League One 2012/2013: Players who started the first and last game of the season for their club

The following list shows the players who started the first and last league games for their League clubs in the 2012/2013 season.

• Stevenage (8) – James Dunne, Luke Freeman, Marcus Haber, Darius Charles, Chris Day, Mark Roberts, David Gray and Bondz N’Gala.
• Carlisle United (7) – Liam Noble, Brad Potts, Lee Miller, James Trevor Berrett, Danny Livesey, Matthew James Robson and Paul Thirlwell.
• Crawley Town (7) – Nicky Adams, Josh Simpson, Billy Clarke, Matthew Sadler, Paul Jones, Dannie Bulman and Mark Connolly. 
• Hartlepool United (7) – Andy Monkhouse, Jonathan Franks, Simon Walton, Sam Collins, Scott Flinders, Neil Jeffrey Austin and Peter Hartley.
• Leyton Orient (7) – Dean Cox, Lloyd James, Kevin Lisbie, Jimmy Dean Smith, Gary Sawyer, Jamie Jones and Nathan Clarke. 
• Tranmere Rovers (7) – Jean-Louis Akpro, Andy Robinson, Liam Palmer, Danny Holmes, Zoumana Bakayogo, Ash Taylor and Ben Gibson. 
• Brentford (6) – Harlee Dean, Clayton Donaldson, Shaleum Logan, Simon Moore, Toumani Diagouraga and Jonathan Douglas. 
• Doncaster Rovers (6) – Chris Brown, David Cotterill, Robert Jones, Paul Quinn, Jamie Paul McCombe and Tommy Spurr. 
• Notts County (6) – Alan Judge, Jeff Hughes, Yoann Arquin, Gary Liddle, Bartosz Bialkowski and Dean Leacock. 
• Preston North End (6) – Nicky Wroe, Keith Keane, Jack King, John Mousinho, Paul Huntington and David Buchanan. 
• Yeovil Town (6) – James Hayter, Edward Upson, Marek Stech, Luke Ayling, Sam Foley and Dominic Blizzard.
• AFC Bournemouth (5) – Charlie Daniels, Marc Pugh, Shaun MacDonald, Tommy Elphick and Simon Francis.
• MK Dons* (5) – Antony Kay, Dean Peter Bowditch, Daniel Powell, Luke Chadwick and Darren Potter. 
• Scunthorpe United (5) – Jimmy Ryan, Mark Duffy, Sam Slocombe, David Mirfin and Tom Newey. 
• Walsall (5) – Adam Craig Chambers, Jamie Paterson, William Grigg, Nicky Featherstone and Dean Holden. 
• Crewe Alexandra (4) – Byron Moore, Max Clayton, Ajay Leitch-Smith and Harry Davis.
• Sheffield United (4) – Harry Maguire, Kevin McDonald, Michael Doyle and Neill Collins.
• Swindon Town (4) – Raffaele De Vita, Alan McCormack, Wesley Foderingham and Joe Devera. 
• Colchester United (3) – Magnus Okuonghae, Marcus Bean and Brian Wilson.
• Coventry City (3) – Adam Barton, John Fleck and Richard Wood.
• Oldham Athletic (3) – Lee Croft, Christian Alexis Montaño Castillo and Jean-Yves Mvoto.
• Bury (2) – Mark Hughes and David Worrall.
• Shrewsbury Town (2) – Luke Summerfield and Chris Weale. 
• Portsmouth (0)

Not one player who started Portsmouth’s first game of the season also started the last game of the league season. This perhaps demonstrates what a turbulent season the club has had. The club didn’t even have the same manager for their first and last games of the season.

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Alliterative Footballers in the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two

A list of footballers who have played in the Premier League, Championship, League One or League Two this season with their first name beginning with the same letter as their surname. Please let me know if you are aware of any others.

• Adebayo Akinfenwa (Northampton Town)
• Adebayo Azeez (Wycombe Wanderers & Leyton Orient)
• Ahmed Abdulla (Barnet)
• Akwasi Asante (Shrewsbury Town)
• Ali Al Habsi (Wigan Athletic)
• Almen Abdi (Watford)
• Andreas Arestidou (Morecambe)
• Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal)
• Antolín Alcáraz (Wigan Athletic)
• Barry Bannan (Aston Villa)
• Bartosz Bialkowski (Notts County)
• Billy Bodin (Torquay United)
• Brian Barry-Murphy (Rochdale)
• Chris Cohen (Nottingham Forest)
• Christopher Chantler (Carlisle United)
• Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa)
• Clarke Carlisle (York City & Northampton Town)
• Conor Clifford (Portsmouth & Crawley Town)
• Courtney Cameron (Rotherham United)
• Craig Cathcart (Blackpool)
• Craig Clay (Chesterfield)
• Craig Conway (Cardiff Dragons)
• Craig Curran (Rochdale)
• Cyrus Christie (Coventry Dragons)
• Damien Delaney (Crystal Palace & Ipswich Town)
• Danny Drinkwater (Leicester City)
• Darryl Duffy (Cheltenham Town)
• David Davis (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
• David De Gea (Manchester United)
• David Dunn (Blackburn Rovers)
• Diego De Girolamo (Sheffield United)
• Donervon Daniels (Tranmere Rovers)
• Dorian Dervite (Charlton Athletic)
• Ethan Ebanks-Landell (Bury)
• Frank Fielding (Derby County)
• Gábor Gyepes (Portsmouth)
• Gaël Givet (Blackburn Rovers)
• Gary Gardner (Aston Villa)
• Gianluca Gracco (Dagenham & Redbridge)
• Gordon Greer (Brighton & Hove Albion)
• Harry Hooman (Cheltenham Town)
• Heidar Helguson (Cardiff Dragons)
• Jake Jervis (Portsmouth, Tranmere Rovers, Carlisle United & Birmingham City)
• Jake Jones (Walsall)
• Jamie Jones (Leyton Orient)
• Jermaine Jenas (Nottingham Forest & Queens Park Rangers)
• Jermaine Johnson (Sheffield Wednesday)
• Joe Jacobson (Shrewsbury Town)
• Johnnie Jackson (Charlton Athletic)
• Jussi Jääskeläinen (West Ham United)
• Kei Kamara (Norwich City)
• Keith Keane (Preston North End)
• Leon Legge (Gillingham & Brentford)
• Leroy Lita (Sheffield Wednesday & Birmingham City)
• Marcus Marshall (Bury)
• Mark Molesley (Exeter City & Plymouth Argyle)
• Marko Marin (Chelsea)
• Marvin Morgan (Shrewsbury Town)
• Mathieu Manset (Carlisle United)
• Matt Mitchel-King (AFC Wimbledon)
• Matthew McClure (Wycombe Wanderers)
• Matthew Mills (Bolton Wanderers)
• Michael Morrison (Charlton Athletic)
• Modibo Maïga (West Ham United)
• Nyron Nosworthy (Watford)
• Olanrewaju Oyebanjo (York City)
• Osayamen Osawe (Accrington Stanley)
• Oulwasanmi Odelusi (Bolton Wanderers)
• Paul Parry (Shrewsbury Town)
• Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading)
• Phil Picken (Bury)
• Richard Ravenhill (Bradford City)
• Robbie Rogers (Stevenage)
• Sam Saunders (Brentford)
• Sam Slocombe (Scunthorpe United)
• Sam Sodje (Portsmouth)
• Scott Shearer (Rotherham United)
• Scott Sinclair (Manchester City)
• Sean Scannell (Huddersfield Town)
• Sean St. Ledger (Leicester City & Millwall)
• Stéphane Sessègnon (Sunderland)
• Steve Sidwell (Fulham)
• Steve Simonsen (Preston North End)
• Steven Schumacher (Bury)

 

BOBBY CHARLTON VERSUS THE ZAMBIANS

In October 1978 the Zambian national side undertook a tour of England. They played five matches in a fifteen day period against Shrewsbury Town (9/10/78), Wigan Athletic (11/10/78), Workington (16/10/1978), Marine (17/10/78) and Bristol Rovers (24/10/78). It’s likely that the tour was arranged by Englishman, and then Zambian manager, Brian Tiler (a former Wigan Athletic player). The match at Gay Meadow against Shrewsbury Town is probably the most interesting of the lot as it featured a rather well known figure by the name of Bobby Charlton, playing in the last game of his career. Why he found himself playing at Shrewsbury is a question that may never fully be answered, though it has been suggested that Charlton had a link to the town as he and Duncan Edwards undertook their national service there.

 

Bobby Charlton had retired from football two years previously after a short spell in Ireland with Waterford United. However, he was convinced to play in this one off tie and to don the famous blue and amber stripes of the Shrews. The programme details some of Charlton’s team-mates that day and they include players who went on to forge successful managerial careers in the lower leagues such as Graham Turner and Ian Atkins. In fact, Turner is now managing Shrewsbury Town in League Two, very apt considering he answered Shrewsbury Town reserves to the “what’s your favourite other side” in the programme.

Shrewsbury Town take on Zambia at Gay Meadow

The player profiles of the Shrewsbury players are fascinating and give a real insight into late 1970s football in the UK. Not only are the players’ positions and main attributes listed, we are also informed of the marital status of the player and the car they drive. So we have: Steve Biggins (single, Ford Escort), Carleton Leonard (single, Hillman Avenger), Graham Turner (married with three children, Vauxhall Chevette), Michael Roberts (single, Volkswagen “Beetle”) and so it continues…

The player profiles in the programme of the Zambians also make interesting reading (though they do unfortunately omit their marital status and the car they drive). Goalkeeper Vincent Chileshe “rated the best Goalkeeper in Africa” and nicknamed the “Black Cat” is featured as is Godfrey Chitalu, a centre-forward from Kabwe Warriors. It says in the programme that Chitalu had turned down offers to play in England and the United States to stay in his native Zambia. It certainly wasn’t uncommon for Africans to be playing abroad at this time, Aston Villa featured two Zambian internationals in the 69/70 season (Fred Mwila and Emment Kapengwe) so there may be something in that tale.

As for the game, Zambia lost 4-0. The tour was to be a difficult one for the Chipolopolo, the next few games didn’t get much easier as they lost to Wigan Athletic by two goals to one and also lost to Marine by four goals to nil.

Zambia’s manager went on to become the managing director of AFC Bournemouth where he helped oversee the club’s promotion to the Second Division. Tiler was tragically killed in Italy when the car he and (then Bournemouth manager) Harry Redknapp were travelling in collided with a minibus on the way to the England versus Cameroon World Cup Quarter Final in 1990.

 

League Two Champions 2011: Shrewsbury Town

There are eighteen teams that spent the whole of 2011 in League Two (four teams are promoted each season, and two are relegated). Congratulations to Shrewsbury Town, who despite missing out in the League Two playoffs last May ended the year as the League Two side that had gained the most points (an impressive 86) during 2011. A notable mention has to go to Accrington Stanley who lost the fewest games in 2011 of any side that spent the whole calendar year in the division. Northampton town end the year rock bottom and will hope that the appointment of Aidy Boothroyd will lead to a more successful 2012.

League Two: Calendar Year 2011

If you include sides that spent at least some of 2011 in League Two then it’s Crawley Town who finish top of the pile with an exceptional record. Chesterfield and Bury (promoted at the end of last season also feature in the top three). Last year certainly looks like one to forget for Argyle fans who see their side only narrowly finishing above the now non-league Stockport County.

League Two: Calendar Year 2011

Stay tuned to the website over the coming days as I will be revealing the winners and losers of 2011 from a League One, Championship and finally Premier League perspective.