Posted:07/03/2010

THIS WEEK IN FOOTBALL HISTORY

March 7^th-

Dennis Viollet was one of the lucky survivors of the Munich air disaster that destroyed the Busby babes Manchester Utd team. Viollet went on to score 178 goals for the red devils. In his 10 year spell at the club between 1952 and 1962 he made 291 apps and won 2 England caps but on this day in 1999 he died at his home in the USA of a brain tumour, he was 65 years old.

March 8^th-

Only 8 years after he captained the only ever England side to win the world cup Bobby Moore’s career was on the slide- today in 1974 West Ham did the unthinkable and put the Legend up for sale. His last match for the hammers was an FA Cup tie with Hereford, he ended up joining 2^nd division Fulham and couldn’t prevent his new side losing in the FA Cup final in his 1st season at Craven Cottage- they lost the Final 2-0 against, you guessed it- West Ham Utd.

March 9^th-

Celtic were the 1^st British Club to win a European trophy, they beat Inter Milan in the 1967 European Cup Final- it was on this day in 1965 they appointed as their 1^st ever protestant manager- Jock Stein.

When he took over the club they had been 8 years without a trophy- he won the Scottish Cup in his 1^st season and would guide Celtic to 11 league titles and numerous other cups during his 13 years at the club.

March 10^th

David O’Leary has made the most appearances in Arsenal history notching up an impressive 722 (558 in the league- another record) It was on this day in 1992 he made his 700^th appearance. After making his debut as a fresh faced 17 year old in 1975 against Burnley he would spend 18 seasons at Highbury.

March 11^th

Today in 1963 Blackburn v Middlesborough, the last of the FA Cup 3^rd round games was finally completed- 9 weeks after it was 1^st scheduled. The so called "Big Freeze” covered much of Britain in snow for 67 days and threw the fixture programme into chaos. No fewer than 16 games were postponed 10 or more times and the Lincoln v Coventry game was called off 15 times alone. In total there were 261 postponements in the FA Cup 3^rd round that year.

March 12^th

Rotund goalkeeper Neville Southall was never going to be named weight watchers slimmer of the month and on this day in 2000 he turned out between the sticks for Bradford City in their Yorkshire derby match with Leeds Utd aged 41. He was called up to play after regular no.1 Matt Clarke had injured himself falling down the stairs. It was fair to say "Big Nev” had let himself go even more so, one match report said "I am sure if he had turned up on a Sunday Morning for my team we’d had turned him away for being too fat”. Bradford lost 2-1.

March 13^th

Scotland’s 1^st club were Queen’s Park- they were finding life a little lonely with no local opposition to play, they even opted to join the English FA Cup (reaching the final twice).

Keen to change this the club placed an advert in the local newspaper and was joined in the Dewar’s Hotel by Clydesdale, Vale of Leven, Dumbreck, Third Lanark, Eastern and Granville. Kilmarnock sent their apologies, but the 8 clubs agreed to form the Scottish Football Association on this day in 1873.

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