3 November 2001 - Ford Gets Good Mileage

On 3 November 2001, Rochdale midfielder Tony Ford played his 931st Football League match, a record for an outfield player.

The first step of that lengthy journey came in 1975, when, at 16 years old, Ford made his first-team debut with Third Division Grimsby Town. He stayed there until 1986, making a total of 355 league appearances. He then spent time with Sunderland (1986), Stoke City (1986-89), and West Brom (1989-1991) before returning to Grimsby for three more seasons (including a short loan spell with Bradford City).

In 1994, he moved to Scunthorpe, but was released in the summer of 1996. At the time, he had made 739 league appearances and it appeared that would be the end of his run. He moved to non-league side Barrow, but returned to the Football League later that year when new Mansfield Town boss Steve Parkin made him an assistant coach. He took advantage of the opportunity by making another 103 league appearances.

In 1999, Parkin moved to Rochdale and brought Ford along with him, continuing in his role as assistant coach. He made another 89 league appearances there, with the last coming in a 2-0 win over Torquay. He was 42. Three days later, he moved again with Parkin, who had taken over as manager of Barnsley. But from that point on, Ford limited his own role to coaching and retired from playing.

His total of 931 league appearances remains a Football League record for an outfield player, second only to goalkeeper Peter Shilton's all-time record of 1,005.

2 November 1929 - The Blue Side Of Busby

On 2 November 1929, 20-year old inside left forward Matt Busby made his professional debut. For Manchester City.

Despite being best known as the manager who raised Manchester United to glorious heights, including five First Division titles and the European Cup, Busby began his career on the blue side of town, signing with City in February 1928 at the age of 17. His first contract was worth £5 per week and included a clause that allowed him to leave after a year if he chose to rejoin his mother, who had emigrated to the United States.

But despite not getting a first-team appearance in that first year, he decided to stick it out with City and eventually got his debut at home against Middlesbrough. City won 3-1.

Busby stayed with City for eight seasons, making a total of 229 appearances and winning the 1934 FA Cup. In 1936, he moved to Liverpool where he played for four more seasons before World War II interrupted league play in 1939.

During the war, Busby got his first taste of management, taking charge of an Army side. When the war ended, he was preparing to return to Liverpool in a coaching role, but the move was interrupted by Manchester United, who offered him the job as manager. He accepted and proceeded to establish United as one of Europe's dominant sides.

1 November 1988 - France's Favorite Son Returns (Briefly)

On 1 November 1988, former French captain and three-time Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini returned to the national team, this time as manager.

Platini, who won three consecutive Ballons d'Or with Juventus in 1984, 1985, and 1986, made 72 appearances for Les Bleus from 1976 to 1987, skippering them to the 1984 European Championship and a third-place finish in the 1986 World Cup under manager Henri Michel (although Platini did not play in the latter match).

After Platini's international retirement, France failed to qualify for the 1988 European Championship, then suffered an embarrassing 1-1 draw with Cyprus on 22 October in the second match of their qualification campaign for the 1990 World Cup. France responded by sacking manager Henri Michel and bringing Platini in as his replacement. He was unable to correct the course, however, starting his tenure with losses to Yugoslavia and Scotland.

France did not qualify for the World Cup, but appeared to be resurgent in their efforts to reach the 1992 European Championship, topping their qualification group with eight wins in eight matches. Once in the tournament, however, they again struggled, drawing twice and losing once as they exited in the first round. Platini stepped down soon afterward and moved into administration. He was president of UEFA from 2007 to 2015, when he received an eight-year suspension from all football activities due to ethic violations. 

31 October 1987 - Making Sure The Fans Get Their Money's Worth

On 31 October 1987, a last-minute extra time goal in a replay gave Peñarol their fifth Copa Libertadores title.

The Uruguayans had reached the final eight times previously and won it four times (1960, 1961, 1966, 1982). And they had impressed on their road to the 1987 final, topping defending champions River Plate and seven-time winners Independiente in their semifinal group. They were up against Colombian side América de Cali, who were making their third consecutive appearance in the final after having fallen to Argentinos Juniors (in a penalty shootout) in 1985 and to River Plate in 1986.

The two teams were unable to decide a winner in the first two legs, with América winning 2-1 in Colombia and Peñarol getting a 1-0 victory in Uruguay to force the replay.

Playing at the neutral Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile, there was little to separate the teams over the first 90 minutes, or even through extra time. A penalty shootout looked certain when Peñarol striker Diego Aguirre (pictured) lashed a left-footed blast past the América goalkeeper in the 120th minute. The win placed them two behind Independiente in the list of the tournament's all-time winners, though Boca Juniors passed them with a sixth title in 2007.

Both Peñarol and América returned to the final once more, but lost both times (Peñarol in 2011 and América in 1996).

30 October 2010 - The Peerless Del Piero

On 30 October 2010, Juventus trequartista Alessandro del Piero scored the match-winner against Milan. It was his 179th Serie A goal for the Bianconeri, setting a new club record.

Del Piero joined Juventus from Padova in 1993. Initially playing as a traditional striker, he opened his goalscoring account that September in only his second appearance, then garnered a hat-trick in his first start. Juventus went on to win the Scudetto that season, one of five league titles for del Piero, who has also collected four Italian Super Cups, one Coppa Italia, and a Champions League trophy (as well as the 2006 World Cup with Italy).

He scored 20 goals in the 2006-07 season, but they didn't count toward the Serie A record as Juventus had been relegated in response to the Calciopoli scandal. Although several high-profile players left the club prior to the relegation, del Piero stayed and captained the club back to the top flight at their first opportunity.

In the match against Milan at the San Siro on 30 October 2010, del Piero's 65th-minute goal proved to be the decisive one as it put Juventus up 1-2, which is how the day ended. It broke the club's previous Serie A record tally, set by Giampiero Boniperti from 1946 to 1961.

Before retiring in 2012, del Piero pushed the record to 208 goals, with a total of 290 in all competitions.

29 October 1975 - If Anyone Should Be Able To Play In The Fog, It's England

On 29 October 1975, Czechoslovakia and England met in a European qualifier that lasted only 17 minutes before a heavy fog forced its cancellation. And they weren't even playing in London.

At the time, the two sides were first and second in their qualification group. England were on top with seven points from four matches (wins were worth two points), while the Czechs were three points back with a game in hand. They had already played once, with England winning 3-0 at Wembley.

Czechoslovakia hosted the return fixture at the Tehelne polé stadium in Brataslava. But a heavy fog rolled in and impaired visibility so badly that referee Alberto Michelotti had no choice but halt the proceedings after only 17 minutes. It was only the second time in England's history that they had to abandon a match (the first was 1953 when rain stopped a friendly against Argentina).

The match was scoreless when Michelotti called it off, so they restarted from scratch the next day. The Czechs won 2-1, handing England their first loss under manager Don Revie. It proved to be a decisive result, as Czechoslovakia went on to qualify from the group, finishing one point ahead of England, then proceeded to win the tournament.

28 October 1865 - The Birth Of A Trailblazer

On 28 October 1865, Arthur Wharton was born in the city of Jamestown on the Gold Coast. He went on to become the world's first black professional footballer.

Technically, Wharton was of mixed race. His father, a minister, was half-Grenadian and half-Scottish, while his mother was part of an African royal family. He moved to England at the age of 19 to train for the ministry, but soon developed a passion for sport, including running, cricket, and football. (At 20, he set a world record in the 100-yard sprint.)

In 1885, he began his footballing career as an amateur goalkeeper for Darlington and moved to Preston North End the following year. In 1889, after a brief time away from football to focus on running, he returned to the sport, signing a professional contract with Rotherham Town. He later played for Sheffield United, where he became the first black player to appear in an English First Division match.

By the time he retired in 1902, he had also played for Stalybridge Rovers, Ashton North End, and Stockport County. After football, he spent time as a haulage hand, but continued to run and play cricket. Sadly, he died a pauper in 1930 and was buried in an unmarked grave. He eventually received a headstone in 1997, thanks to an anti-racism campaign led by the Football Unites, Racism Divides project.

In 2003, he received a posthumous induction into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his status as a pioneer.