Players featuring in matches not of their time

[Foot of Astaire's]

I saw Peter Shilton appear for us in a play off semi final at Wolves. Jason McAteer scored our goal that day.

[Favourite Worst Nightmare]

I believe John Wark was once simultaneously playing in two televised matches 50 years apart. Whilst appearing for an Allied XI against the Nazis on the BBC, he was also putting a shift in for Ipswich in an Anglian derby match in the Endsleigh League on ITV (and I think I may have read about this in WSC).

[Satchmo Distel]

MOTD 21.9.80 has Martin Peters v Chris Kamara (Sheff U v Swindon), which seems too late for Peters and too early for Kamara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFh-2Pzg4xU

Seeing a 1966 World Cup player on MOTD in 1980 was a strange feeling. Even when he was Norwich (1975-80) it seemed odd, although he was only born in 1943 (Kamara 1957).

World Cups: Rivelino still being there in 1978 felt wrong, as did Zmuda in 1986. Again this is not so much based on age (they were both only 32) as worrying that they were tarnishing memories of when they were in their primes.

Bergomi had excellent longevity: three UEFA Cups in the 1990s and played with Zoff and Ronaldo, who were born 34 years apart

[Jon]

I believe John Wark was once simultaneously playing in two televised matches 50 years apart. Whilst appearing for an Allied XI against the Nazis on the BBC, he was also putting a shift in for Ipswich in an Anglian derby match in the Endsleigh League on ITV (and I think I may have read about this in WSC).

Yes, I remember Ossie Ardiles managing West Brom at the same time as Escape to Victory too. Probably happened to a few players, given that the likelihood of the film being on telly on Boxing Day afternoon was very high.

I am amazed that Trevor Francis played in the NASL in 1978. And that his debut was in 1970.

Glenn Loovens played some games for Feyenoord on their road to winning the 2002 UEFA Cup. Robin van Persie also appeared in the final.

Meanwhile, over in the Champions League, a 20 year old Berbatov was coming on for Bayer Leverkusen in the final at Glasgow.

Maybe Tony Ford, who I only really became aware of in the mid-80s as a Stoke player. Moved to WBA in 1989 and was a lively right-sided midfielder. I still think of him as an 80s/early 90s player, but he'd made his debut for Grimsby in 1976, and carried on playing until 2001.

Yes, Tony Ford was your go-to 'I can't believe he's still playing' player for years, wasn't he?

[Amor de Cosmos]

The original NASL was full of these guys.

On the one hand, you had Alan Ball as a 1980 Vancouver Whitecap or Bobby Moore as a 1978 Seattle Sounder

On the other, you had Trevor Francis as a 1978 Detroit Express or Peter Beardsley as a 1981 Whitecap

And Bruce Grobbelaar (as an '81 Whitecap)

[Various Artist]

That Tony Gale stuff is fantastic.

As is the discovery that Stanley Matthews' last game was against Bobby Robson and future World Cup winner George Cohen, as well as Rodney Marsh scoring in it.

[Sam]

Haven't we done something like this before? Linking players who've played with or against each other, linking back in as few steps as possible?

We have, yes. Well remembered!

[Simon G]

Maybe Tony Ford, who I only really became aware of in the mid-80s as a Stoke player. Moved to WBA in 1989 and was a lively right-sided midfielder. I still think of him as an 80s/early 90s player, but he'd made his debut for Grimsby in 1976, and carried on playing until 2001.

Tony Ford scored in Cheltenham's first ever Football League game in 1999 (we lost 2-0 to Rochdale). I'm sure Football Focus did a feature on him around that time as well due to the number of games he'd played.

EDIT: A quick YouTube search didn't bring up the Football Focus vid, but there was this on there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRyZfB_4UNE

[Arturo]

World Cups: Rivelino still being there in 1978 felt wrong, as did Zmuda in 1986. Again this is not so much based on age (they were both only 32) as worrying that they were tarnishing memories of when they were in their primes.

Teofilo Cubillas from Peru springs to mind here. Played in the 82 World Cup aged 33 only four years after Argentina but seems completely entrenched in the 1970s.

[Jah Womble]

That Tony Gale stuff is fantastic.

As is the discovery that Stanley Matthews' last game was against Bobby Robson and future World Cup winner George Cohen, as well as Rodney Marsh scoring in it.

I think it's Marsh who (for me, at any rate) links Matthews to a completely different era in football - ie, yer long-hairs and fancy-dans, etc.

Robson and Cohen still feel like products of that bygone 'cigarette card and Brylcreem'-era of English football.

[treibeis]

The very first HSV game I saw live, in 1990, featured Manfred Kaltz, who'd played in the same HSV team as Uwe Seeler. I remember thinking briefly, "Ooh, isn't that funny, them having a right-back now with the same name as Manni Kaltz".

[jameswba]

Tony Ford scored in Cheltenham's first ever Football League game in 1999 (we lost 2-0 to Rochdale). I'm sure Football Focus did a feature on him around that time as well due to the number of games he'd played.

Thanks for that link. Jon will probably remember this one ; Ford's finest moment in an Albion shirt (2mins 20 secs in), though the puddle on the goal-line is also said to have claimed the goal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wHVQs13R8k

[Sporting]

Stan Matthews playing with Dennis Viollet.

The latter still holds the Man Utd record for most league goals scored in a season.

[3 Colours Red]

Giuseppe Bergomi. He's four years older than me. Two years before I sat my 'O' Levels, he was at the World Cup finals.

His appearance at France '98 seems more surprising to me - it was his first international call up for seven years.

[Jon]

Thanks for that link. Jon will probably remember this one ; Ford's finest moment in an Albion shirt (2mins 20 secs in), though the puddle on the goal-line is also said to have claimed the goal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wHVQs13R8k

Ha ha! Yes, I was in the Brummie Road End that day so got a great view of that puddle-assisted goal.

[DPDPDPDP]

Teofilo Cubillas from Peru springs to mind here. Played in the 82 World Cup aged 33 only four years after Argentina but seems completely entrenched in the 1970s.

Don’t remind me. Scored two cracking goals in the 3-1 win against Scotland.

[tee rex]

The latest Squires offering in the Guardian fits in here: Brian Kilcline at Swindon, in the shiny Premiership? That's as wrong as ... well, Swindon being in the Premiership. He belongs to the 80s, Notts County and lifting Coventry's Cup.

[Uros Predic]

Kevin Sheedy came on as a substitute in that infamous game where George Best, Rodney Marsh and Bobby Moore were showboating for Fulham against Hereford.

Not only that but Sheedy came on as a substitute for Terry Paine.

[Capybara]

This is excellent.

[Simon G]

I saw a thing doing the rounds a couple of weeks ago, since 1932 one of either Stanley Matthews, Peter Shilton or Gianluigi Buffon has played a first team league game, Buffon continuing this when playing against Crotone on Oct 24th.

[Bored Of Education]

I once saw a Cardiff City squad photo from, upon checking, probably 1966 that included John Charles and John Toshack. I shouldn't be surprised as it is chronology but I was.