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Manchester United delay winning the inaugural Charity Shield by making their first overseas tour

  As a result of winning the First Division for the first time in 1907-08, Manchester United were asked to play in the inaugural FA Charity Shield Match, which evolved from the Sheriff of London Charity Shield introduced at the end of the 1897-98 season that pitched the best amateur and professional team against one another. However, when the former fell out with the FA, a new format in which the Football League winners played the winners of the Southern League was devised. As a result, United played QPR in a match held at Stamford Bridge. Dashing the FA’s hopes that the new competition would be keenly anticipated, only 6,000 fans bothered to turn up on a day that saw the funeral of Prime Minister Campbell-Bannerman, who had died suddenly. Monday 27 April 1908 FA Charity Shield Stamford Bridge Manchester United 1 (Meredith), QPR 1 (Cannon) Manchester United: Moger, Stacey, Burgess, Duckworth, Roberts, Bell, Meredith, Bannister, J. Turnbull, A. Turnbull, Wall. QPR: Sha...
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Will history repeat itself? When Manchester City were forced to sell all their players it was the local rivals who benefitted the most

  In 1904, Manchester City won the FA Cup, becoming the first Manchester side to do so. A season later they almost did the Double but following which Billy Meredith was fined £100 and suspended by the FA without pay for seeking to bribe Aston Villa captain Alec Leake during the final league match of the season.  A furious Meredith then reacted by blowing the lid on Manchester City’s breaking of the maximum wage rule. This was bound to alert the FA, who once again was forced to carry out another lengthy investigation into the financial activities of Manchester City. Manager Tom Maley was interviewed and he admitted that he had followed, by secretly withholding some of the gate receipts, what seemed like standard English practice at time of making additional payments to all the players. He claimed that if all First Division clubs were investigated ‘not four would come out unscathed’.  Meredith supported such a statement saying that “clubs are not punished for breaking the...
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Relatives of England’s hat trick hero v Scotland who enjoyed the passionate support of the future Queen Mary (1910-1936) will receive his legacy cap on Saturday at Wembley

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  Relatives of England’s hat trick hero v Scotland who enjoyed the passionate support of the future Queen Mary (1910-1936) will receive his legacy cap on Saturday at Wembley   The England legacy cap of Sheffield Wednesday legend Fred Spiksley, the first player to score a hat-trick against Scotland, will be presented on Saturday to Clive Nicholson at Wembley prior to the match against World Champions Spain. Spiksley is the great-great uncle of Clive, who will be accompanied on this highly special occasion by his son Freddie, aged 11. England legacy caps are red commemorative caps awarded to every player who has represented the national team, marking their unique chronological legacy number. Spiksley’s cap will be numbered 209.   Gainsborough born Spiksley made his international debut against Wales in 1893 and from his outside left position scored three. It was a feat he repeated a few weeks later against ...
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EAGLES OLDEST LEAGUE CLUB CLAIM AGAIN GROUNDED

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  NATIONAL FOOTBALL MUSEUM BACKS FA IN KNOCKING BACK CRYSTAL PALACE 1905 CLAIM TO BE LINKED TO THE 1861-1876 CLUB OF THE SAME NAME Six years ago, Crystal Palace came up with the absurd claim to be the oldest league club in the world. https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-crystal-palace-oldest-club-4111485 No doubt with an aim to profit from this claim the owners of the club that was formed in 1905 have spent quite a sum of money including by making a film. Initially it looked like they might get their claim recognised until Clive Nicholson and myself, who along with Clive’s dad Ralph, wrote the FLYING OVER AN OLIVE GROVE book on Fred Spiksley produced our own examination of the evidence. This work – Why the Eagles claim to be the oldest league club can be grounded - can be viewed at:- https://markwrite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/01.-cp-11-may-update-2.pdf And whilst the FA never made a big fuss about this they later confirmed our view....
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'Scotch Professor' who left his mark on the beautiful game

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  To but the book got to:-  England's Scotch Professor: John Goodall 1863-1942: Amazon.co.uk: Metcalf, Mark: 9798170044177: Books    £12.99 
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GOODALL BROTHERS WERE THE FIRST TO PLAY FOR EVERTON

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    GOODALL BROTHERS WERE THE FIRST TO PLAY FOR EVERTON Taken from John Goodall: England's Scotch Professor 1863 - 1942 by Mark Metcalf Set for release in September 2026. Hardback £25.  Tom and Jimmy Costley are recognised as the first brothers to play for Everton. However, thanks to research in the summer of 2026 by Richie Gillham, secretary of the Everton FC Heritage Society, we now know that it is not the case. John Goodall debuted for Everton in February 1885 and his brother Archie debuted for Everton in December 1886.   Tom Costley debuted for Everton in August 1886 and his brother Jimmy, scorer of the winning goal at the 1883 FA Cup Final, debuted for Everton in January 1887. On the afternoon of Wednesday February 4 th , 1885 Great Lever’s John Goodall is likely to have walked to Pikes Lane where he guested for Everton in a 7-0 defeat where he lined up in the following side:- Charles Joliffe, Morris, Pickering, Welsh, William  Parry (captain), ...
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Bacup Boro 0 Atherton Laburnum 2

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