WHEN FOOTBALL BEGAN

  This was the third season of League football but only Sunderland's first as the Wearsiders had replaced Stoke in the summer.  The match took place 10 years and 2 days since Sunderland had been formed on 25 September 1880 whilst Burnley were formed in 1881.  27 th   September 1890                                                                         League Division One                              BURNLEY    3           ...

  30 March 1889 GOOD TWO POINTS FOR EVERTON Everton 3 (Milward, Waugh, Davies)    Blackburn Rovers 1 (Whittaker) This game had originally taken place on the first Saturday in January when, with the ground in a dangerous condition, the sides had agreed to provide entertainment for the crowd that had assembled, on the basis that whatever the result the match was to be declared a draw. In the event Everton had won 1-0 and the Football League committee had instructed the sides to replay the game. In this replayed game, Blackburn-born Chadwick’s appearance meant he became the first Everton player to play in every League game in a season. Milward opened the scoring with a fine shot but Whittaker made it 1-1 at half-time with a free-kick awarded close to the goal. Waugh, with a neat shot, restored Everton’s advantage in the second half, after which the home side dominated the game. Davies added to the score from a free kick, which by the 1891-92 season would have bee...

  ROBLEDO, GEORGE (NEWCASTLE UNITED) Season: 1951/52 Goals scored: 33 (out of 98); 17 home, 16 away Percentage: 32 per cent Runner-up: Ronnie Allen (West Bromwich Albion), 32 goals Newcastle finished eighth Robledo was the first man from outside the British Isles to finish as top scorer in the top flight when his thirty-three goals in 1951/52 made up a third of Newcastle’s tally for the season, which at ninety-eight is the highest ever scored by the Magpies in a season. As Robledo also got six FA Cup goals, including the only goal in the FA Cup final against Arsenal, the Chilean ensured he remained a Geordie hero long after he joined his brother and Newcastle teammate Ted at Colo-Colo in his home country in 1953. Signed in January 1949 from Barnsley for a fee of £26,500, the deal was only agreed on the understanding that Ted would join him from Oakwell. However, only George proved himself good enough to win a regular place over the next eighteen months and when Newc...

  When Newcastle player little Ernie Taylor finally left the navy after his spell as a submariner in WWI he would have no doubt been pleased by the pay rise that had been awarded during the close season. The maximum wage had originated in 1901, and at £4 a week it was substantially less than many of the top players were already earning. In 1906 Manchester City’s breaching of it through under the counter payments had led to the FA sanctions and the subsequent loss of many fine players to Manchester United. As a result It was to be more than two decades before City recovered their place as the best side in Manchester. By this time the maximum wage has been increased to £5 in 1910 and then 9 pounds in 1920 only for it to be reduced to £8 and £6 in the summer months in 1922. More than a quarter of a century later the figure remained the same. £8 a week meant stars such as Frank Swift were being paid the average working wage in 1947. Little wonder that like other top players he felt t...

  The 1896 FA Cup semi-final games between Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield Wednesday   Sheffield Wednesday beat Bolton Wanderers 3-1 in the replay  Having beaten Everton in the last eight then Wednesday’s opponents in the 1896 FA Cup semi final were their conquerors of two years earlier, Bolton Wanderers. In the other semi-final the bookies’ favourites and Will Chatterton’s last surviving tip, Derby County, were up against Wolves. Bolton had progressed against Wednesday in 1894 thanks to foul play and poor refereeing and there was therefore disappointment when it was announced that the referee from that day, Mr Armitt from Leek, would take charge of the 1896 semi-final involving the same sides. Wanderers were going well in the League and were unbeaten in 1896 having played nine competitive matches. They had beaten Crewe, Blackpool and Bury to reach the semi-final. The teams were equally matched and a tight game was predicted at Goodison Park, scene of Bolton’s ...

  Fred Spiksley’s hat trick on his first England appearance v Wales in March 1893 With (Sheffield) Wednesday having made the leap into Division One in 1892–93, the England selectors were aware of Fred Spiksley’s good form against better opposition, his healthy goals total and his ability to create numerous goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. When the teams were chosen for the Ireland and Wales games (played on 25 February and 13 March 1893 respectively), the former consisted largely of players with Corinthian connections. Gilbert Oswald Smith from Oxford University made his debut in the match. G O was to play twenty times for his country, sixteen as captain, and was considered by many to be the best player of the late nineteenth century. He scored once against Ireland as England won 6-1. For the game against Wales, the England team selected were a fully professional one and were as follows: John Sutcliffe (Bolton Wanderers), Tom Clare (Stoke), Bob Holmes (Preston) (...

Roy Massey was brought up on great tales of football as his grandad, Jimmy, was a great goalkeeper with Sheffield Wednesday and was a member of the 1896 FA Cup winning XI.    Roy is available for talks at meetings in the London and Colchester area.