If any pro-footballer moans about the number of games they play particularly at Christmas tell them about Tommy Lawton and Len Shackleton!
Tommy Lawton
In 1940 when the FA staged regional leagues due to the war, players often "guested" for a variety of clubs.At this time it was common to play on Christmas Day as well as on Boxing Day with many matches being morning kick-offs.Both Lawton and Shackleton turned out in official matches twice on the same day.
Len Shackleton
Legend has it that Lawton was in the bath relaxing after Everton's local derby with Liverpool when the Chairman of Tranmere popped his head around the door and said. "Ere Tom fancy a game this afternoon?"Lawton then turned out for the Rovers in their home game.For Len Shackleton he played for his own club Bradford Park Avenue at Leeds in the morning, and then for his favourite team, Bradford City, at Huddersfield in the afternoon.He even scored for City!
Another game of note was Brighton and Hove Albion, away to Norwich, could only muster five players, and their team was supplemented by Norwich reserves and supporters. Unsurprisingly Norwich won 18-0
Christmas Day football continued in England until 1959 when Blackburn beat Blackpool 1-0 in Division One. On the same day Coventry beat Wrexham 5-3 in the third tier of the league.In Scotland the last full programme of matches was scheduled for Christmas Day 1976 but all except two were rearranged.
We last played on Christmas Day in 1957 when we went down at Oldham.Our last home game, and win, was the previous year against Mansfield by the only goal in front of almost 11000 fans.Our best gate was probably the 21000 in 1950 for a 0-0 with NottsCounty but we did play in front of 45000 at Spurs in 1947 although we went down 3-0.We also played such names as Nelson, Glossop North End, New Brighton and RotherhamCounty on 25 December as well as a team called Manchester United.
It was often the case that Christmas and Boxing Days meant double-headers.This was not easy when in 1931 our opponents were Southampton although we did the double.We also turned over Rotherham, the United version, twice in 1925 including a 6-1 win.However in 1953 we were trounced 6-1 on Christmas Day by StockportCounty only to win 4-0 a day later.
The most famous Christmas Day match didn't involve our Club but was an international fixture- against Germany in 1914.It is thought that the Germans beat the Allies 3-2 but there wasn't a referee, the pitch was frozen and it is not certain that the sides were equal!The event really did happen as Belgiums and French soldiers also called an impromptu truce.
"It was a day of peace in war," commented a German participant in the Great War, "It is only a pity that it was not decisive peace."Those players returned to freezing, muddy trenches and resumed the killing.Perhaps when footballers are faced with fixture congestion they should remember how lucky they are!
