"My beleaguered Tranmere played Barnet a couple of weeks ago, begins James. I was amazed that this was the first ever meeting between two clubs who have spent so much time in the Football League. It made me wonder: what is the most surprising or eye-catching fixture in English club football that has never been played? We were surprised to hear that Middlesbrough's 1-1 draw with Wrexham on Saturday was the first ever league match between those two sides,"
"Incidentally, Tranmere v Barnet would not have been particularly high. Barnet have only spent 21 seasons in the Football League; Tranmere's 94 gives them a combined total of 115. 222 seasons Everton (127) v Rochdale (95), West Brom (127) v Rochdale (95) 218 Everton (127) v Hartlepool United (91) 217 Manchester United (123) v Gillingham (94), Manchester City (123) v Exeter City (94) 216 Arsenal (122) v Southend United (94), Arsenal (122) v Exeter (94)"
A ranked list groups English club pairs by combined Football League seasons and notes whether they have ever met in league or cup competitions. Tranmere and Barnet had never met in league or cup before their recent tie, yielding a combined total of 115 seasons. Middlesbrough and Wrexham produced their first ever league meeting despite prior cup encounters. The highest combined totals among unplayed fixtures include Everton (127) v Rochdale (95) on 222 seasons, West Brom (127) v Rochdale (95) on 222, and Everton (127) v Hartlepool United (91) on 218 seasons.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]