On This Day in Football: 5th October

5th October 1946

On 5th October 1946, Len Shackleton made a memorable debut for Newcastle United following his £13,000 transfer from Bradford Park Avenue. The match, a Division 2 fixture against Newport County, was held at St James’ Park in front of a crowd of 52,137 spectators. Newcastle United delivered a historic performance, equalling the highest score in Football League history with a 13-0 victory. Shackleton, the new addition to the team, made an immediate impact by scoring six of the goals, marking a perfect start to his career with the Magpies.

5th October 1993

Fast forward to 5th October 1993, when Robbie Fowler etched his name into Liverpool’s history books. Having made his senior debut for Liverpool in September 1993, where he scored in the first leg of a League Cup tie against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Fowler was set to make headlines once again. In the second leg at Anfield, Fowler scored all five goals in Liverpool’s 5-0 victory over Fulham. This remarkable feat marked only the fifth occasion a Liverpool player had scored five goals in a competitive match. While the 5-0 victory was impressive, it was not the first time Fulham had suffered a heavy defeat at Anfield in the League Cup. In 1986, Liverpool had defeated Fulham 10-0, marking only the second instance of a double-figure scoreline in the competition’s history.

5th October 2014

On 5th October 2014, Cheadle Town, a team from the North West Counties League, found themselves in the spotlight for an unexpected reason. They were chosen as warm-up opposition for the Russian Under-19 side, who were preparing for a European Championship qualifying tournament in Northern Ireland. While the opportunity to play against an international youth team was notable, it was the result that captured attention on social media. Cheadle Town suffered a staggering 22-0 defeat, a scoreline that quickly went viral and became a talking point across various platforms.