Match of the Day - Week 17

This week's Match of the Day features two Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur games and the history of goal nets at the Dell.

Our first game is on an 1989 gluepot of a pitch. It's a victory for Spurs played out between the much-loved and much-missed old stanchions at the Dell.


Our second game is from ten years later. Though the old stanchions have given way to Continental D's, the ground staff still have very little area in which to hang and pin the nets.

As an early Christmas present, look out for a Matt Le Tissier special to equalise for Saints about 4:00 in. Merry Christmas.

The Big Match - Week 16

This week's Big Match is the Crystal Palace v Leeds Utd game from the corresponding weekend (16-19 December) 1971.

Peter Lorimer's typical volley for Leeds is featured in the clip below but look out also for the crazy wooden bottom supports holding the Selhurst Park goal nets to the ground.


Such bottom supports weren't unique - they could be seen previously at the Wankdorf Stadium in Berne, Switzerland for the 1954 World Cup, as per clip below.

Match of the Day - Week 16

This week's Match of the Day is the Merseyside derby.

A personal, all-time favourite goal is Andy King's half volley at Goodison Park in 1978. Not so much the shot itself which, with all the time in the world brings to mind Jose Mourinho's thoughts on Wayne Rooney's passing - you can tell me it's amazing, but mine is amazing too, without any pressure - but the way the ball hits the net.



The shot into the top corner probably hits the side netting then the A-frame stanchion and given the power with which it was struck, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect a huge rebound.

Yet somehow the 1970's technology clings to the ball, and somehow keeps it behind the line so Ray Clemence has to walk the walk-of-shame to retrieve it.

Match of the Day - Week 15

Lads, it's Tottenham...

And here's one of the best goals scored in the Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur fixture.

It's 1993 and United have their Continental D's holding up the goal nets at Old Trafford.

Denis Irwin's name went on the scoresheet, but what everyone remembers is Eric Cantona's pass.

The Big Match - Week 14

The Big Match for the first week in December is the 1976 clash between Fulham and Oldham at a frozen Craven Cottage.

The match features a magisterial performance from George Best crowned with a wonderful chipped goal and the often overlooked hardware at the Craven Cottage. A little bit Wembley lookalikes, they're quintessentially English in shape and perfectly set off by the software, hung snug around its shoulders.

Match of the Day - Week 14

Match of the Day looks ahead to this weekend's Everton v Manchester United game by looking back at two previous matches between the sides and the history of goal nets at Goodison Park.

The sides met on the first day of season 1967/68, Everton winning 3-1 between the A-frames that would stand at Goodison till 1980. The first goal, an Alan Ball tap-in, is at 2:40.




15 years later, Howard Kendall and the Continental D's were in; the old A-frames out.