ON THIS DAY

Gretna announced their resignation from the Scottish League and so ended one of the most dramatic rise and falls in British League history . The Scottish borders club had been members of the English Northern Premier League in 2001/02 (finishing the season in 7th place in the second tier of that competition) when they were elected to the Scottish League. By 2007/08 they had won three promotions and were in the Scottish Premier League having already been Scottish Cup finalists (beaten on penalties by Hearts) and had competed in the UEFA Cup (hammered by Derry City). But then it was rapidly downhill. In 2007/08 they had to play their home matches in Motherwell because their Raydale Park ground in Gretna wasn't up to SPL standards. Then their main financial backer - Brooks Mileson - withdrew his support and the club entered administration, finished bottom of the SPL with crowds dropping to as low as 431, were demoted to the fourth tier because of the financial problems, and then went into liquidation shortly after resigning from the Scottish League. Tragic!

England played Jamaica for the first time, England winning 6-0 in a friendly in front of a 70,373 Old Trafford crowd. Peter Crouch scored a hat-trick - and also missed a penalty - and Aaron Lennon won his first England cap.

At the Football League AGM the League membership was increased from 88 to 92 clubs with two new clubs being added to each of the regionalised Third Divisions. Colchester United and Gillingham joined the Southern Section while Scunthorpe & Lindsey United and Shrewsbury Town became members of the Northern Section. On the opening day of the 1950/51 season the clubs played each other in their respective divisions, both matches ending in 0-0 draws.