ON THIS DAY

I'm still not sure whether this was a genuine worry or just a great publicity exercise but when ITV were due to screen a live one hour episode of Coronation Street to mark the 60th birthday of ITV they panicked when they realised that on the same night Manchester United were at home to Ipswich Town in a Carling Cup tie. With the Coronation Street studios being less than a mile away from Old Trafford they feared that crowd noise would disrupt the live broadcast. As it was, although Wayne Rooney scored for the soap opera that is Manchester United while the programme was being broadcast not a sound was heard on the soap opera that is Coronation Street. United went on to win 3-0.

When Arsenal beat Sheffield United 3-0 in a Premier League match on this day in 2006 all three goalscorers shared the same birthday – 17th August. Arsenal’s William Gallas and Thierry Henry (both born in 1977) plus Sheffield United’s Phil Jagielka (an own goal, born 1982) scored the goals.

Third tier side Wycombe Wanderers got their name into the record books by reaching the FA Cup semi-final in 2000/01 but earlier in the same season they had made the headlines for another reason. Against Peterborough United at Adams Park in a Division 2 match on September 23rd 2000 Wycombe's Jamie Bates scored with the last kick of the first half. A Wycombe kick-off started the second period and seconds later, before a Peterborough player had touched the ball, Jermaine McSporran hit the Chairboys second goal. Two goals in just nine seconds of playing time without an opposition player touching the ball - unique or what!