29 November 1978 - Anderson Breaks England's Color Barrier

On 29 November 1978, England beat Czechoslovakia 1-0 in a friendly at Wembley. England's right back that day was Nottingham Forest's Viv Anderson, making the first start by a black player to appear for England in a full international match.

Born in Nottingham in 1956, Anderson began his professional career with Forest in 1974 and became a regular starter the following year. An attacking right back, he was an integral part of the team that won the League in 1978, then back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980. He also won two League Cups with Forest (1978, 1979) and the 1980 UEFA Super Cup.

His impressive form during that successful run led England manager Ron Greenwood to call him up for the friendly against the Czechs. Midway through the second half, with the match scoreless, Anderson surged forward to create a opening for Tony Currie, who then crossed the ball into the box where a waiting Steve Coppell knocked home the day's only goal.

Despite his excellent performance, Anderson had to wait until June 1979 for his second England appearance and didn't feature in a competitive match until November 1979. In all, he received 30 caps, the last coming in 1988. He eventually retired in 1995 and was elected to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

20 September 2008 - Who Ya Gonna Call, Watford?

On 20 September 2008, Reading and Watford battled to a 2-2 draw thanks in part to a phantom goal.

Played before a crowd of 14,761 at Watford's Vicarage Road Stadium, the match was scoreless in the 13th minute when Watford midfielder John Eustace, defending his goal against Reading striker Noel Hunt, knocked the ball over the end line several yards wide of the post. Rather than call for a corner, however, linesman Nigel Bannister (pictured) flagged it as a goal to the astonishment of both sides. Watford protested, but the referee allowed the decision to stand.

Despite the setback, the home side rallied to take a 2-1 lead with goals from Tommy Smith (57') and John-Joe O'Toole (64'), but were undone by a late penalty. With three minutes left on the clock, Eustace tripped Reading winger Stephen Hunt in the box and Hunt converted the ensuing spot kick to earn the Royals a crucial point.

Reading manager Steve Coppell offered a replay, but the Football League said that the referee's decision was final.

3 May 1998 - City On The Move

On 3 May 1998, Manchester City F.C. were relegated to England's third division.

It was their second relegation in three years, as City had just dropped from the Premier League in 1996. They went through a series of managerial changes, sacking manager Alan Ball at the start of the 1996-97 season. He was replaced by Steve Coppell, who resigned just a few weeks later, claiming that the job was too stressful. City then turned to former Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark, who led them to a 14th place finish. As City continued to struggle the following season, Clark was sacked in February 1998 and replaced by former Oldham and Everton manager Joe Royle (pictured). 

City's battle for Division One survival went down to 3 May 1998, the final day of the season. City started the day in the second bottom position with 45 points, just one point behind Port Vale, Portsmouth, and Stoke City. City defeated Stoke 5-2, but Port Vale and Portsmouth also won their matches, so that City finished third bottom, one point away from safety, and were relegated to Division Two.

Royle managed to improve City's fortunes, earning immediate promotion back to Division One in 1999 and then to the Premier League in 2000, but was sacked in 2001 as City slipped back down to Division One.

15 December 1982 - One Of Those Things Was Not Like The Other

On 15 December 1982, England got goals from a record number of scorers when they beat Luxembourg 9-0 in a European qualifier. And one of them wasn't English.

The match, played at Wembley, was the third of the qualification campaign for both teams, with England taking a win and draw in their previous two and Luxembourg losing both of theirs. So it was no surprise when the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute, though the scorer's identity may have been—Luxembourg's Marcel Bossi put the ball into his own net while trying to clear a square ball from Luther Blissett.

It was only the beginning of what turned out to be the most lopsided result of the campaign for either team. By the break, England were up 4-0 with additional goals from Steve Coppell (22'), Tony Woodcock (34'), and Blissett (44'). Blissett scored twice more in the second half (62', 86') along with Mark Chamberlain (71'), Glenn Hoddle (87'), and Phil Neal (89') to stretch the final margin to 9-0.

The seven different scorers (including Bossi) set an England record for the largest number of scorers in a single match. But it wasn't enough for England to qualify, as they ultimately finished second to Denmark in the group and missed out on the tournament.

29 November 1978 - Anderson Breaks England's Color Barrier

On 29 November 1978, England beat Czechoslovakia 1-0 in a friendly at Wembley. England's right back that day was Nottingham Forest's Viv Anderson, making the first start by a black player to appear for England in a full international match.

Born in Nottingham in 1956, Anderson began his professional career with Forest in 1974 and became a regular starter the following year. An attacking right back, he was an integral part of the team that won the League in 1978, then back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980. He also won two League Cups with Forest (1978, 1979) and the 1980 UEFA Super Cup.

His impressive form during that successful run led England manager Ron Greenwood to call him up for the friendly against the Czechs. Midway through the second half, with the match scoreless, Anderson surged forward to create a opening for Tony Currie, who then crossed the ball into the box where a waiting Steve Coppell knocked home the day's only goal.

Despite his excellent performance, Anderson had to wait until June 1979 for his second England appearance and didn't feature in a competitive match until November 1979. In all, he received 30 caps, the last coming in 1988. He eventually retired in 1995 and was elected to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

20 September 2008 - Who Ya Gonna Call, Watford?

On 20 September 2008, Reading and Watford battled to a 2-2 draw thanks in part to a phantom goal.

Played before a crowd of 14,761 at Watford's Vicarage Road Stadium, the match was scoreless in the 13th minute when Watford midfielder John Eustace, defending his goal against Reading striker Noel Hunt, knocked the ball over the end line several yards wide of the post. Rather than call for a corner, however, linesman Nigel Bannister (pictured) flagged it as a goal to the astonishment of both sides. Watford protested, but the referee allowed the decision to stand.

Despite the setback, the home side rallied to take a 2-1 lead with goals from Tommy Smith (57') and John-Joe O'Toole (64'), but were undone by a late penalty. With three minutes left on the clock, Eustace tripped Reading winger Stephen Hunt in the box and Hunt converted the ensuing spot kick to earn the Royals a crucial point.

Reading manager Steve Coppell offered a replay, but the Football League said that the referee's decision was final.

3 May 1998 - City On The Move

On 3 May 1998, Manchester City F.C. were relegated to the English third tier.

It was their second relegation in three years, as City had just dropped from the Premier League in 1996. They went through a series of managerial changes, sacking manager Alan Ball at the start of the 1996-97 season. He was replaced by Steve Coppell, who resigned just a few weeks later, claiming that the job was too stressful. City then turned to former Nottingham Forest manager Frank Clark, who led them to a 14th place finish. As City continued to struggle the following season, Clark was sacked in February 1998 and replaced by former Oldham and Everton manager Joe Royle (pictured).

City's battle for Division One survival went down to 3 May 1998, the final day of the season. City started the day in the second bottom position with 45 points, just one point behind Port Vale, Portsmouth, and Stoke City. City defeated Stoke 5-2, but Port Vale and Portsmouth also won their matches, so that City finished third bottom, one point away from safety, and were relegated to Division Two.

Royle managed to improve City's fortunes, earning immediate promotion back to Division One in 1999 and then to the Premier League in 2000, but was sacked in 2001 as City slipped back down to Division One.