ON THIS DAY

Middlesbrough were due visit Blackburn Rovers on this day in 1996 for a Premier League match but the fixture was called off by Boro as they had 23 players unavailable because of illness, injury and suspension. No permission was given for the postponement by the Premier League though and Middlesbrough were fined £50,000 and docked three points. They were relegated at the seasons' end - just two points short of safety!

You just wonder about some football results don't you and the match between Spain and Malta on this day in 1983 saw a result which many a person particularly wondered about! The fixture was the final match in Qualifying Group 7 of the 1984 Euro Championships and the result would decide who would go on to the finals in France from that group. Not that there was much doubt about that though. Four days earlier the Netherlands had defeated Malta 5-0 in their last qualifier which saw them finish 2 points ahead of Spain and with just 2 points for a win in those days Spain needed a win to level on points with the Netherlands. Then it was down to goal difference. Netherlands had finished with a +16 goal difference while before the Malta fixture Spain were on +5. So Spain needed to beat Malta by 11 goals or more to qualify. 'Just' 11 would do as if both countries finished on +16 Spain would go top as they had scored more goals even though that had amounted so far to just 12 in their first 7 group matches. It just wasn't going to happen was it and at half time in Seville it was only 3-1 to Spain. At the final whistle it was 12-1 to Spain and off to the finals Spain would go. But we just wondered, didn't we!

A Christmas miracle at The Valley. With less than half an hour left of their Second Division match against Huddersfield, Charlton were 1-5 behind and were down to 10 players. When the final whistle blew Charlton had won 7-6, the only time that scoreline had been recorded in the Football League. Amazing!