GOLDEN GOAL

WHO SCORED THE FIRST EVER GOAL IN COMPETITIVE ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL?

- By Mark Gleeson

The genesis of the sport we mostly call 'soccer' these days came with the formation of the Football Association in London in 1863.

Not long after the Laws of the Game were adopted, but it was not for another eight years before the first official game was played and the first goal scored.

Not because there were no matches, or years of goalless draws, but because for the first eight years of the FA's existence, member clubs played only friendly matches.

Charles Alcock came up with the idea of turning the friendlies between FA members into a formal competition. He was the secretary of the FA and also the centre forward for top club Wanderers. His proposal to the committee was made in July 1887 and later accepted, and some 114 days later, the FA Cup kicked off on 11 November 1881. It is the oldest competition in world football.