On This Day in Football: 28th September

28th September 1892

On this day, an unusual early morning kick-off took place in the First Preliminary Round of the FA Cup. Burton Swifts, a team competing in Division 2 of the Football League, faced off against Singers of Coventry, a non-league side. The match commenced at 8 o’clock in the morning, marking a unique start time for a football fixture. This encounter was part of the early history of the FA Cup, a competition that has since become one of the most prestigious in English football.

28th September 2004

Fast forward to 2004, and another significant event unfolded on this date in football history. Wayne Rooney, then an 18-year-old prodigy, made a remarkable debut for Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League. Rooney announced his arrival at Old Trafford in spectacular fashion by scoring a hat-trick in United’s 6-2 victory over Fenerbahçe. This match marked the first hat-trick of Rooney’s professional career and set the stage for his future success with the club.

Rooney’s debut performance was a precursor to an illustrious career at Manchester United. By the time he returned to his boyhood club, Everton, in July 2017, Rooney had etched his name in the club’s history books. He broke Bobby Charlton’s long-standing club goalscoring record, amassing a total of 253 goals in 559 first-team competitive appearances. During his tenure at United, Rooney collected an impressive array of winners’ medals, including those from the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League, Europa League, FIFA World Club Cup, and the Community Shield.