[jack bauer]

just finished reading a book called football's strangest games, well worth it as some very odd stuff in actual games documented there, as part of the summer season style thread season thought it may be interesting to build onto this with some BB experiences of odd stuff in games, be it played, coached or watched.

for me one of the strangest moments came in a game i was coaching, i had a team some years ago, who were not the best players but tended to end up with us because we'd give them a game, anyway, we were playing a game and the opposition got a free kick, they shot for goal, the ball went wide by about 5 yards, hit a guy who was standing near the goal, deflected into the side netting off of him and the ref gave the goal... i'm quite a calm person but that moment even got me protesting to the ref.

[Doreets]

Sunday league about 15 years ago, opposition could only muster 7 players, referee allowed us to "lend" 4 of our benchwarmers.. we lost.

[stainlessstephen]

What about the Torquay player that got bit by a police dog, they scored in the subsequent injury time thus sending Lincoln down.

[Benno Spire]

Was it a Mansfield player who was fined for nipping off the pitch for a wee

[Fit as a Nelson]

Benno Spire, on 21 June 2025 - 08:54 AM, said:

Was it a Mansfield player who was fined for nipping off the pitch for a wee

Adi Yussuf, went on to play for us.

[Blue95]

 Doreets, on 21 June 2025 - 07:40 AM, said:

Sunday league about 15 years ago, opposition could only muster 7 players, referee allowed us to "lend" 4 of our benchwarmers.. we lost.

Reminds of that Steve Howey story at newcastle

Howey was speaking to the Undr The Cosh podcast when he reminisced about an occasion when he was training with Newcastle under Ossie Ardiles.

There was no one on the other side of the pitch playing against them – yet Howey and his team-mates, who were struggling at the time, still found themselves one goal behind.

Howey said: “We had a training session under Ossie, it’s called shadow play. He picks his eleven that’s going to start on the Saturday or through the week.

“It’s your goalkeeper, a four (in defence), a four (in midfield) and a two (in attack) and you’ve got a full-sized pitch. You’re playing against nobody, get some goals, then come back and start again.

“So, Ossie has set us up, we’ve took the kick-off, passed it back to Lee Clark, Lee Clark’s passed it back to Kevin Scott, again we’re playing backwards and we should be playing forwards cos we aren’t playing against anybody.
Kevin Scott gives it to Steve Watson, Steve Watson turns round and passes it back to Tommy Wright who’s in goal, but Tommy Wright was putting his gloves on in the back of the net, and the ball goes in the goal.

“We’re getting beat 1-0 and we ain’t playing any f****r. We were going through a really bad time at the time, and you could just see Ossie just rocking with his head in his hands.

“He’s going, ‘F***ing hell boys, we’re s**t man. We’re getting beat 1-0 and we ain’t playing anybody, that’s how bad it was.”

[The Earl of Chesterfield]

Maybe it's an urban myth.

But I once heard the story of game where the oppo' didn't turn up, so the Ref' told the home side to go through the routine of kicking off, then playing up the field and scoring so they could be credited the win and points.

Problem was they somehow contrived to miss the net - and as there was no one to take the resulting goal kick had to share the draw!

[spireitedave]

Recall a Malcolm McDonald radio interview.
He had just broken into the Newcastle First Team and was playing a reserve game at Saltergate.Bouyed by his first team debut he was up for anything and stepped back to take a corner and fell off the pitch !

[spireitedave]

My mate was playing at The Shay in a local league cup final.
He was fouled and the Ref gave a penalty - as he was walking up to take the pen his aggressor said I bet you miss ! The Ref overheard and said " Bet he takes it again if he does!"

[Cactoise]

Our resigning of Tim Akinola must be ranked as very strange.

[Siberian Spireite]

 stainlessstephen, on 21 June 2025 - 08:20 AM, said:

What about the Torquay player that got bit by a police dog, they scored in the subsequent injury time thus sending Lincoln down.

Jim McNichol, bitten by Bryn

[Siberian Spireite]

I recall a match at Saltergate years ago- think it was a night game- when a long, looping clearance came out of the air and whacked the linesman hard. He must have been the only person in the stadium not watching the ball.

[Sussex Spireite]

My mate used to play centre forward for Gresley Rovers back in the late 70's. In one game, they had a corner and he was standing at the back post totally unmarked, the ball came sailing over to him and he was quite literally standing with his right foot on the goal line and with his left foot managed to scoop it up over the bar!

[monte]

 Cactoise, on 21 June 2025 - 02:16 PM, said:

Our resigning of Tim Akinola must be ranked as very strange.

I want upset when it happened but the fact he then wasn't played does make it a bit strange

[Benno Spire]

Was it a Hereford player at Saltergate in a live televised game going backwards to take a throw and fell into the crowd

[Brimington spireite]

Away at Walsall can't remember season one of there players got carried of by St John's Ambulance. They dropped him. Think he ended up hobbling of by himself 😅