We share our new concept, ‘on this day in football,‘ to remember some of the fondest memories in English soccer.
On This Day In Football In 2012
Everton’s goalkeeper Tim Howard received a pass back in his penalty box. He lumped the ball forward only to bounce over Bolton Wanderers keeper Bogdan to put Everton up 1-0. However, Bolton fought back to win 2-1.
2003
Shrewsbury Town defeats Everton 2- 1 in the FA Cup as Nigel Jemson – who has played for 13 different clubs – scores twice. Shrews manager, ex-Evertonian Kevin Ratcliffe, says: “It all clicked together, and Nigel Jemson was immense.”
On This Day In Football In 1992
On this day in football in 1992, Wrexham defeats Arsenal 2-1 in the FA Cup to cause one of the significant Cup upsets of all time. Wrexham was bottom of the old Fourth Division, while the Gunners were premier league champions. So a victory for the Welsh minnows was out of the question – or at least it should have been.
Arsenal took the lead through Alan Smith, but with ten minutes to go, 37-year-old midfield veteran, Mickey Thomas unleashed a 25-yard free-kick past David Seaman for the equalizer.
With the home crowd still in a frenzy following Mickey’s magic moment, Steve Watkin scored the winner late in the match. Afterward, Gordon Davies of Wrexham said: “They’re big stars, and you can see on the television that when things don’t go their way, they tend to get a bit rattled.”
1952
On this day in football, Bolton Wanderers sign 23-year-old Harold Hassall from Huddersfield Town for £25,000. The outside-left attacking player possessed quickness, strength, and directness with a real goal threat. He backed up his attacking instincts with excellent work ethics.
Harold had the misfortune to be on the losing side in the classic 1953 ‘Matthews’ final but, after 181 games and 64 goals, went on to have a long and distinguished coaching career, first with the Malaysian national side, later with England Youth teams.
In addition to coaching, he taught physical education at Lilleshall for many years. Colin Bell ran twice as much as Ferenc Puskas during a game, according to his data. Despite his best efforts, he could not find a scientific explanation for why Puskas was twice as good!
1948
On this day in football in 1948, Newcastle United signed outside left Willie McCall from Aberdeen for £8,000; Leeds United paid £6,000 for Partick Thistle outside left player Ken Chisholm.
On This Day In Football In 1958
Leeds United and the FA Cup did not always get along, especially when Cardiff City was their opponent. Leeds played Cardiff three years in a row in the Third Round of the FA Cup, each time winning 2-1, with the last time occurring on 4th January 1958. Yorkshire-based Leeds United endured a disastrous run in the FA Cup during that period. It wasn’t until 1963 that they won their next match in the competition when they beat Stoke City in the Third Round.
1994
In one of the great Premier League comebacks, Liverpool fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with league leaders Manchester United at Anfield. Steven Bruce, Ryan Giggs, and Denis Irwin gave the away side a 3-0 lead after 24 minutes. Neil Ruddock scored an equalizer in the 79th minute to level the scores. Nigel Clough hit back twice before halftime.
Birthdays
On this day in football history, famous soccer player birthdays is Toni Kroos, James Milner, Younes Kaboul, and Danny Simpson.
