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Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

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    Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

    I seem to recall reading an article about how English league games were once played on Xmas Day and New Year's Eve. Is there a definitive source on the history of holiday scheduling?

    Also, has the FA Cup 3rd round always been traditionally on the first Saturday, unless that Saturday was too close to New Years' Day (i.e. I assume this year it's the 2nd Saturday for that reason)

    #2
    Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

    Carlisle played away at Gillingham on NYE when it fell on a Saturday in, hold on give me a sec, 1994 (good job I checked, my first guess was going to be 'about ten years ago').

    The FA Cup thing isn't fixed, although most of us would hold that it's always played on the first Saturday unless NYD is a Saturday. Carlisle played at Everton in the third round on Saturday 2 January 2010 - this season the 2nd falls on a Saturday again and the third round is being played on the second Saturday.

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      #3
      Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

      There were Christmas Day fixtures into the early 60s I believe. I've checked my records and I've only ever attended one match on NYE, which was also in 1994, so perhaps that was just the way the days fell that year. The FA Cup 3rd round took place in December 1999 in the 99-00 season.

      I'm also old enough to remember fixtures on consecutive days in the Christmas period. Often 'derbies' with the reverse fixture on the second day. And, at Easter, fixtures on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday.

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        #4
        Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

        The FA Cup third round has always been around or abouts this weekend or next during my lifetime - the fourth round is always scheduled for around about my birthday, which is also Australia Day (for quizzers).

        The one year they tried to bring the third round forward was 1999-2000. The third round was moved to mid-December, which caused a clash with the World Club Cup, which in turn caused all sorts of a curfuffle for all concerned. They never did that again.

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          #5
          Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

          There was a short spell in the 60s when the Cup 3rd round was played at the end of January. I assume the scheduling this year is because the BBC don't want to show a live game tonight.

          I don't think there were ever NYE games outside of when it fell on a Saturday. Regular games on New Years Day are also a relatively recent creation given that the day only became a bank holiday in about 1973.

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            #6
            Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

            Other festive fixture quirks:

            1987-88 had the same day pattern to this season, there were full programmes on Boxing Day and the 28th, as in this season; but at new year there were games on consecutive days, on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd.

            In 1994-95 there were League programmes on both Boxing Day (a Monday) and Tuesday 27th (which would have been a holiday). Then NYE as documented, and also Monday 2 January.

            There also used to be full League programmes on the August bank holiday, which was an annoyance when I worked in Scotland for many years, where it wasn't given automatically as a holiday.

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              #7
              Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

              Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote: The FA Cup third round has always been around or abouts this weekend or next during my lifetime - the fourth round is always scheduled for around about my birthday, which is also Australia Day (for quizzers).

              The one year they tried to bring the third round forward was 1999-2000. The third round was moved to mid-December, which caused a clash with the World Club Cup, which in turn caused all sorts of a curfuffle for all concerned. They never did that again.
              I believe they actually brought the third round forward that year in an attempt to accommodate Man U's World Club Cup commitments as that tournament was in January. Then there was some falling out and Man U withdrew from the competition anyway.

              This story appears to back up my recollection, though it is the Mail (for which I apologise).

              The Third Round Saturday was on my birthday that year which was also my stag day. A coachload of us went up to watch Bolton v Cardiff with a night out in Liverpool afterwards but The Trotters had an injury crisis so deliberately over-watered their pitch and got the match postponed. We ended up seeing Tranmere knock out West Ham instead.

              .

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                #8
                Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

                I remember that particular third round for much the same reason. As Cardiff's game at Bolton was postponed, a load of their fans detoured to Villa Park for the Villa - Darlington match, to see their former right back Mark Delaney who had recently joined us. We were a little mystified by the large number of blue scarfed supporters in the ground, and Delaney himself seemed quite surprised to have a fair proportion of the crowd serenading him in Welsh. The explanation only became clear to most of us at half time.

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                  #9
                  Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

                  Capybara wrote:

                  I'm also old enough to remember fixtures on consecutive days in the Christmas period.
                  I recall being home to Portsmouth on Boxing Day then having a trip to West Brom on the 27th. This would be the 1986/7 season.

                  As also mentioned the following year we hosted Reading on New Ye
                  ars Day and immediately went to Birmingham on the 2nd.

                  In 1988 we had an away trip to Leeds on New Years Eve.

                  The fixture list wasn't kind to us (or our opponents) in the late 80's/ early 90's. We generally played West Brom as they were our closest neighbours in Division 2 for most of that period, though Barnsley were forced to come to Home Park one Boxing Day, while we were sent to Cambridge in 1991 and Gillingham in 1995.

                  More recently our last NYE fixture was in 2011 and saw us travel to Aldershot.

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                    #10
                    Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

                    I'd be surprised by Cardiff supporters serenading anyone in Welsh, we never had any songs or chants in our native tongue.

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                      #11
                      Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

                      The 'consecutive day' fixture thang was a regular occurrence during the seventies, and I can recall it being the case over Easter as well: my lot played something like three times in five days when battling relegation in 1975.

                      Even as a youngster, I felt that this was excessive.

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                        #12
                        Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

                        longeared wrote: There was a short spell in the 60s when the Cup 3rd round was played at the end of January.
                        This resulted in our only ever post-January FA Cup win, away to Aston Villa in the fourth round in 1968.

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                          #13
                          Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

                          Capybara wrote: There were Christmas Day fixtures into the early 60s I believe.
                          I saw a tweet this season to the effect that we've just passed the (if I remember right) 50th anniversary of the last time top flight football was played on Christmas Day in England, which would make this a good estimate.

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                            #14
                            Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

                            The last ever Christmas fixtures in Scotland, and therefore I believe Britain, was December 25th 1976. Clydebank drew 2-2 with St Mirren at Kilbowie Park in Division 1 and Stranraer beat Meadowbank Thistle 2-0 at Stair Park.

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                              #15
                              Did there used to be regular fixtures on NY Eve?

                              Usually my childhood memories get corrected by the archives, but this time it seems there are some facts hiding in the fog. FA Cup 3rd round ties were occasionally brought forward to New Year's Day, e.g.

                              http://www.11v11.com/matches/chelsea-v-bristol-rovers-01-january-1976-213921/

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