WHEN FOOTBALL BEGAN

  ALL SHOOK UP Bury FC’s Amazing Cup story FA Cup Winners 1900 & 1903 2025 marks the 125 th anniversary of Bury’s first FA Cup success when Southern League side Southampton were beaten 4-0 in the 1900 FA Cup final at The Crystal Palace. Three seasons later, inspired by captain George Ross, who scored the opening goal, there was a record 6-0 defeat of Derby County in the final. Willie Wood and Jack Plant scored on both occasions at the Crystal Palace. As one of the smallest clubs in the Football League, Bury achieved almost the impossible and in 1900 and 1903 they knocked out the FA Cup holders Sheffield United, Billy Foulke and all, with England international Charlie Sagar scoring a sensational goal at Bramall Lane in 1903 to help force a replay. Three seasons earlier, Bury triumphed 2-0 against the Blades in a replay that very possibly attracted Gigg Lane’s largest ever crowd intent on celebrating the relief of Mafeking in South Africa and roaring on the local side. ...

 Taken from Stan Anderson's Captain of the North Autobiography.  Stan was the Middlesbrough manager in the mid 60s through to 1973.  Thankfully, I was boosted shortly after by being able to persuade Airdrie’s goalkeeper Willie Whigham to (Middles) 'Boro. He was to play a big part in the club’s climb back and he might have given Jim Platt a more challenging time for the ‘keeper’s jersey later on if he hadn’t been such a big drinker. One of Willie’s sessions sticks in my mind. We played AS Roma away in the Anglo Italian cup in the summer of 1970.   Willie’s drinking partner, Hugh McIlmoyle,   had been given permission to miss the second game away to Lanerossi Vicenza   a week later to fly home because his marriage was in trouble, And before he went he and Willie got totally wrecked. When Jimmy Greenhalgh   went to wake Willie, he had no luck. Hours later he finally managed to rouse himself and I told him to put on his training gear.   Jimmy and I ...

  Going up with the Boro’ Stan Anderson – Captain of the North autobiography Co-authored by Mark Metcalf and Stan Anderson   During the summer of 1966 I was trying very hard to get players in but we suffered a bit of a blow when Ian Gibson made apparent that he did not want to play in the Third Division and he went to Coventry City who paid £60,000 for his services.   It meant that we were short of experienced players and although that didn’t seem to matter when they season kicked off with a 3-2 win at Layer Road against Colchester United we were soon back in trouble as we lost four and drew just one of the next five. We were second bottom but I was at least cheered when John Hickton agreed to join us from Sheffield Wednesday.   My old sparring partner Alan Brown had taken ‘the Owls’ to the FA Cup Final the previous season and he told me that John could play in a lot of positions. So, I felt that the £20,000 fee would be a worthwhile investment. It tu...

  CHELSEA’S BIGGEST STAR – BILLY ‘FATTY’ FOULKE Chelsea’s biggest player ever is Billy Foulke, who topped 23 stone when owner Gus Mears persuaded the Sheffield United legendary ‘keeper to come south to join the new Football League side in May 1905. He had won the league title and twice captured the FA Cup with the Blades plus played once for England. His arrival at Stamford Bridge was a sign that a club that had only been formed in early 1905 had no intention of just making up the numbers. In an era when ‘keepers could be knocked over whether they had the ball or not then Foulke’s size was an advantage and he could punch and kick the ball a considerable distance. He could also move quickly across the goal and his reach was considerable. Foulke became an immediate hero with supporters amongst whom included a number of showbiz personalities. Winning games was important but doing so with a bit of razmataz was also welcome. Chelsea pioneered the use of ball boys and girls and the...

  When did the Football League Play Off’s begin is a fairly standard football quiz question. Most fans with some knowledge of the game can trot out the standard answer ‘at the end of the 1986-87 season’ and earn a valuable point in their search for whatever prize is on offer at the end.   However, for football purists, and aren’t we all, the answer is wrong as believe it or not the first Play Off’s were organised a good few years earlier, back, in fact, at the end of the 1892-93 season when they were known as ‘Test Matches’, a descriptive term that was borrowed from cricket where it was first used to describe international matches thirty years previously in 1861-62.   Football ‘test matches’ or play-offs were the result of the expansion of the Football League from one Division to two. A First Division was launched after William McGregor wrote to some of the leading clubs in March 1888 and after two meetings the founder members of the League were agreed. It is a re...

  Sunderland v Middlesbrough, the first competitive matches Sunderland’s first competitive match against Middlesbrough was in the 1887/88 FA Cup. It proved to be a controversial affair that took two ties to decide on the pitch but was ultimately decided by the rule book then in place with the loser going through.  Sunderland beat Morpeth Harriers 3-2 in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup in 1887/88. The Wearsiders then knocked out Newcastle West End 3-1 at home after extra time in the second qualifying match played before a 7,000 crowd at Newcastle Road.  Sunderland travelled to face Boro, who are the older (*) of the two clubs and were formed on 18 February 1876, four years before Sunderland on 25 September 1880, on Saturday 26 November. The match was played at Linthorpe Road and drew a crowd of 7,000 including nearly 3,000 away fans who journeyed south on two special trains. The game took place on a sticky pitch and conditions were made further difficult for the t...