TOP SCORES AND SCORERS

The highest score in a Football League match is 13, first scored on Saturday 6th January 1934  when Stockport County beat Halifax Town 13-0 in a Third Division (North) fixture. Not a great League debut for the Halifax goalkeeper, Stanley Milton (below), although he did keep the score down to 2-0 at half-time!

On Christmas Day 1935, Oldham Athletic beat Tranmere Rovers 4-1 in a Third Division (North) fixture. On Boxing Day the two met again in the return fixture at Prenton Park and this time Tranmere got the better of their rivals winning 13-4! The 17 goals is still a record aggregate score for a League match and the 9 goals by Robert 'Bunny' Bell, scored for Rovers, also missed a penalty, but created a new Football League record. 'Bunny' Bell's record of scoring 9 League goals in the Tranmere v Oldham match lasted only until Monday April 13th 1936 when Luton Town's Joe Payne scored 10 in the Hatters' 12-0 victory over Bristol Rovers in a Third Division (South) match. BELL below...............

On Saturday 5th October 1946 Newcastle United became the third and last side to score 13 in a League match when defeating Newport County 13-0 in a Second Division fixture. It proved a perfect debut for Len Shackleton, the 'Clown Prince of Soccer', following his £13,000 move from Bradford Park Avenue to St James' Park. He scored six of the goals, including a hat-trick in just two and a half minutes.

As a Spurs' fan, I remember Bill Nicholson's first match in charge as manager of struggling Tottenham, his first ever managerial job. (I have the programme). He saw them let in 4 goals against Everton in a First Division match at White Hart Lane on Saturday 11th October 1958. Not the best starts you might think but what made it memorable was that Spurs scored 10, the first goal coming after three minutes and the tenth a couple of minutes before the final whistle. Leaving the pitch to thunderous applause one of the Spurs goalscorers, Tommy Harmer, had to remind his new boss 'We don't score ten every week, you know.'

And it certainly wasn't downhill from then on with Nicholson leading Spurs in the most successful period in their history. A League and Cup double in 1961, two more FA Cup victories plus two League Cup wins, a UEFA Cup victory, a European Cup semi and in 1963 they became the first English club to win a European competition - the European Cup Winners' Cup with a 5-1 final defeat of Atlético Madrid. The 10-4 victory over Everton didn't prove to be the top score by Spurs in his reign as manager, which lasted until August 1974. In 1960 they tonked Crewe Alexandra 13-2 in in an FA Cup 4th Round replay.

Fulham played Ipswich Town twice over the Christmas period in 1963 - at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day with the return at Portman Road a couple of days later, on Saturday 28th December. The programme notes in the second match at Ipswich stated - 'I can only hope that Ipswich kept up the good work against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day. I am afraid that these notes had to be completed long before the result of that match was known so I can only keep my fingers crossed.' Nope, that didn't work, Fulham had won that first match 10-1 which was the last time that a club had scored double figures in the top flight.

Burslem Port Vale, from the "Potteries", became the first, and still only club to concede 10 goals at home in a League match when they lost 0-10 to Sheffield United in a Second Division fixture on Saturday December 3rd 1892. They must have had nightmares about playing their next match a week later - this time away to Sheffield United  - but they only lost that one 0-4.

A club to lose what would still be a record score is Manchester United. Back in the days when they were Newton Heath, their Bank Street pitch was far from the bowling-green surface they now enjoy at the Theatre of Dreams. In fact is was usually no more than mud and sand with the occasional tuft of grass! When Walsall Town Swifts arrived for a Second Division fixture on Saturday March 9th 1895, they immediately objected to the state of the pitch. Another layer of sand was added before kick off and the match was played under protest - with Newton Heath winning 14-0. However Walsall's protest was upheld by the Football League and the match was declared void and ordered to be replayed so the 14-0 scoreline ended up in the history books rather than the record books. The re-arranged match was played on Wednesday April 3rd 1895...with the Heathens only managing a 9-0 win that time!

Darwen hold the unfortunate record of conceding the most double-figure League defeats in a season. Back in 1896 they were good enough to score double-figures twice themselves (a 10 and a 12) but three years later they were at rock bottom and in the second half of the 1898/99 season lost three matches by a 0-10 scoreline. The Lancashire side set another unwanted record that season - the 141 Second Division goals they conceded (in just 34 matches) is still the worst goals against figure for a season in the Football League. 

A Football League investigation into the reasons behind Leicester Fosse's (now Leicester City) poor showing in their 12-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest in April 1909 found that the Leicester players had been celebrating the marriage of a team-mate for 2 days prior to the match!

Perhaps over-indulging the day before a match is more common than the Forest v Leicester incident above. Of the 60-odd times that a side has scored double-figures in a League match there is one date that sticks out far more than any other - Boxing Day, yep the day after Christmas Day! Five times December 26th has seen a club conceded 10 or more goals in a League match and perhaps the Wolves' hangovers were particularly bad in 1919 when they lost a Division 2 match 3-10 at Hull City, on December 27th!

Another favourite day for conceding double figures is the first away League match of the season. Stoke, Burnley, Rotherham and Northampton have all let in 10 or more in their first away League match of the season and Torquay (twice) and Crystal Palace have suffered the same in their second away League match of the season.

We are still waiting for the first club to score 10 goals in a Premier League match. The highest to date is 9 which has been recorded several times. Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth 27-8-22 by 8 scorers including a penalty.

Manchester United beat Southampton 9-0 on February 2nd 2021, including 8 different scorers and including an o.g. and a penalty.

On Saturday 4th March 1995 Manchester United beat Ipswich Town 9-0. Andy Cole scored 5. 

On Sunday 22nd November 2009 Tottenham beat Wigan Athletic 9-1, Defoe scored 5. After Wigan's defeat the club immediately offered both an apology to their fans and a promise to refund the ticket price to the 500 or so fans who had bought tickets for the match at White Hart Lane.  Wigan captain Mario Melchiot said 'We are professionals. We will take it on the chin and move on but it's important that we do not take our supporters for granted.' Good lad!

Leicester's 9-0 defeat away at Southampton on Friday October 25th 2019, aided by Vardy and Perez scoring three each. 

Chesterfield visited Gillingham for a Division 3 fixture on Saturday 5th September 1987 and  they were hoping to maintain their excellent start to the season which had seen them not conceding a League goal in their first four matches. Gillingham, on the other hand, had recorded their second highest League score in their previous League match at the Priestfield Stadium, an 8-1 victory over Southend United. In the Gills Chat programme notes for the Chesterfield match they wrote....'you begin to wonder if the club has exhausted its quota of thrills for the season.' No, Gillingham beat Chesterfield 10-0!!!

The last time that a club scored double figures in the League was on Saturday 7th November 1987 when Manchester City defeated Huddersfield Town 10-1 in a Second Division match. Paul Stewart, Tony Adcock and David White each scored hat-tricks for the home side. Former England international Malcolm Macdonald had only been appointed manager of Huddersfield the previous month. It didn't get much better for him with Huddersfield finishing the season in a distant bottom place and Macdonald ending his managerial career at the same time. 

An aggregate of eleven goals: 29th September 2007 Portmouth 7-4 Reading.

Sixty-three Football League matches have ended with one of the sides scoring 10 or more goals. Two of the those matches (marked * and **https://www.afcb.co.uk/news/club-news/record-win-expungedwhat-a-load-of-cobblers/) were declared void (for various reasons, pitch conditions e.g.) and so are no longer in the official record. The matches -

1889/90	Sat	Sep	14	1889	Preston North End	10	-	0	Stoke	League
1891/92	Sat	Mar	12	1892	Aston Villa	12	-	2	Accrington	League
	Mon	Apr	4	1892	WBA	12	-	0	Darwen	League
1892/93	Sat	Oct	15	1892	Newton Heath	10	-	1	Wolves	Division 1
	Sat	Dec	10	1892	Burslem Port Vale	0	-	10	Sheffield United	Division 2
	Sat	Dec	17	1892	Small Heath	12	-	0	Walsall Town Swifts	Division 2
1893/94	Sat	Mar	17	1894	Small Heath	10	-	2	Ardwick	Division 2
1894/95	Tue	Feb	26	1895	Notts County	10	-	0	Burslem Port Vale	Division 2
	Sat	Mar	9	1895	Newton Heath	14	-	0	Walsall Town Swifts	Division 2*
	Sat	Mar	23	1895	Ardwick	11	-	3	Lincoln City	Division 2
1895/96	Mon	Jan	13	1896	Darwen	10	-	2	Rotherham Town	Division 2
	Tue	Feb	18	1896	Liverpool	10	-	1	Rotherham Town	Division 2
1896/97	Sat	Dec	26	1896	Darwen	12	-	0	Walsall	Division 2
1898/99	Sat	Feb	18	1899	Manchester City	10	-	0	Darwen	Division 2
	Sat	Mar	4	1899	Walsall	10	-	0	Darwen	Division 2
	Sat	Apr	1	1899	Loughborough	10	-	0	Darwen	Division 2
1899/00	Mon	Mar	12	1900	Woolwich Arsenal	12	-	0	Loughborough	Division 2
1900/01	Sat	Mar	2	1901	Small Heath	10	-	1	Blackpool	Division 2
1902/03	Sat	Jan	17	1903	Chesterfield	10	-	0	Glossop	Division 2
	Sat	Apr	11	1903	Small Heath	12	-	0	Doncaster Rovers	Division 2
1908/09	Wed	Apr	21	1909	Nottingham Forest	12	-	0	Leicester Fosse	Division 1
1912/13	Sat	Oct	5	1912	Aston Villa	10	-	0	Sheffield Wed.	Division 1
1914/15	Sat	Jan	23	1915	Birmingham	11	-	1	Glossop	Division 2
1919/20	Sat	Dec	27	1919	Hull City	10	-	3	Wolves	Division 2
1925/26	Sat	Aug	29	1925	Aston Villa	10	-	0	Burnley	Division 1
	Fri	Jan	1	1926	Sheffield United	11	-	2	Cardiff City	Division 1
1927/28	Sat	Nov	5	1927	Northampton Town	10	-	0	Walsall	Division 3 Sth
	Sat	Jan	7	1928	Tranmere Rovers	11	-	1	Durham City	Division 3 North
1928/29	Sat	Aug	25	1928	Bradford City	11	-	1	Rotherham United	Division 3 North
	Sat	Oct	20	1928	Leicester City	10	-	0	Portsmouth	Division 1
	Sat	Jan	19	1929	Sheffield United	10	-	0	Burnley	Division 1
	Sat	Mar	16	1929	South Shields	10	-	1	Rotherham United	Division 3 North
1929/30	Sat	Mar	15	1930	Norwich City	10	-	2	Coventry City	Division 3 Sth
	Thu	Apr	10	1930	Newport County	10	-	0	Merthyr Town	Division 3 Sth
1930/31	Sat	Dec	13	1930	Huddersfield Town	10	-	1	Blackpool	Division 1
	Fri	Dec	26	1930	Hull City	10	-	0	Halifax Town	Division 3 North
1931/32	Mon	Sep	7	1931	Fulham	10	-	2	Torquay United	Division 3 Sth
1933/34	Sat	Sep	2	1933	Luton Town	10	-	2	Torquay United	Division 3 Sth
	Sat	Nov	18	1933	Middlesbrough	10	-	3	Sheffield United	Division 1
	Sat	Jan	6	1934	Stockport County	13	-	0	Halifax Town	Division 3 North
	Sat	May	5	1934	Barrow	12	-	1	Gateshead	Division 3 North
1935/36	Thu	Dec	26	1935	Tranmere Rovers	13	-	4	Oldham Athletic	Division 3 North
	Sat	Feb	1	1936	Chester	12	-	0	York City	Division 3 North
	Mon	Apr	13	1936	Luton Town	12	-	0	Bristol Rovers	Division 3 Sth
1936/37	Thu	Feb	4	1937	Stoke City	10	-	3	WBA	Division 1
1937/38	Thu	Jan	13	1938	Hull City	10	-	1	Southport	Division 3 North
	Fri	Apr	15	1938	Wolves	10	-	1	Leicester City	Division 1
1938/39	Sat	Jan	14	1939	Hull City	11	-	1	Carlisle United	Division 3 North
1939/40	Sat	Sep	2	1939	Bournemouth	10	-	0	Northampton Town	Division 3 Sth**
1946/47	Wed	Sep	4	1946	Reading	10	-	2	Crystal Palace	Division 3 Sth
	Sat	Oct	5	1946	Newcastle United	13	-	0	Newport County	Division 2
1948/49	Sat	Jan	15	1949	Notts County	11	-	1	Newport County	Division 3 Sth
1951/52	Sat	Sep	29	1951	Lincoln City	11	-	1	Crewe Alexandra	Division 3 North
	Sat	Jan	19	1952	Oldham Athletic	11	-	2	Chester	Division 3 North
1958/59	Sat	Oct	11	1958	Tottenham Hotspur	10	-	4	Everton	Division 1
	Sat	Apr	4	1959	Hartlepools United	10	-	1	Barrow	Division 4
1959/60	Sat	Nov	14	1959	Aston Villa	11	-	1	Charlton Athletic	Division 2
1961/62	Sat	Mar	3	1962	Wrexham	10	-	1	Hartlepools United	Division 4
1962/63	Wed	Dec	26	1962	Oldham Athletic	11	-	0	Southport	Division 4
1963/64	Thu	Dec	26	1963	Fulham	10	-	1	Ipswich Town	Division 1
	Sat	Jan	25	1964	Doncaster Rovers	10	-	0	Darlington	Division 4
1987/88	Sat	Sep	5	1987	Gillingham	10	-	0	Chesterfield	Division 3
	Sat	Nov	7	1987	Manchester City	10	-	1	Huddersfield Town	Division 2

HAIR FOLLICLE; MULTI-NATIONAL GUNNERS; EMIRATES

 

13th September 2017
One of those 'injuries' which the whole world soon found out about. Spanish international Marco Asensio missed Real Madrid's first Champions League match of 2017/18 because of a leg injury. He had shaved his legs - the razor was dirty - a hair follicle on his leg became infected causing a pimple - and so he couldn't pull one of his socks up. Must have been painful! Shaving chest too??

But, Lineker always has the final word......

On 13 September 2006, Arsenal defeated Hamburg 1-2 in their opening UEFA Champions League, group stage match before a crowd of 51,258 at Arena Hamburg. The match was notable for the fact that, for a 42-minute period, the Arsenal side was comprised of 11 different nationalities.

Arsenal's starting eleven included ten different nationalities. The only duplicate was the Ivory Coast, due to the presence of Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboué in defence. Toure suffered a thigh injury, however, and was replaced by Justin Hoyte in the 28th minute. At that point, the Gunners on the pitch were Jens Lehmann (Germany), Emmanuel Eboué (Ivory Coast), Johann Djourou (Switzerland), Justin Hoyte (England), William Gallas (France), Tomáš Rosický (Czech Republic), Gilberto Silva (Brazil), Cesc Fàbregas (Spain), Alexander Hleb (Belarus), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), and Robin van Persie (Netherlands). That combination lasted until the 69th minute, when van Persie was substituted in favour of a second Brazilian, striker Julio Baptista.

The match itself was never in doubt, as Hamburg keeper Sascha Kirschstein was sent off in the 10th minute for tripping van Persie. Gilberto Silva converted the ensuing spot kick and Rosický added a second goal in the 53rd minute. Hamburg's Boubacar Sanogo pulled one back in the 90th minute, but it was too late for the undermanned side to complete a comeback and the match ended 1-2 in Arsenal's favor.

As if eleven nationalities weren't enough, Arsenal had two more "nations" on bench. Team sheet below

Starting lineup:

GoalkeeperJens Lehmann

DefenderGaël Clichy

Defender/Centre backPhilippe Senderos

Defender/MidfielderEmmanuel Eboué

Defender/MidfielderKolo Touré

MidfielderCesc Fabregas

MidfielderMathieu Flamini

MidfielderAleksandr Hleb

MidfielderFreddie Ljungberg

ForwardThierry Henry

ForwardRobin van Persie

Substitutions:

Emmanuel Adebayor forRobin van Persie	70
Theo Walcott forFreddie Ljungberg	75
Julio Baptista forAleksandr Hleb	81

https://www.planetfootball.com/nostalgia/now-arsenals-xi-11-different-nationalities-v-hamburg/

On the bench:

Midfielder/ForwardTheo Walcott (England !!)

ForwardEmmanuel Adebayor (Togo)

Forward
Julio Baptista (Brazil)

Unused substitutes: Manuel Almunia, Gilberto Silva, Johann Djourou and Justin Hoyte (England!!!)

The 2006–07 season was the 109th season of competitive football played by Arsenal. It was the first season in which home matches were played at the over-60,000 capacity Emirates Stadium; the club's former ground Highbury was to be redeveloped as residential housing.

CELEBRATING IN SCOTLAND-TODAY OF ALL DAYS

The Scottish club, Dundee Harp, was founded to provide a focus of sporting interest for the city's large Roman Catholic community, largely of Irish descent, following the example of the leaders of the same community in Edinburgh who founded Hibernian in 1875 along the same principles. By 1879 the football craze had hit the capital and the city's "Little Ireland" community set up their own club in "Cowgate". As early as 1851, 19% of Dundee's population was Irish born, more than in Glasgow and one area was known as "Tipperary".

The club's ground was located near the gas works in East Dock Street. The club did not compete in a national league, mostly playing in local and regional competitions in the East of Scotland.

Harp's most notable result was a 35–0 victory against Aberdeen Rovers in a Scottish FA Cup game played on 12 September 1885. Remarkably, this occurred on the same day that Arbroath beat Bon Accord 36–0, the largest gap between two clubs in British Football League history. 18 year old John Petrie scored 13 goals, a Scottish Cup and a World record, that has been equalled but not beaten.

Although the referee in the Harp-Aberdeen Rovers game had noted 37 goals, Harp's secretary suggested a miscount must have occurred as he had recorded only 35. Some in the crowd counted 41 times that the ball went into the net!! The match official, acknowledging that it was difficult for him to keep accurate details during such a deluge of goals, accepted the lower tally and wired the official score of 35–0 to SFA headquarters.

Dundee Harp full back, Tom O'Kane, was an ex-Arbroath player, and he persuaded the Dundee club's officials to send a telegram to his former colleagues at Gayfield Park, boasting of his team's record breaking achievement. The Harp players and officials were not to know that Arbroath had actually gone one better against another unfortunate Aberdeen side on that same afternoon. On receiving the Harp telegram, Arbroath officials took great delight in sending a reply boasting of the Angus side's superior achievement. It was only when O'Kane arrived back in Arbroath on the late Saturday evening train that he discovered the truth. Locals were quick to tell him that the Arbroath result was no joke and Harp's record-breaking claim was about to be lost.

The club, Dundee Harp, later, was suspended by the SFA, in 1894, for inability to pay match guarantees to visiting clubs and so, sadly, Harp disappeared from the scene.

Plans to form a new club were reported in the local press only a week after Harp's demise, and as a result Dundee Hibernian was formed before a fortnight had passed. This club had no connection to the club of the same name, that was founded in 1909 and became Dundee United in 1923. This Dundee Hibernian changed its name to Dundee Harp in 1896, but the following year the club went out of business, weighed down by debts which it could not meet and was suspended by the SFA for inability to pay match guarantees to visiting clubs and Harp then disappeared from the scene.

A club named Harp F.C. was founded in the Lochee district of Dundee in 1904, this was a junior club (the equivalent of a non-league club in England), the level at which it still plays today, under the name Lochee Harp.

The club played at Magdalen Green from 1879 until moving to Tayside Park in 1881. In 1883 they moved to Viewforth Park, but moved again the following year to East Dock Street, also known as the Harp Athletic Grounds

Bon Accord were in the Cup by error, because the Scottish FA invited Orion Cricket Club into the cup rather than Orion FC. Orion CC members made up the name, Bon Accord, and had no proper kit or practice, but they turned up to play. Referee, Dave Stormont, had missed noting several goals that might have notched up 40 in total. Two seasons later in the first round of the Scottish Cup, Arbroath, by chance, hosted the real Orion FC and only beat them 18-0!

Arbroath went on to win their next match against Forfar 9-1 (should have been forty-four?) and then Dundee East End 7-1, losing to Hibernian 3-5 in the fourth round.

The biggest English FA Cup score we know is Preston 26 Hyde 0, achieved on October 15th 1887.
West Ham share the highest Football League Cup win, beating Bury 10-0 in a second leg game in October 1983 with Liverpool, who also put 10 past Fulham in September 1986.

THE WOMEN'S REUNION

Following on from yesteday's blog on "Women's Football", the BBC has broadcast this programme today, around midday (Sunday 11th September) at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000z5my

The Pioneers of Women's Football

The Reunion

Women have played football for as long as football has been around with the modern game being codified by the FA in 1863.

But it was the First World War and the formation of team from a munitions factory in Preston known as the Dick Kerr Ladies that really drew in the crowds – one game in 1920 attracted 53,000.

But the women’s game was considered to be un-ladylike and seen as unfair competition for the men’s game and so the FA brought in a ban in 1921.
It was to last almost 50 years.

But pressure from within saw it abolished and in November 1972 the women’s game flourished with the staging of the first international match when England played Scotland in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Greenock. More international games followed, with the Wales FA staging their first international in 1973.

These early pioneers helped lay the foundation of the successful professional women’s game we see today.

Joining Kirsty Wark are England player Patricia Gregory and Scotland’s Elsie Cook who co-organised that first international; Margaret Rae, Scotland‘s captain from 1972 onwards; Michelle Adams, who was Wales youngest player aged just 15 in 1973 and went on to get an MBE for her contribution to women’s football; Rose Reilly who played for both Scotland and Italy; and Sue Whyatt who was England’s goalkeeper beginning with the return England v Scotland international in 1973.

Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Howard Shannon

Series Producer: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

If you type in associated links (words) to MalcolmBaileysFootballBlog search, you will find plenty of references to Women's Football...e.e. Dick Kerr Ladies  will find a number of Blogs!

THE ELFA AND JEANNIE

The English Ladies' Football Association (ELFA) was formed in 1921 and remained active until  December 1922. It was arguably a direct response to the Football Association (FA)’s ban on women's football teams at that time. Despite being more popular than some men's football (one match saw a 53,000 strong crowd), women's football in England was halted, when The FA outlawed the playing of the game on Association members' pitches, the FA stating that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged." 

The first meeting of the ELFA was held several weeks after the ban and Leonard Bridgett, the manager and coach of Stoke Ladies, was its first president. Bridgett helped to organise the first and only English Ladies Football Association Challenge Cup competition in the spring of 1922. 24 teams entered the competition and the winners were Stoke Ladies, who beat Doncaster and Bentley Ladies 3–1 on 24 June 1922.

The ELFA folded in over a year, and women continued to play in local parks and even dog-tracks, with no money or infrastructural support from the Football Association, no resources, coaches or pitches. These restrictions stayed in place for fifty years and was only lifted in 1971.

Women's football had already been established before World War I but it had not been well received until the Football League suspended all of its matches after the 1914–15 season. As a generation of young men signed up to serve their country, the women took on traditional male roles, which had been previously considered unsuitable for women and their physical frame. The most familiar image was the munitions factory girl, who enjoys kickabouts during their breaks. As the war progressed, women's football transformed into a more formalised sport with many women's teams emerging from munitions factories. At the time, it was organised for fund-raising for war charities. At first, people flock to see the so-called munitionettes take on teams of injured soldiers and women from other factories. Eventually, they started to enjoy the matches for the skill and ability of the women players. In August 1917, the Munitionettes' Cup was established, with the first winners being Blyth Spartans.

However, when the war was over, the factories started closing and women who had been liberated during wartime was forced to return to their "right and proper place" in society. No longer seen as being moral and appropriate, football was now considered to be unladylike and dangerous for women's health by so-called medical experts and physicians. On 5 December 1921, the FA cited strong opinions about football's unsuitability for females. They even requested the clubs belonging to the Association to refuse the use of their grounds for woman's matches. In response, on 10 December 1921, a meeting was held in Liverpool. It was attended by representatives of about 30 women's football teams. The meeting resulted in the establishment of the English Ladies Football Association (ELFA), with a league of 57 teams of amateur players. The ELFA's goals were to support women footballers, popularise the game amongst women and assist charity. One of the first teams to declare their intention of joining was Chorley Ladies FC, who had 60 members and who had raised over £3,000 for charity.

W. Henley was appointed as Secretary of the Association's pro team. He was assigned to set up another meeting in Liverpool for which about 60 clubs were expected to be present. The meeting actually took place in Blackburn on 17 December with representatives attending from 57 clubs, and expressions of interest were sent by many others unable to be present. After a long discussion, some changes in the rules were accepted to accommodate women players, including: Size of playing field will be altered. Introduction of a lighter ball. Eliminating charging. Use of hands will be allowed to protect face. 

A member of the original 1972 Lionesses believes they deserve an apology from the Football Association for failing to award them official caps and forgetting about them for 50 years. 

In interviews with those who played in England’s first official women’s game 50 years ago revealed how they felt hurt that their exploits had been forgotten by the FA and were angry that they had never received official caps like their male counterparts. Most of the team were instead given replica caps handmade by Flo Bilton, an officer at the Women’s Football Association. But Jeannie Allott (below), a winger in the team, told that she was given only a white plastic football bag to carry their boots. “Can you imagine Bobby Charlton getting that?” she said. 

Allott was 16 years old when she made her England debut in the inaugural game against Scotland in November 1972. She was from Crewe and did not have the money to pay for travel to London for matches and training and recalls hitchhiking the journey. She once slept at Waterloo Station when she was unable to hitch a ride home.

“I got in a lorry, a milk cart, anything that was going down to London,” Allott, 66, said. “The things we do for the England team.“That’s why it’s frustrating. What we went through to get women’s football where it is today. Nothing that happened in the past should be forgotten but the FA forgot us. We want a cap and I believe we deserve an apology. “We didn’t have equal rights in those days. It was a shame. Some in the FA didn’t agree with ladies football. It was a man’s world.” Allott appeared in Sports Illustrated when she was eight years old, the only girl playing for Wistaston Green Primary School. 

She went on to play for Fodens, a women’s team created by the lorry manufacturing plant Foden Trucks in nearby Sandbach, and won the Women’s FA Cup in 1974. When she was 17, Allott moved to the Netherlands and played for several teams including alongside current England women’s manager Sarina Wiegman for KFC. Allott played on the left and Wiegman on the right. “She was a very good footballer,” Allott said. “She’s like Glenn Hoddle. She had the technique and the brains. She’s done a lot for ladies football.” 

Allott even switched allegiance to play for the Netherlands, scoring eight times in 12 games. “I felt more appreciated there,” she said. “They paid for everyone’s travel costs, no matter where you lived.” She had offers to play professionally in Germany but decided to stay in Holland, where she has lived and worked as a shipping planner ever since.

ELIZABETH-A PIECE OF HISTORY

 Queen’s Birthday: 21^st April 1926: Arthur Rowley, the England centre forward, nicknamed The Gunner was born in Wolverhampton and score most goals in English League football, 434 goals in 619 games for Leicester City and Shrewsbury Town. He died in 2002. He was also a cricketer of some note.

"After the death of George VI in 1952, rugby and hockey fixtures were called off, while football matches went ahead. Fans sang “Abide With Me” and the National Anthem before kick-off. The National Theatre will close if the news breaks before 4pm, and stay open if not. All games, including golf, will be banned in the Royal Parks."Elizabeth took the Throne. Coronation: 6^th February 1952 She took the Throne on February 6th 1952 and these matches took place: Sheff Utd 4 – 2 West Ham/ Brentford 0 – 0 Luton/ Gateshead 0 – 2 West Brom/ Middlesbrough 1 – 4 Doncaster.

English FA Cup: Sheff Utd 4 – 2 West Ham/  Brentford 0 – 0 Luton/ Gateshead 0 – 2                        West Brom/ Middlesbrough 1 – 4 Doncaster : English Div 3 (north) Tranmere 3 – 1 Bradford:      English Div 3 (south) Bristol C 6 – 0 Southend.

Coronation: 2^nd June 1953 : Arsenal won the 1952/53 Football League Division 1 season however it was the closest finish in English football League history, with Preston North End finishing the season with an almost identical record, Division One being decided on Goal average.

Champions JUST

Arsenal P 42 W21 D15 L9 F64 97 A Pts 54  R-U     Preston P42 W21 D12 L9 F85 A60 Pts54

It would take a brave gambling man to place a football bet on this ever being repeated. Arsenal would not win the League again until the 1970-71 English Football League Division 1 season (view Arsenal league stats). This was the closest Preston North End had come to winning one of the major competitions in England after being crowned the 1938 English Football Association Cup winners.

One club man for Bolton Wanderers, the all time great Nat Lofthouse, was awarded 1952-1953 Football Writers Association Player of the Year. Lofthouse had an extraordinary goal scoring record for both Bolton Wanders and the England National team, for whom he scored 30 goals, despite only winning 33 caps. The leading goal scorer in the English League 1952-53 division 1 was Charlie Wayman of Preston North End. A cruel twist of fate meant that Wayman also missed out on the 1949/50 English League Division Two title with Southampton. His forward partnership for Preston North End with the great Tom Finney, is still considered to be one of the most feared forward lines in English League history. Charlie Wayward was also part of the team that holds England's Football League highest score record when Newcastle United beat Newport 13-0 with Wayward contributing 4 goals to this record statistic despite missing an early penalty.

One of the enduring images of Queen Elizabeth II for any sports fan is that of her in mustard coat and hat, with pristine long white gloves. Her right hand is shaking that of Sir Bobby Moore, the England captain who had just led the country to its only football World Cup to date.

Remember, Bobby Moore, England captain, when he stepped up at Wembley to the Royal Box, to receive the Jule Rimet: FIFA World Cup in 1966 from the Queen? He took the trouble to wipe his hands on the red velvet "parapet cover" as he walked towards her majesty, to receive the trophy! Sir Stanley Rous FA Chairman and the DoE look on.

As hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst commented years later: “Bobby noticed the Queen was wearing white gloves. He had the foresight not to dirty the Queen’s gloves, so he wiped his hands on the parapet cover just before he collected the trophy.

Death: 9^th September 2022: All matches postponed in respect. Some suggest (Piers Morgan) that keeping all fixtures alive would meant a mass celebration of the Queen’s involvement in the game.