Football On This Day – 22nd

July 1998

European football arrived in Birkenhead! Security fears saw Shelbourne move their home UEFA Cup First

Qualifying Round tie against Rangers from Dublin to Tranmere Rovers Prenton Park ground.

A 6,047 crowd watched in amazement as the Irish side took a 3-0 half time lead against a Rangers side who who were playing for the first time under a foreign manager, Dick Advocaat. His first half time talk did the trick though - Rangers won the match 5-3.

Football On This Day – 23rd July 1966

Geoff Hurst replaced the injured Jimmy Greaves in the England side for the World Cup quarter-final against Argentina at Wembley – and scored the only goal. The Argentine captain Antonio Rattín was sent off and England manager Alf Ramsey refused to allow his players to exchange shirts with their opponents at the end of the match, later calling the Argentines ‘animals’.

Football

On This Day – 24th July 1995

After a campaign by the Sun newspaper Southampton goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, Wimbledon keeper Hans Segers and Aston Villa striker John Fashanu were all charged with conspiracy to fix matches. After two trials the trio were cleared two years later.

Football on This Day – 25th July 2012

The 2012 Olympics hadn’t officially started when the football tournament hit a serious snag in Glasgow. The womens match at Hampden Park between North Korea and Colombia was delayed by an hour after the North Koreans protested when a South Korean flag accompanied their team on the giant screen at the ground.

Football On This Day – 26th July 1966

Bobby Charlton scored two and Eusébio one as England beat Portugal 2-1 at Wembley in the semi-final of the World Cup. England would play West Germany - who had beaten the Soviet Union 2-1 the previous evening at Goodison - in the World Cup Final.