International Football History and Statistics

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On this day in football history

1931 Willie Evans signed professional forms with Tottenham Hotspur. Although standing no more than 5'6" he weighed 13 stones and seemed to be too stocky for a winger. In fact he was a very good one. He went into the Spurs side almost immediately and was a great success in the team which won promotion to the First Division in 1933 scoring 28 goals (11 from penalties). He was first capped for Wales in 1933 but in September 1934 he was badly injured in the match against England at Cardiff following a collision with England goalkeeper Hibbs. This seemed to affect his confidence and although he had two more seasons on the Tottenham wing and was capped again by Wales the touch of greatness was gone. By 1936 he was out of the Spurs side and in 1937 he transferred to Fulham as player-coach although he never appeared in their League side. He was only 25 when he disappeared from the first class game altogether after six Wales caps and 79 goals in 179 League matches for Tottenham.

1937 In their first international against Norway England won 6-0 in Oslo. Steele(2), Kirchen, Galley, Goulden and Holmson (o.g.) provided the goals.

1957 Joe Walton, captain of visiting Preston North End, was bound over in Sweden for shoplifting. He played for the club from 1948 ( when he joined from Manchester United) until 1961 and appeared in the 1954 Cup Final when they were beaten by West Bromwich Albion. When he left Preston he joined Accrington Stanley where he ended his career. He played in 438 League matches (401 for Preston); over 300 of those were in a full-back partnership with Willie Cunningham.

1965 Frank Penn and Joe Bacuzzi left Fulham after 50 and 30 years respectively. Penn was an outside-left who joined them during the First War and, in League football between 1919 and 1934 he scored 47 goals in 424 matches. He afterwards became coach and then trainer. Bacuzzi was a full-back but what should have been his peak years coincided with the Second War. He played in 282 peacetime League matches between 1937 and 1956 and then joined the coaching staff. Neither player won a full cap for England although Bacuzzi played in some wartime internationals in in the "Victory" game against France in 1946. He also guested for Chelsea in their match with Moscow Dynamo in November 1945.

1980 Arsenal lose the Cup Winners Cup Final on penalties to Valencia. The match ended 0-0 and the vital penalty was missed by Graham Rix. This was the first European Final to be settled on penalties.

1983 Luton Town Manager David Pleat does a jig of delight on the pitch after a 1-0 win at Maine Road means Manchester City are relegated and his team remain in the First Division.

1997 Bobby Robson's Barcelona win the Cup Winners Cup Final 1-0 against PSG.

2000 The end of the Premiership season and several new records were set. Manchester United established records for the highest winning points margin (18), the highest number of goals scored (97) and the longest winning run (11 games). Bradford City achieved the lowest points tally for survival (36) and Coventry City became the first Premiership club to go a whole season without an away win.