What is the longest gap between two meetings of the same football teams? | The Knowledge

“When Newport played Manchester City in the FA Cup, it was the first time that the fixture had been played for more than 56 years,” writes Mark Meadowcroft. “The last match, on 24 October 1962 (2-1 to City at Maine Road in the League Cup) was at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the week after Love Me Do first charted. Is there a longer gap between two meetings of the same opponents?”

Yes there is, Mark. Our first suggestion comes from Simon Cook: “Arsenal played Brentford on 26 September 2018 in the League Cup, 71 years after their last meeting on 26 May 1947.”

But that can be topped. “As the oldest club in England still playing, Notts County have seen some opponents very infrequently,” writes Alex Lyon. “A quick look shows the longest gap between two matches is 109 years, with Kettering Town the opponents – the clubs have twice been drawn together in the FA Cup. The first match on 28 January 1899 was won by Notts County, but when they met again on 30 November 2008, the match was a draw and Kettering won the replay.”

But that can be topped. “Even if you doubled Newport v City it wouldn’t beat the gap between fixtures for Chorley and Stockport County,” declared Gary Fairclough. “Before Stockport’s 3-0 league defeat to Chorley in November 2014 the two sides had not played each other competitively for 114 years. Their last meeting was in 1900; Britain was in turmoil over the second Boer War and across Europe new football teams were taking their first steps in the game with strange names like Ajax, Lazio and Bayern Munich. They probably never amounted to much.”

But that can be topped. Here’s Michael Knaggs: “My best guess is on 24 August 2016, Accrington beat Burnley 1-0 in the EFL Cup. It was their first competitive meeting since 1893, 123 years prior, when Victoria had eight years to go as Queen of the empire, Dvorák’s New World Symphony premièred and Arthur Conan Doyle revealed that Sherlock Homes had died. If anyone can beat that, I tip my hat to them.”

Can anyone beat that? Email knowledge@theguardian.com.

Seeing red after a hat-trick

“Players who have scored a hat-trick and got sent off during the same match,” tweets Chris Bull, straight to the point.

“Chris Iwelumo,” replies James Flynn, pithily, in reference to the 2008 game in which the big man was one of two Wolves players dismissed in a spicy 3-1 win over Preston. But before being sent off (for sticking his nut on Sean St Ledger), Iwelumo bagged a treble to take his tally that season to eight goals in seven games.

“In the 2001-02 Primeira Liga,” offers Dirk Maas, “FC Porto’s Benni McCarthy completed his hat-trick in the 74th minute against Santa Clara, only to be red-carded six minutes later.”

And an example we dug out from close to home.

Outscoring your age

“Scott Dobbie of Queen of the South, age 36, had scored 37 goals by the end of January this season,” explains David Forbes. “Who is the oldest player to have outscored their age in a season?”

“At top level, the legendary Ferenc Puskás takes some beating,” reckons David Warriston. “By the end of 1961-62, the Magyar maestro was 35 and had scored 40 goals for Real Madrid, including a first-half hat-trick in that year’s European Cup final. He was clearly on the slide however; the following season he failed to beat his age, netting a meagre 31 goals.”

Here’s more from Tim Dockery: “Even at 39, Patrizia Panico was inducing panic among her opponents. When the 2013-14 season ended in Women’s Serie A, she was the top scorer with 43 goals for Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Torres Calcio Femminile. During that time, she also scored four goals for Torres in cup competitions, bringing her total for the year to 47.”

Room for one more. “Lee Trundle scored 45 league goals in 23 appearances for Llanelli Town in 2016-17, when he turned 40,” notes Dave Johnston. “He scored 53 in all competitions that season, in only 31 appearances. Llanelli Town were promoted to the Welsh Football League Division One.”

Knowledge archive

“Have any players ever used a corner flag, a goalpost or an advertising hoarding to attack an opponent?” asked Pedro Salinas in 2007.

Step forward Canada’s Paul Peschisolido, duly picking up a red card for his troubles against El Salvador during a World Cup qualifier in 1997. “I was kicked a few times and the referee wasn’t giving anything, while every challenge we made seemed to result in a foul,” he explained. “I was getting very annoyed and frustrated so I decided to elbow one of their players. It was right in the corner and, in fact, I elbowed the corner flag into his face.”

Martin Keown managed the next best thing in January 2002, chucking a corner flag into the stands during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Elland Road. Early in the game Keown conceded a corner; as he got up he grabbed the flag and casually lobbed it behind him into the front rows of fans. Despite uproar from the supporters, the FA eventually decided he had not intended to hit them, and did not enforce any punishment.

Sadly there were no such exciting tales regarding advertising hoardings, though Rudy Hulsman was quick to remind us of the match between Orlando Pirates and Black Leopards in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League. With the game in mid-flow, heavy winds suddenly sent a number of hoardings flying across the pitch, taking out a linesman and several players in a matter of seconds.

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Can you help?

“New Celtic loan signing Timothy Weah (son of George) was recently called up to the USMNT, likewise Jonathan Klinsmann (son of Jürgen), Shaq Moore (son of Trinidad and Tobago international Wendell), and Fafa Picault (grandson of Haiti international Max Antoine),” writes Eddie Eyers. “Is this the greatest collection of national team players whose forebears played for other nations?”

“Maty Ryan claims that the penalty he gave away in Brighton’s match against Burnley was the first he’s ever given away. If true, that’s quite impressive. Which goalkeeper holds the record for most games played without giving away a penalty?” wonders Mike Raphael.

“While playing some magnificent Sporcle quizzes, I noticed that German defender Karl-Heinz Schnellinger received Ballon d’Or votes in three consecutive years for work at four separate clubs: FC Köln and AC Mantova in 1963, AC Mantova/AS Roma in 1964, and AS Roma/Milan in 1965, and Milan alone in 1966,” writes Damian Blättler. “Surely this is the longest such streak? And has anyone received Ballon d’Or votes at more clubs than this?”

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