Costa Blanca News

Amazing football facts…

- Comments by Tony Matthews

ON Saturday, March 30 1957, Albert Dunlop played for both Everton and Liverpool! He kept goal for Everton against Newcastle at Goodison Park in the morning and turned out for Liverpool cricket club in the afternoon. The Everton game kicked off at 11am, ahead of the Grand National.

Jan Molby was transferre­d twice during his time with Liverpool – but never actually left Anfield! In 1988 he was sentenced to three months in gaol for dangerous driving and was transferre­d from court to Walton Prison, and then transferre­d again this time to Kirkham Open Prison.

With around 18 million, the USA has the most ‘ official’ soccer players than any other country in the world, and 78% are aged between 18 and 21..

A total of 20 red cards were brandished during a football match between Sportivo Ameliano and General Caballero in Paraguay in 1993.

■ In 1990, Barcelona’s striker Hristo Stoichkov was banned for six months for deliberate­ly stamping on the referee’s foot.

ASEC Abidjan Club of Cote D’Ivoire remained unbeaten for 108 games between 1989 and 1994.

The entire Liberia national team escaped imprisonme­nt by holding Gambia to a goalless draw in 1980. The country’s Head of State, Master Sergeant Samuel Doe, had threatened to jail all eleven players if they had lost that game!

The Scottish Cuptie between Falkirk and Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 1979 was postponed no less than 29 times because of bad weather.

In 1950, India withdrew from World Cup because their players were not allowed to play barefoot by FIFA.

The entire Sampdoria playing squad walked 20 miles to a mountain sanctuary near Genoa in 1969 to thank the Madonna for helping them stave off relegation from Italy’s Serie ‘ A’.

■ In 1998, the Macclesfie­ld mascot was sentoff for making obscene gestures as he watched players’ brawl in the match with Lincoln City.

Pedro Gatica ( 52) cycled from his home in Argentina to Mexico for the 1986 World Cup. On his arrival, he found that he couldn’t afford to get into the ground for the opening match. And then, while he was trying to haggle for a ticket, thieves stole his bike.

■ Martin Sylvester sent himself off after he had punched another player during a Sunday League game in 1998.

■ Only one footballer has gained League Championsh­ip, FA Cup, European Cup and World Cup winners’ medals, won a Lonsdale belt and also played for Celtic? His name: Bobby Charlton who won medals with Manchester United and England, a Lonsdale belt in a raffle and played for Celtic against Liverpool in Ron Yeats’ testimonia­l in 1974.

So far this season there has been a record total of 144 goals scored in 38 Premiershi­p games. That's 40 more than after the first 38 games of the 201920 campaign.

Goalkeeper John Burridge is the oldest player ever to appear in a Premiershi­p game. He was aged 43 years, 4 months and 26 days when he appeared for Manchester City v. Arsenal in April 1995.

Another ‘ keeper, Peter Shilton, holds two records; most caps gained for England ( 125) and most appearance­s made in League football ( 1,005).

When Michael Owen ( Liverpool) won his 50th cap for England v. Slovakia in 2003 he also became his country’ youngestev­er captain, aged 23 years and 181 days.

In 1964, Jim Standen won an FA Cup winner’s medal with

West Ham and a country championsh­ip cricket medal with Worcesters­hire.

■ Wolves have played in a Cup final on six different UK grounds – the FA Cup at Kennington Oval, Fallowfiel­d ( Manchester), Crystal Palace, Stamford Bridge and Wembley and a playoff at the Millennium Stadium ( Cardiff).

The Kelly goalkeepin­g brothers Alan ( Preston) and Gary ( Bury) played against each other in a League game in 1990.

The first club to play a League game with City in its name was Lincoln in Division 2 in 1892.

Real Madrid had four different managers between 1955 and 1960, during which time they won the European Cup five times in succession.

When Leeds beat Chelsea

70 in a League game in 1967, all the goals were scored by different players – the first time this had happened in senior football.

■ The most goals scored in one Football League game is 13 when Tranmere beat Oldham Athletic 134 in Division 3 ( N) in 1935.

Two penalties ( one for each side) were scored in last Sunday’s EnglandBel­gium game; the last time this occurred in a Wembley internatio­nal was in 1951 when England drew 22 with Austria. Alf Ramsey netted England’s spotkick.

And finally, the longest football result in term of letters has been that of Kiddermins­ter Harriers 3 Llanfairpw­llgwyngllg­ogerychwyr­ndrobwllll­antysiliog­ogogoch 0 in the Welsh Cup in 198889.

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John Burridge

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