On this day, Stocksbridge Park Steels, a team from the UniBond Division 1, made national headlines with a remarkable performance in the FA Cup Preliminary Round. The Sheffield-based club triumphed over Oldham Town with an astonishing scoreline of 17-1. Paul Jackson, a player for Stocksbridge Park Steels, was the star of the match, scoring 10 goals. This feat equalled the FA Cup record set by Chris Marron of South Shields in 1947. The record for the competition proper was set by Ted MacDougall of Bournemouth, who scored nine goals against Margate in 1971.
31st August 2004
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Wayne Rooney, at the age of 18, made a significant career move on this day in 2004. The young footballer, who had once famously declared, “Once a blue, always a blue,” transferred from Everton to Manchester United. This move to the ‘reds’ of Manchester United was a notable event, especially considering Rooney’s previous allegiance to Everton, the ‘blues’. Despite the promise of up to £27 million entering Everton’s bank account, the departure of Rooney was not well-received by the fans of his former club.
31st August 2006
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The closing of the transfer window on 31st August 2006 marked a busy period for football clubs, with many high-profile transfers being completed. Among the most surprising moves were those of Argentine World Cup players Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez. Both players were highly sought after by top clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and AC Milan. However, they both made the unexpected decision to join West Ham United, a mid-ranking Premier League side, from Corinthians of Brazil.
Their time at West Ham United was fraught with challenges. Between them, Mascherano and Tevez made only 31 Premier League appearances for the club before moving on to other teams—Tevez to Manchester United and Mascherano to Liverpool. The transfers were later embroiled in controversy due to issues surrounding third-party ownership. It was unclear whether the players were owned by West Ham or by Media Sports Investments, the entity in charge of Corinthians. As a result, the FA fined West Ham £5.5 million for discrepancies related to the transfer. Although West Ham avoided a points deduction that could have led to their relegation, Sheffield United, who were relegated that season, claimed compensation for lost revenue. This resulted in West Ham paying an additional £18 million to Sheffield United.