ON THIS DAY

It was literally men against boys in the Conference fixture between Weymouth and Rushden & Diamonds. A financial crisis forced Weymouth to field a youth team and the Diamonds ran out 9-0 winners. That was the record defeat for Weymouth, the record victory for Rushden & Diamonds and equalled the biggest thumping in Conference history. Weymouth played 14 more Conference matches that season after the Rushden defeat picking up only one point and scoring just 4 goals (one of those an og!). They were duly relegated but survived their financial problems although ironically it was the Diamonds who soon went bust. A financial crisis of their own saw them expelled from the Conference in June 2011 and a month later they went bust. 22 nd February

Well, the headlines on this day were all about Liverpool winning in Barcelona to become the first English club to win a Champions League match at the Nou Camp but the main story seemed to be about a fall-out between two of the Liverpool players. At a team bonding evening at the pre-match training camp in Portugal two Liverpool players – Craig Bellamy and John Arne Riise – had an argument about a karaoke performance which was allegedly followed by a violent confrontation between the two involving a golf club. Both the players were selected for the Barcelona game and scored a goal each in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory but it was Craig Bellamy’s goal celebration that became the talking point – he swung an imaginary golf club!

If you ever think of leaving a match early to miss the rush just think of what you might miss! Back on this day in 2004 Charlton were beating Blackburn 2-1 in their Premier League clash at The Valley. In the last minute of normal time Blackburn were awarded a corner and desperate for an equaliser their goalkeeper Brad Friedel went forward to join the attack – and he scored! It was the only goal the American scored in over 600 league and cup games he played in this country. But his involvement in the game wasn’t over. With seconds of added time remaining he had to retrieve the ball from the back of his net – Charlton had scored the winner in the 3-2 victory. Early leavers would have missed all that!

Arsenal sacked manager George Graham after a Premier League investigation had found that he had taken a £425,000 ‘bung’ from agent Rune Hauge when arranging the transfer of two players to Arsenal, John Jensen and Pal Lyderson, who were both clients of Hauge. Later that day under caretaker manager Stewart Houston Arsenal beat Nottingham Forest 1-0, their first home League win since October.

A Third Division side staging a friendly on a cold Monday night in February doesn't sound the sort of match that would excite the imagination does it. But 54,437 turned up at Villa Park to see a friendly between Aston Villa and Brazilian side Santos...for perhaps more accurately to see Pele play! And the Brazil legend didn't disappoint putting on a dazzling display for the Villa faithful although it was Edu who scored the Santos goal in their 2-1 defeat.