There was a Christmas Eve fixture today...Exciting? unusual but the Wolves will be happy, having beaten Chelsea 2-1 at home. After 51 minutes, Lemina put the Wolves ahead, Doherty made it 2-0 after 93 mins and Nkunku got a consolation three minutes later. This was the first Premier League, Christmas Eve fixture since 1995. Molineux was packed. Wolves had 68% possession, shots were evenish..home team 14 with Chelsea 16. Chelsea are 10th in the PL and Wolves 11 wth equal 22 pts each.
The first Christmas Day league match took place in 1889, when The Invincibles, Preston North End, beat Aston Villa, and Nick Ross scored 3 at Deepdale for the home team. A crowd of 10,000 or more watched.
In 1909, Partick Thistle beat Hibernian on this day in a league match, but Thistle lost defender James Main early doors, who was kicked in the stomach and suffered a ruptured bowel from which he never recovered and died.On Christmas Day in 1917, Dick, Kerr's Ladies, The Munitionettes, played a charity game on Christmas Day at Deepdale (Preston NE) against the Arundel Coulthard's Factory. £488 was raised for charity and the Dick's Ladies won 4-0. See them below. On Boxing Day 1920 the Kerr Ladies beat St Helen's Ladies in front of 53,000, 4-0. Ladies football was here to stay.
In 1936 Hull hosted wrexham in a Third Division South match. Ambrose brown was sent off after 20 seconds. Some coach journey!
In 1954 Blackpool were drawn to play Portsmouth away in a league game on Christmas day which involved a 500 mile round trip. There was of course a return match in which Jimmy Armfield made his debut.
1957 was the last time that a full English Football League programme was held on Christmas Day. 38 matches were played and by 1959 public transport had been given the day off, so there was not a lot of movement in and out of stadia and league fixtures declined. People just couldn't travel.
Jimmy Greaves scored a hat trick and ONE in 1957 for Chelsea against Portsmouth in a league game which Chelsea won 7-4.
Here's a "traditional Xmas fixture" from Lancashire....
Some clubs kept their "Christmas" holiday fixture going and recorded bumper crowds;
Some clubs kept their "Christmas" holiday fixture going and recorded bumper crowds;
| 25 Dec 1946 | Blackburn Rovers v Blackpool | D | 1-1 | League Division One |
| 26 Dec 1946 | Blackpool v Blackburn Rovers | W | 1-0 | League Division One |
| 25 Dec 1959 | Blackburn Rovers v Blackpool | L | 1-0 | League Division One |
| 26 Dec 1959 | Blackpool v Blackburn Rovers | W | 1-0 | League Division One |
| 24 Dec 1960 | Blackpool v Blackburn Rovers | W | 2-0 | League Division One |
| 27 Dec 1960 | Blackburn Rovers v Blackpool | L | 2-0 | League Division One |
| 25 Dec 1965 | Blackpool v Blackburn Rovers | W | 4-2 | League Division One |
on December 25th 1965, Blackburn played at Blackpool, winning 4-2 in Division 1 in a Lancastrian derby. This was the last Christmas Day match ever and over 20,000 watched this spectacle, and Coventry beat Wrexham in Division 3 3-0.
Some clubs were scheduled to play on Boxing Day as well, but matches were postponed due to frozen pitches.
The Scottish League kept a full programme going until 1976 but there was a reduced programme after that.
Some Scot's clubs kept going with Clydebank drawing with St Mirren and Alloa beat Cowdenbeath.
In 1983 Brentford attempted to play Wimbledon in a Division Three game on Christmas Day but there was a protest and the game was brought forward to the Eve. There was a protest about this too but over 6,600 turned out, the second highest attendance at Griffin Park that season. Wimbledon won 4-3.
The Scottish League kept a full programme going until 1976 but there was a reduced programme after that.
Some Scot's clubs kept going with Clydebank drawing with St Mirren and Alloa beat Cowdenbeath.
In 1983 Brentford attempted to play Wimbledon in a Division Three game on Christmas Day but there was a protest and the game was brought forward to the Eve. There was a protest about this too but over 6,600 turned out, the second highest attendance at Griffin Park that season. Wimbledon won 4-3.
| 24 Dec 1983 | Brentford v Wimbledon | L | 3-4 | League Division Three |
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