On This Day in Football: 3rd October

3rd October 1962

On this day in 1962, England embarked on their inaugural journey in the European Championship, then known as the European Nations Cup. The match was a first leg qualifier against France, held at Hillsborough, with an attendance of 35,380 spectators. England managed to secure a 1-1 draw, thanks to a penalty converted by Ron Flowers. Walter Winterbottom was the manager for this match. The second leg took place the following February in Paris, marking Alf Ramsey’s debut as England manager. Unfortunately, England suffered a 5-2 defeat in that encounter.

3rd October 1989

Fast forward to 1989, and the date marked a significant event in the Littlewoods Cup, known today as the League Cup. Fourth Division side Aldershot had drawn 0-0 against Sheffield Wednesday in the first leg of their Second Round tie at Hillsborough. This result had raised the hopes of Aldershot fans for the return leg at their home ground, the Recreation Ground. Sheffield Wednesday, at that point, had only managed to score twice in their opening nine competitive matches of the season, which further fuelled Aldershot’s optimism.

However, the second leg on 3rd October 1989 turned out to be a completely different story. Sheffield Wednesday delivered a stunning performance, defeating Aldershot 8-0. Steve Whitton was the star of the match, scoring four goals, while Dalian Atkinson contributed three goals to the tally. This emphatic victory set a new record for the largest away win in the history of the competition.