“Malachi Fagan-Walcott ended last season with York City versus Rochdale in the National League. His opening competitive fixture of the 2026-27 campaign came with Hearts against Sturm Graz in a Champions League qualifier. Has any player bridged a wider gap in standards between successive club matches?” asks Tom Reed.

Does moving from the Welsh League straight into an FA Cup semi-final represent an even steeper rise? It may not top a Champions League qualifier, yet the tale remains compelling. “I put forward Gary Plumley,” writes Russell Connor. “Plumley turned out nearly 200 times for Newport County across four spells spanning ten years, but by 1987 he had stepped away and was managing a wine bar while turning out now and then for Ebbw Vale in the Welsh League.

“Heading into the 1987 FA Cup semi-final, Watford were without a goalkeeper after Tony Coton and Steve Sherwood suffered thumb and finger injuries. Gary’s father Eddie happened to be Watford’s chief executive, so Gary was brought in for the match.

“Watford fell 4-1 and Plumley endured a difficult afternoon. He received only expenses, which he spent on a fridge the family nicknamed the Watford Fridge. An interview with Plumley about the occasion is available elsewhere.”

Football history

“Erling and Alf-Inge Haaland purchased the sole surviving copy of the first printed edition of Snorri Sturluson’s medieval chronicle of Norwegian kings and gave it to their hometown of Time in Norway,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Have other players acquired and donated rare books or antiques?”

“In 2017, then Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembélé acquired a 700-year-old structure in Antwerp and began turning it into a hotel,” writes Tom Reed. “Renovations uncovered a cache of 18th-century porcelain, glass, pottery and tableware. Dembélé gifted part of the find, said to be worth more than £1m, to the local museum while the remainder was displayed in the lobby of the refurbished hotel he named De Gulde Schoen (The Golden Shoe).”

Poachers turned gamekeepers

“On Sunday, Sean Murdoch refereed St Mirren against Dunfermline in the Scottish League Cup. Murdoch had previously played in goal for Dunfermline. Are there further cases of a former player officiating a match involving a club he represented?” asks Ian Golightly.

The topic arose in 2010, producing these examples:

Steve Baines, the sole referee in the English professional leagues with substantial playing experience.
Dick Jol, who took charge of the 2001 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Valencia.
Ben Haverkort, a player who collected 73 yellow cards and six reds, many for confronting referees.

A more recent case comes from the women’s game: Cheryl Foster MBE, who earned 63 caps for Wales and played most of her club career at Liverpool. She retrained as a referee and reached the Fifa international list within three years of her final match. Foster rose to become one of the world’s leading officials and handled the 2023 Women’s Champions League final between Barcelona and Wolfsburg.

“There is a photograph of me retrieving the ball from the small Jeep that delivered it onto the pitch, and I wore the broadest smile,” Foster recalled upon retiring last year. “Putting into words the emotions of officiating major tournaments and a major final is remarkable.”

The oldest goalscorers in town (II)

In last week’s Knowledge we examined some of the oldest goalscorers on record. One notable figure was overlooked. You missed the second-oldest scorer, 58-year-old Mykola Lykhovydov of Real Pharma in Ukraine,” writes Mykola Kozlenko. “A Guardian feature covered him last year. He will not surpass the current mark, however, because his club dropped out of professional football this summer after finishing bottom for two straight seasons. That is, unless promotion returns and he remains near 60...”

Although not at first-team level, Tom Weir notes that in 1992 former Scotland manager Ally MacLeod converted a penalty for Queen of the South reserves at the age of 61.

Knowledge archive

“In the preliminary round of the English League Cup, Rochdale defeated Tranmere 2-1 on penalties. Is this the lowest goal tally in such a shootout?” asks Paul Gage.

A comparable query appeared in 2008 when Mike Gibbons inquired about the poorest penalty shootouts. Our response then read:
As Bill Martin, Florian Kinast and Paul Fields all noted, the 1986 European Cup final shootout is hard to beat. Barcelona and Steaua Bucharest endured 120 of the dullest minutes in a major final. At 0-0 the tie moved to penalties, where both sides missed their opening two attempts. The Romanians then converted their next two, yet Barcelona, managed by Terry Venables, twice failed to beat Helmuth Duckadam. Duckadam, later dubbed ‘the hero of Seville’, saved all four spot-kicks from José Alexanko, Ángel Pedraza, Pichi Alonso and Marcos Alonso, handing Steaua a 2-0 victory.
Tragically Duckadam, aged 27 and at his peak, retired soon after. “Only weeks after his greatest moment,” writes Florian, “Duckadam’s career ended because of a rare vascular condition in his right arm.”
Florian also highlights Thailand’s 1-0 penalty win over Bangladesh in the 1973 Merdeka Tournament, alongside Singapore’s 1-0 shootout victory against Cambodia.
The record for the weakest shootout belongs, predictably, to two English sides. In January 1998 the Under-10 teams Mickleover Lightning Blue Sox and Chellaston Boys contested the Derby Community Cup. The match finished 1-1 and Blue Sox prevailed 2-1 on penalties after an extraordinary 66 spot-kicks. Thanks to Paul Haynes.
Further penalty facts, including the finest shootouts, appear on the invaluable rsssf.com

Can you help?

“Mikel Arteta (one title) is the sole manager entering the new season with title-winning experience in England. Is this the first occasion since 1889-90 that only one title is shared among managers at the start of a campaign?” wonders Jeremy Finch.

“Kerim Alajbegovic joined Leverkusen on 1 July after his buyback clause from Salzburg was triggered for €8m. He is now moving to Juventus for €37m, so Leverkusen stand to gain roughly €1m for each day Alajbegovic spent at the club. Has any player generated a higher profit-per-day ratio?” asks Richard Wilson.

“As a supporter of Liga MX side Tigres UANL, it is pleasing to see them enter the record books by fielding the world’s shortest professional player: 5ft 1ins Diego ‘Chicha’ Sanchez,” begins Steve Smith. “He also scored a fine goal against San Luis on Saturday. This prompts the question: how short are the shortest goalscorers across Europe’s top divisions?

“Which footballer has represented the greatest number of clubs?” asks Paul Gage.

“I have driven through the North East many times and often pass Gateshead FC’s home (Gateshead International Stadium) and Newcastle United’s St James’ Park on the same trip,” writes Jack Birch. “Google Maps indicates 3.5 miles between them (or 2.3 miles on foot). Are there town pairings that improve on this?”

“Wrexham defender Max Cleworth has the letters of ‘Wrexham’ contained in his name,” notes Mark Lumby. “Have other players carried their club’s name within their own?”

Mail us with your questions and answers