EVERTON’s ten-point deduction for breaching the top flight’s profit and sustainability rules in November caused shockwaves throughout the game. As well as the severity of the punishment, part of the surprise lay in the fact that while points penalties for financial irregularities have been commonplace for decades in the lower leagues - as Reading and Wigan fans can currently attest to it’s pretty rare for them to occur at the highest level of English football…
Notts County 1889-90 - one point deducted for fielding an ineligible player (later overturned on appeal) The second Football League season saw a points penalty imposed for the first time when Notts County fielded an ineligible player - borrowed from near neighbours and then non-leaguers Nottingham Forest - against Aston Villa on November 9, 1889, in a match that ended 1-1 at Trent Bridge.
Villa argued that the borrowed player wasn’t registered to play for County - a complaint which was upheld by the League Management Committee, who docked Notts one point and fined them £5.
The player in question, Tinsley Lindley, was multi-talented to say the least. He scored a hattrick on his Forest debut aged 16 and netted 14 goals in 13 appearances for England.
An amateur who also played county cricket for Nottinghamshire, he wore walking shoes rather than traditional football boots as he could run quicker in them.
Crucially for County, he was also a law student at Cambridge University and in his barrister role successfully took charge of the appeal against the punishment by claiming that, by imposing both a fine and a points penalty, Notts had been punished twice.
This story is from the March - April 2024 edition of Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March - April 2024 edition of Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
PASSING THE BATON
NOTTS COUNTY FAN IAN KIRKE REFLECTS ON AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY AT MEADOW LANE...
CHEEKY CHARLIE
TOM GREEN LOOKS AT THE LIFE AND TIMES OF CHARLIE MITTEN, WHO WENT FROM BURMA TO BOGOTA VIA OLD TRAFFORD
HAPPY WITH OUR LOT
WATFORD FAN JONNY BRICK IS QUITE CONTENT WITH HIS TEAM NEVER GOING UP AND NEVER GOING DOWN...
LIFE AFTER THE CUP HEROICS
BEN SMITH LOOKS AT THE REALITY FOR MAIDSTONE UNITED FOLLOWING THEIR STINT IN THE SPOTLIGHT...
JAMES RODRIGUEZ TEN YEARS ON
DANIEL MOFFAT LOOKS AT THE CAREER OF THE COLOMBIA STAR
AND SMITH DOES SCORE
BARNABY ROSTANT LOOKS AT THE CAREER OF EVERGREEN CENTRE-FORWARD MATT SMITH..
JUST HOW DO YOU REPLACE JURGEN KLOPP?
ROBERT J WILSON ON THE CHALLENGE AHEAD FOR LIVERPOOL AS THEIR INSPIRATIONAL GERMAN BOSS PREPARES TO WALK AWAY...
FIGHT TO THE FINISH
JOHN LYONS LOOKS AT HOW THE PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE RACE IS SHAPING UP AS WE APPROACH SQUEAKY-BUM TIME..
GIANT-KILLING CANARIES
SAM TODD RECALLS WHEN NORWICH CITY ENJOYED A SENSATIONAL FA CUP RUN 65 YEARS AGO...
HOWARD'S WAY
LIFELONG BIRMINGHAM CITY SUPPORTER KEITH DIXON RECALLS WHEN HOWARD KENDALL HELPED SAVE THE BLUES FROM RELEGATION HALF A CENTURY AGO...