ther FL, their 65th season in the top division. It was their first season in the top flight since 2001-2.

The Longest run without a home win is 364 days, by Sunderland (in the Premier and Championship Leagues) from 17 December 2016 to 16 December 2017).

On the bright side, AFC Wimbledon with the most consecutive games without a defeat is 78, AFC Wimbledon, in Non-League Football; 23 February 2003 to 27 November 2004)

No comments:

Post a Comment