On This Day in Football: 2nd October

2nd October 1954

On this day in 1954, two notable figures in English football made their international debuts for England in a Home Championship match against Northern Ireland. The match, held away from home, saw England secure a 2-0 victory, with both debutants finding the back of the net. Johnny Haynes, representing Fulham, and Don Revie, from Manchester City, each scored a goal. Haynes would go on to have a distinguished international career, earning 56 caps and captaining the national team on 22 occasions. In contrast, Don Revie earned only six caps as a player but later made a significant impact as the manager of the England national team.

2nd October 1976

The 2nd of October 1976 marked a significant development in football officiating with the introduction of red and yellow cards in the Football League. The concept was credited to Ken Ashton, an Englishman and former top-level referee, who devised the idea while driving through Kensington High Street in London. Observing a traffic light change from yellow to red, Ashton thought the system could be adapted for football: ‘Yellow, take it easy; red, stop, you’re off’. This system was first trialled at the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico and was officially introduced to the Football League on this day in 1976.

During the matches played on that Saturday, two players received red cards, marking the first use of this disciplinary measure in the league. The first red card was issued to David Wagstaff of Blackburn Rovers during their Second Division match against Orient. Wagstaff was sent off after 36 minutes for arguing with the referee. Later that day, in another Second Division match, a Fulham player was red-carded for foul language during their game against Southampton. The player in question was none other than George Best, whose dismissal unsurprisingly garnered significant media attention.