13 September 2006 - A Big Bid For A Bit Of Best

On 13 September 2006, a shirt worn by George Best in a record-breaking performance sold at auction for £24,000.

The shirt in question was the one worn by Best for Manchester United in a Fifth Round FA Cup match against Northampton Town on 7 February 1970. United won 2-8 with Best providing six of the goals, a record haul for the competition at the time. In 1996, a participant in a newspaper competition won the shirt as a prize, then held on to it for 10 years before putting it up for auction at Christie's, where it was expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000. Several bidders attempted to claim it and it eventually went to an anonymous buyer.

The auction included other football memorabilia, including the Fulham shirt worn by Bobby Moore in his last English league match (£3,600) and the 1970 FA Cup winners' medal awarded to Chelsea captain Ron Harris (£13,200). The day's biggest disappointment was the shirt worn by Brazilian midfielder Rivelino in the 1970 World Cup. Although Christie's expected the shirt to go for somewhere between £25,000 and £35,000, it failed to find a buyer.

7 February 1970 - Northampton Sees The Best Of Best

On 7 February 1970, Manchester United winger George Best put on a clinic, scoring an FA Cup record six goals in United's Fifth Round match-up against fourth-division Northampton Town. United won the match 8-2.

Best was returning from a four-week suspension for kicking the ball out of the referee's hands earlier in the season. According to Northampton keeper Kim Book in a subsequent interview, Best's suspension meant that Northampton manager Dave Bowen had not scouted him and he was not mentioned in the team's pre-match preparations. Best, however, was both rested and eager to play, making sure that Northampton took notice.

As later described by the Daily Mirror, "Best destroyed them as completely as one man can destroy others without inflicting physical damage," noting that the six goals "came from the full range of his ability. A far-post header, a near-post header. A sprint, a touch and a shot that was a classic example of his devastating finishing." But the most memorable goal was his sixth--with United already up 7-1, Best dribbled straight at Book, then sent him sprawling with a little shoulder fake before slotting the ball into the open goal.

By the end of the match, even Northampton fans in the stadium were applauding Best's performance.

After beating Middlesbrough 2-1 in a Sixth Round replay, United were dumped out of the competition in the semifinals by Leeds, who won 1-0 in a second replay after two scoreless matches.

22 September 2010 - Northampton Paints The Town Some Color Other Than Red

On 22 September 2010, fourth-division Northampton Town upset Liverpool in the League Cup, beating the Premier Leaguers on penalties.

Liverpool had already gotten off to a rough start in their first season under manager Roy Hodgson, winning one and losing two of their first five league games to drop down to sixteenth in the table. They expected a bit of relief in the League Cup against Northampton, who were sitting seventeenth in the League Two table, three divisions down, putting them 69 places below Liverpool.

But while Liverpool were entering the League Cup for the first time that season, going directly into the third round, Northampton had already played and beaten two higher-division clubs, advancing over League One's Brighton in the first round, then beating Championship side Reading on penalties in the second round.

The teams met at Anfield, where Liverpool had lost only once previously to a lower-division team in the League Cup (a 2001 loss to Grimsby Town). That record looked likely to hold when Liverpool went ahead after only eight minutes with a goal from Milan Jovanovic. But Billy McKay equalized for the visitors in the 56th minute and they stayed level until the end of regulation to force extra time.

There, Northampton took the lead with a goal from Michael Jacobs (98'), before David N'gog headed home in the 116th minute to bring the teams level again and send them into a penalty shootout. But after N'gog and Nathan Eccleston missed for Liverpool, Town's Abdul Osman converted his kick to win the day, 2-2 (2-4).

Unfortunately for Northampton, their giant-killing days were numbered and they fell to Ipswich Town in the fourth round.

13 September 2006 - A Big Bid For A Bit Of Best

On 13 September 2006, a shirt worn by George Best in a record-breaking performance sold at auction for £24,000.

The shirt in question was the one worn by Best for Manchester United in a Fifth Round FA Cup match against Northampton Town on 7 February 1970. United won 2-8 with Best providing six of the goals, a record haul for the competition at the time. In 1996, a participant in a newspaper competition won the shirt as a prize, then held on to it for 10 years before putting it up for auction at Christie's, where it was expected to fetch between £20,000 and £30,000. Several bidders attempted to claim it and it eventually went to an anonymous buyer.

The auction included other football memorabilia, including the Fulham shirt worn by Bobby Moore in his last English league match (£3,600) and the 1970 FA Cup winners' medal awarded to Chelsea captain Ron Harris (£13,200). The day's biggest disappointment was the shirt worn by Brazilian midfielder Rivelino in the 1970 World Cup. Although Christie's expected the shirt to go for somewhere between £25,000 and £35,000, it failed to find a buyer.

7 February 1970 - Northampton Sees The Best Of Best

On 7 February 1970, Manchester United winger George Best put on a clinic, scoring an FA Cup record six goals in United's Fifth Round match-up against fourth-division Northampton Town. United won the match 8-2.

Best was returning from a four-week suspension for kicking the ball out of the referee's hands earlier in the season. According to Northampton keeper Kim Book in a subsequent interview, Best's suspension meant that Northampton manager Dave Bowen had not scouted him and he was not mentioned in the team's pre-match preparations. Best, however, was both rested and eager to play, making sure that Northampton took notice.

As later described by the Daily Mirror, "Best destroyed them as completely as one man can destroy others without inflicting physical damage," noting that the six goals "came from the full range of his ability. A far-post header, a near-post header. A sprint, a touch and a shot that was a classic example of his devastating finishing." But the most memorable goal was his sixth--with United already up 7-1, Best dribbled straight at Book, then sent him sprawling with a little shoulder fake before slotting the ball into the open goal.

By the end of the match, even Northampton fans in the stadium were applauding Best's performance.

After beating Middlesbrough 2-1 in a Sixth Round replay, United were dumped out of the competition in the semifinals by Leeds, who won 1-0 in a second replay after two scoreless matches.

10 June 1925 - The Greatest Gunner

On 10 June 1925, Herbert Chapman resigned as manager of Huddersfield Town to accept the same position with Arsenal.

Chapman enjoyed a long but itinerant playing career as a forward in England from 1895 to 1909, changing clubs every couple of years. In 1907, he started his managerial career as player-manager of Northampton Town before moving to Leeds City in 1912.

Chapman left Leeds City in 1918 amid a brewing scandal about illegal player payments. The club refused to allow the Football League to examine their financial records, which led the League to expel Leeds City in October 1919. The League also issued lifetime bans on five club officials, including Chapman. The club dissolved and its Elland Road grounds were soon taken over by the newly-formed Leeds United.

After a brief period out of football, Chapman successfully appealed his ban and joined Huddersfield Town as assistant manager in February 1921. He became the full manager in March and led the club to the FA Cup trophy in the 1921-22 season and the league titles in the 1923-24 and 1924-25 seasons.

In 1925, Arsenal lured Chapman away by doubling his salary to £2,000. Arsenal finished second that year, five points behind Huddersfield Town. In 1930, Chapman's Arsenal defeated Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup Final, claiming the Gunners' first major trophy. Additional successes soon followed, with league titles in 1930-31 and 1932-33.

He is credited with introducing several innovations to the game, including early adoption of the 3-2-2-3 "WM" formation, putting numbers on the players' shirts, and encouraging physical fitness through the use of strict training plans and physiotherapists. At Arsenal, he is perhaps best known for adding white sleeves to the Gunners' red shirts.

Chapman stayed with Arsenal until his death on 6 January 1934 from pneumonia.