20 January 1974 - A Match Made In Heaven

On 20 January 1974, English teams played league football on a Sunday for the first time.

The FA, along with several clubs and players, had expressed support for Sunday matches earlier in the season, hoping that the move would help improve declining attendances, but they faced a couple of substantial obstacles. The Sunday Observances Act, for one, barred the selling of tickets on Sundays. In addition, many in the public opposed Sunday football on religious grounds.

But by January 1974, attendances continued to decline, driven in part by a ban on floodlights that stemmed from the worldwide energy crisis, prompting the FA to approve the playing of four third-round FA Cup matches on Sunday, 6 January. In order to get around the Sunday Observances Act, the clubs sold programs, which were used instead of tickets to gain access to the games.

Those FA Cup matches drew large crowds, convincing the Football League to move forward as well using the same admission-by-program scheme. While some clubs--including all First Division clubs--declined to participate, citing religious reasons, that first league Sunday hosted a total of twelve matches, three each in Divisions Two and Three and six in Division Four. Nine of those games reported their biggest crowds of the season.

The first Sunday league goal was scored by Millwall's Brian Clark in their 1-0 win over Fulham. 

Despite the success of Sunday games, opposition remained strong and it took several more years before Sunday football became a regular feature in the league.

25 August 2009 - It's Like The Seventies All Over Again

On 25 August 2009, violence marred a match between West Ham and Millwall in their first meeting for over four years.

Separated by only five miles and the River Thames, the two London teams have a longstanding rivalry that dates back to their first meeting in 1897 (when West Ham were still known as Thames Ironworks). Their respective supporter groups have a history of clashes, including an outbreak of fighting at the 1972 testimonial for Harry Cripps, who had played for both teams, and a 1976 clash at New Cross Station that resulted in the death of Millwall supporter Ian Pratt, who fell under a train.

Before the 2009 meeting, the two teams had last played each other in April 2004, the sixth match in an unbeaten run for Millwall that stretched back to November 1992. Then the League Cup paired them for a second-round meeting at West Ham's Upton Park.

Neil Harris gave the visitors a 26th-minute lead, which they held for most of the match. But West Ham's Junior Stanislas equalized in the 87th minute, sending the home supporters into a frenzy and sparking a pitch invasion. In extra time, Stanislas scored again, this time from the penalty spot in the 98th minute, resulting in another invasion. Zavon Hines added a third for West Ham in the 100th minute to set the final margin at 3-1.

Fighting broke out both inside and outside the stadium, with at least twenty people getting injured and a 44-year old Millwall fan going to the hospital with a stab wound. Supporters clashed with each other and the police clashed for several hours, resulting in several arrests.

Afterward, the Football Association found West Ham guilty of failing to restrain their supporters and fined the club £115,000.

6 December 1979 - The Wizard of Oz

On 6 December 1979, future Australian international and Oceania Player of the Year Tim Cahill was born in Sydney.

The midfielder signed his first professional contract at the age of 18 with English Division Two side Millwall FC. His time with the Lions coincided with one of the club's most successful periods, with the club earning promotion to Division One for the 2001-02 season and advancing to the FA Cup Final in 2004. In all, Cahill made 241 appearances for the Lions in all competitions, scoring 58 goals.

2004 also saw Cahill earn his first cap for Australia, despite having played for Samoa at the u-17 level. He was a key member of Australia's campaign in the 2004 Summer Olympics, which, along with his performances for Millwall, earned him the 2004 Oceania Footballer of the Year award.

He transferred to Everton for the 2004-05 season in which the club finished in the top four at the expense of crosstown rivals Liverpool. The following season, he was named one of the 50 finalists for the 2006 Ballon d'Or (and was the only finalist named from the Asian Football Confederation and Oceania).

On 12 June 2006, Cahill came on as 53rd-minute substitute in Australia's opening 2006 World Cup group stage match against Japan. The Socceroos were down 0-1, but Cahill scored an equalizer in the 84th minute -- Australia's first-ever World Cup goal. He added another in the 89th minute before teammate John Aloisi contributed a third in stoppage time to claim the country's first World Cup win.

The Socceroos finished second in their group to advance to the Round of 16, where they lost to eventual winners Italy, 1-0.

1 September 1904 - The Change In Scenery Did Them Good

On 1 September 1904, West Ham opened their new Boleyn Ground—better known as Upton Park—against a familiar opponent.

Formed in 1895 as Thames Ironworks, the club migrated around in their first couple of seasons, first playing at Hermit Road, then Browning Road before settling in at Plaistow's Memorial Grounds in 1897. But with a capacity of only 10,000, that was another temporary situation. The new ground, named Boleyn Ground after a nearby home rumored to have connections to Anne Boleyn, was located in London's Upton Park neighborhood, giving rise to the new stadium's popular name.

West Ham's first game there was against local rivals Millwall. The two teams had already met 23 times, with Millwall winning fourteen to West Ham's five. The visitors were also on a twelve-game unbeaten streak in the derby. But the change in scenery helped the Hammers, who opened the new stadium with a comfortable 3-0 win.

West Ham have remained there since, though they recently signed a lease to take over London's Olympic Stadium and expect to start playing there in the 2016-17 season.

20 January 1974 - A Match Made In Heaven

On 20 January 1974, English teams played league football on a Sunday for the first time.

The FA, along with several clubs and players, had expressed support for Sunday matches earlier in the season, hoping that the move would help improve declining attendances, but they faced a couple of substantial obstacles. The Sunday Observances Act, for one, barred the selling of tickets on Sundays. In addition, many in the public opposed Sunday football on religious grounds.

But by January 1974, attendances continued to decline, driven in part by a ban on floodlights that stemmed from the worldwide energy crisis, prompting the FA to approve the playing of four third-round FA Cup matches on Sunday, 6 January. In order to get around the Sunday Observances Act, the clubs sold programs, which were used instead of tickets to gain access to the games.

Those FA Cup matches drew large crowds, convincing the Football League to move forward as well using the same admission-by-program scheme. While some clubs--including all First Division clubs--declined to participate, citing religious reasons, that first league Sunday hosted a total of twelve matches, three each in Divisions Two and Three and six in Division Four. Nine of those games reported their biggest crowds of the season.

The first Sunday league goal was scored by Millwall's Brian Clark in their 1-0 win over Fulham.

Despite the success of Sunday games, opposition remained strong and it took several more years before Sunday football became a regular feature in the league.

25 August 2009 - It's Like The Seventies All Over Again

On 25 August 2009, violence marred a match between West Ham and Millwall in their first meeting for over four years.

Separated by only five miles and the River Thames, the two London teams have a longstanding rivalry that dates back to their first meeting in 1897 (when West Ham were still known as Thames Ironworks). Their respective supporter groups have a history of clashes, including an outbreak of fighting at the 1972 testimonial for Harry Cripps, who had played for both teams, and a 1976 clash at New Cross Station that resulted in the death of Millwall supporter Ian Pratt, who fell under a train.

Before the 2009 meeting, the two teams had last played each other in April 2004, the sixth match in an unbeaten run for Millwall that stretched back to November 1992. Then the League Cup paired them for a second-round meeting at West Ham's Upton Park.

Neil Harris gave the visitors a 26th-minute lead, which they held for most of the match. But West Ham's Junior Stanislas equalized in the 87th minute, sending the home supporters into a frenzy and sparking a pitch invasion. In extra time, Stanislas scored again, this time from the penalty spot in the 98th minute, resulting in another invasion. Zavon Hines added a third for West Ham in the 100th minute to set the final margin at 3-1.

Fighting broke out both inside and outside the stadium, with at least twenty people getting injured and a 44-year old Millwall fan going to the hospital with a stab wound. Supporters clashed with each other and the police clashed for several hours, resulting in several arrests.

Afterward, the Football Association found West Ham guilty of failing to restrain their supporters and fined the club £115,000.

6 December 1979 - The Wizard of Oz

On 6 December 1979, future Australian international and Oceania Player of the Year Tim Cahill was born in Sydney.

The midfielder signed his first professional contract at the age of 18 with English Division Two side Millwall FC. His time with the Lions coincided with one of the club's most successful periods, with the club earning promotion to Division One for the 2001-02 season and advancing to the FA Cup Final in 2004. In all, Cahill made 241 appearances for the Lions in all competitions, scoring 58 goals.

2004 also saw Cahill earn his first cap for Australia, despite having played for Samoa at the u-17 level. He was a key member of Australia's campaign in the 2004 Summer Olympics, which, along with his performances for Millwall, earned him the 2004 Oceania Footballer of the Year award.

He transferred to Everton for the 2004-05 season in which the club finished in the top four at the expense of crosstown rivals Liverpool. The following season, he was named one of the 50 finalists for the 2006 Ballon d'Or (and was the only finalist named from the Asian Football Confederation and Oceania).

On 12 June 2006, Cahill came on as 53rd-minute substitute in Australia's opening 2006 World Cup group stage match against Japan. The Socceroos were down 0-1, but Cahill scored an equalizer in the 84th minute -- Australia's first-ever World Cup goal. He added another in the 89th minute before teammate John Aloisi contributed a third in stoppage time to claim the country's first World Cup win.

The Socceroos finished second in their group to advance to the Round of 16, where they lost to eventual winners Italy, 1-0.

Cahill recently signed a contract extension to keep him at Everton until 2012.