What Is The Earliest An Uninjured Goalkeeper Has Been Substituted?

3 hours ago

“What’s nan earliest an uninjured goalkeeper has been substituted?” asks Sam Roberts.

Unless you’ve been astatine a integer retreat successful nan Kerguelen Islands for nan past 8 days, you’ll cognize nan discourse of this question. With Spurs 3-0 down astatine Atlético Madrid past week, their goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who was astatine responsibility for 2 of nan goals, was substituted aft only 17 minutes.

It’s uncommon for a goalkeeper who isn’t injured – wounded pridefulness doesn’t count – to beryllium taken disconnected successful nan first half of a game, ne'er mind nan first quarter. We had a akin mobility way backmost successful 2006, erstwhile nan answers included Jens Lehmann during Milan’s Scudetto-winning 1998-99 campaign.

There person been much examples successful nan past 20 years truthful it’s good worthy giving this mobility a caller overgarment of paint. Especially as, past clip round, we missed a peculiar communicative from nan Southern League successful February 1984. With Cambridge City 4-0 down astatine location to Ashford aft 25 minutes, and their teenage goalkeeper Nigel Ashman presumably having a suboptimal time astatine nan office, Cambridge head Bill Leivers decided to put nan midfielder Trevor Williams successful goal.

“I had to do something,” said Leivers. “I was worried they mightiness get 20. I took nan goalkeeper disconnected for his ain bully arsenic overmuch arsenic anything. He was decidedly responsible for 2 of nan goals but I would mobility nan cognition of immoderate of nan players successful beforehand of him.”

Leivers’ determination was truthful astir a heartless activity of staggering genius: Cambridge fought backmost and yet mislaid nan crippled 4-3. Ashman near nan nine a fewer days later – “I shall astir apt beryllium down connected nan play people connected Saturday” – but later managed nan club’s reserve broadside betwixt 2015 and 2017.

Swindon’s Wes Foderingham suffered a akin destiny erstwhile his broadside were beaten 4-1 by Preston successful September 2012. Unlike Kinsky, he wasn’t hooked consecutive aft a goal. Swindon went 2-0 down wrong 10 minutes, pinch Foderingham astatine responsibility for nan opening goal. Then, successful nan 21st minute, their head Paolo Di Canio replaced him pinch Leigh Bedwell.

Foderingham belted a h2o vessel and walked consecutive down nan tunnel. After nan game, Di Canio laid into him:

double quotation markHe was 1 of nan worst players I person ever seen. He’s different subordinate for illustration nan others, why can’t we alteration nan goalkeeper? Because nan goalkeeper has a different coloured shirt?

Out location he behaved arsenic nan worst professional, arrogant, ignorant jock I person ever seen.

Foderingham apologised to Di Canio for his reaction and was soon backmost successful nan team. He and Ashman lasted a spot longer than Kinsky, who was taken disconnected aft 17 minutes. With nan objection of rule-bending substitutions, much of which successful a moment, that remains nan earliest illustration successful our inbox. (The 2006 article linked supra said that Peru’s José Acasuzo was hooked aft 13 minutes against Chile successful a Mexico ‘86 playoff, but various sources propose it was aft 24 minutes.)

And truthful to goalkeepers who were substituted early doors – almost earlier nan doors had opened – to circumvent nan rules. Our ain Will Unwin reminds america that, successful nan Checkatrade Trophy of 2016-17, Bradford hooked Colin Doyle aft 3 minutes to get information a norm that required teams to section 5 “first-team players”. Bradford won 2-1 and their adjunct head Kenny Black joked that Doyle “had a mediocre 45 seconds”.

Bradford City goalkeeper Colin Doyle makes his exit aft 3 minutes.

Three minutes? Try 3 seconds. “In 2014, Stabæk’s first prime goalkeeper, Mande Sayouba, was astatine nan World Cup pinch Côte d’Ivoire,” writes Bjorn Barang. “Back-up goalkeeper Borger Thomas was sent disconnected and suspended, truthful for their adjacent lucifer they brought Espen Isaksen (35 years aged and now goalkeeper coach for nan women’s nationalist team), retired of status connected an amateur contract.

“The Norwegian Football Federation won’t let amateurs to start, but they tin beryllium utilized arsenic substitutes. Hence, against Start, midfielder Eirik Haugstad began successful goal. The shot went retired of play aft 3 seconds, courtesy of Start, allowing Stabæk to put Isaksen connected for Haugstad. They moreover had a goalkeeper garment printed for Haugstad, pinch his sanction and regular squad number on!”

A bully try, but Stabæk still mislaid 2-1.

Here’s a database of immoderate of nan uninjured goalkeepers who person been substituted successful nan first half.

39 minutes James Nanor, Nigeria 3-0 Ghana, World Cup qualifier, 2001
Nanor’s replacement Ossei Boateng was sent disconnected 2 minutes later, meaning Ghana played nan remainder of nan crippled pinch an outfield player, nan skipper Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, successful goal
36 min Yohan Pelé, Lyon 8-1 Le Mans, Ligue 1, 2005-06
25 min Nigel Ashman, Cambridge City 3-4 Ashford, Southern League Southern Division, 1983-84
27 min Jens Lehmann, Cagliari 1-0 Milan, Serie A, 1998-99
24 min José Acasuzo, Chile 4-2 Peru, World Cup playoff, 1985-86
21 min Wes Foderingham, Preston 4-1 Swindon, League One, 2012-13
21 min Muamba Kazadi, Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire, World Cup Group B, 1974
17 min Antonin Kinsky, Atlético Madrid 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur, Champions League past 16, 2025-26
3 min Colin Doyle, Bradford 2-1 Bury, EFL Trophy, 2016-17
3 seconds Eirik Haugstad, Stabæk 1-2 IK Start, Norwegian Tippeligaen, 2014

In nan improbable arena that anyone tin hit a goalkeeper being substituted aft 3 seconds – aliases if you person immoderate examples from women’s shot – please drop america a line.

Weekday warriors

“By nan extremity of March, Manchester United will person played 11 of their 31 Premier League fixtures connected weekdays,” notes Tom Solan. “Which squad has played nan astir convention fixtures successful a play connected a weekday?”

Benjamin Sesko celebrates aft nan scoring nan only extremity successful Manchester United’s Monday-night triumph astatine Everton past month.

An fantabulous and, for those of a definite age, evocative reply present from Michael Haughey. “When it comes to playing connected weekdays – not Saturdays, Sundays and slope holidays – surely Tranmere Rovers must clasp nan grounds from erstwhile they played location games connected Friday nighttime aliases Monday nighttime to debar clashing pinch nan 2 teams connected nan different broadside of nan Mersey,” writes Michael. “Selecting the 1975-76 play arsenic a random example, they played 20 location games connected weekday nights positive 7 distant games.”

More snubbed hat-trick heroes

A mates of weeks ago we had a mobility astir hat-trick heroes who were not awarded subordinate of nan match. You wrote successful pinch immoderate much cases.

“There is besides nan illustration of Ian Moores, who isn’t fondly remembered astatine Spurs successful nan 1970s (eight goals successful 32 matches), and managed to deed nan only hat-trick of his Tottenham profession nan time Colin Lee made his debut and scored 4 – yes nan 9-0 demolition of Bristol Rovers,” says John Tumbridge. “He ended up being photographed pinch nan shot from a lucifer against Oldham, a crippled Spurs won 5-1 and successful which Moores didn’t moreover play!”

Erling Haaland and Phil Foden observe during Manchester City’s 6-3 thrashing of Manchester United successful 2022. Haaland and Foden some scored hat-tricks

Hsien Min highlights that Phil Foden scored a hat-trick erstwhile Manchester City tharashed Manchester United 6-3 successful October 2022, but truthful did Erling Haaland and he was nan subordinate of nan match. And, arsenic Paul Fields points out, possibly nan astir celebrated illustration came erstwhile Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick erstwhile Blackpool hit Bolton 4-3 successful nan 1953 FA Cup final. There was nary charismatic subordinate of nan lucifer grant backmost then, but nan crippled went down successful folklore arsenic nan Matthews Final.

Knowledge archive

“When was nan past play (if so location ever has been one) that each nan clubs successful nan English apical section vanished nan play pinch nan aforesaid head they had astatine nan start?” wondered Tom Shaw successful 2011.

The Knowledge turned to Twitter [those were nan days – Knowledge Ed] successful hunt of an reply for this one, and aft sterling activity from @ChristopherHarv and @STV_Andy, shadowy and intimidating stats robot @OptaJoe’s eyes started flashing, his cogs started whirring, and from wrong his metallic depths retired chugged nan reply – 1965-66. In each of nan 45 seasons since, personification has mislaid their occupation successful nan apical flight.

Perhaps imbued pinch pre-World Cup bonhomie Blackburn stuck pinch “Jolly Jack” Marshall contempt barrelling headlong towards relegation, ending bottommost pinch nan lowest points tally successful 19 years (though he was sacked midway done nan pursuing play – “This station astatine Ewood Park has been likened much than erstwhile to what nan Americans telephone a ‘hot seat’,” reported nan Guardian astatine nan time). Dave Bowen, who was besides moonlighting arsenic nan Wales manager, survived astatine Blackburn’s chap relegates Northampton.

Fulham, contempt a relegation-threatened season, stuck pinch Vic Buckingham; Ian McColl, appointed during nan summertime of 1965, survived astatine Sunderland who vanished 19th; Nottingham Forest stayed up by 3 points and kept religion pinch nan softly-softly attack of Johnny Carey (“Some of their tackling, while ne'er vicious, lacked nan finesse and complete inoffensiveness of a squad managed by Mr Carey,” wrote nan Guardian aft a mid-season 1-1 tie astatine Manchester City. “Forest, for illustration truthful galore clubs, person had to accommodate their style to meet modern requirements, though Mr Carey would ne'er instruct his men to ‘mix it’.”) Above Blackburn 9 teams ended nan play separated by 4 points – possibly this was a uncommon – and final? – illustration of clubs choosing nan devils they knew.

The detente didn’t last, however. Arsenal started nan 1966-67 play pinch a caller man successful charge, Billy Wright having resigned successful June.

Knowledge archive

Can you help?

“What’s nan furthest a squad has gone successful Europe while being relegated successful nan aforesaid season?” wonders Matt Reilly.

“On Saturday, Luton won 2-1 astatine Wycombe Wanders. The Hatters’ triumph meant that, since their first sojourn successful 1996, they person won 9 and drawn 7 astatine Adams Park. Can immoderate different squad boast a longer grounds of having ne'er mislaid distant astatine different club?” asks Neil Rose.

“Before past weekend, Barnet had 10 games remaining successful League Two – 8 of them against nan teams successful nan apical and bottommost 4 places,” writes Graham Steed. “Does this represent immoderate benignant of grounds for a squad having arsenic overmuch power connected promotion and relegation while still having not overmuch to play for? (We could still make nan playoffs, but let’s look it, it’s not going to happen.)”

“Max Dowman’s extremity for Arsenal, aged 16, felt meaningful but has a 16-year-old ever scored an existent trophy-clinching goal? And if not, who is nan youngest subordinate to people a trophy-clinching goal?” asks George Jones.