I’ve previously written that George Camsell scored a record 9 hat-tricks in the 1926/27 season from a total of 59 league goals, a record that has never been equalled in English football, and is never likely to be either. Much was made of Jamie Vardy’s record of scoring in 11 Premier League matches two seasons ago, but George Camsell actually scored in 12 consecutive matches during the 1926/27 season – only to be beaten by Tom Phillipson for Wolves later that same season with 13. Camsell actually scored 82 goals in all matches in that record breaking season, which unfortunately was broken by Dixie Dean the following season with a total of 95 including 60 in league matches. Incidentally, Boro’s haul of 122 league goals in 1926/27 broke the record for league goals scored in a season by any club at that time.
Another record that Boro held was that of being the first English club to have three players recording hat-tricks in the same match – Jackie Carr, George Elliott and Walter Tinsley in a 9-3 FA Cup win against Goole Town in 1915. This record was not broken until 1960 when Les Allen with 5, Lingdale’s own Bobby Smith 4, and Cliff Jones all scored for Spurs in a 13-2 FA Cup replay against Crewe Alexandra.
What about Brian Clough? Well, he held a record of being the only player to be the Second Division’s leading scorer in three consecutive seasons (40 in 1957/58, 42 in 1958/59, and 39 in 1959/60). During that time he also scored all 5 goals whilst playing in the Football League’s 5-0 win against the Irish League in Belfast on 23rd September, 1959.
John Hickton also deserves a mention for being the Second Division’s leading scorer three seasons in four (24 in 1967/68, 24 in 1969/70, and 25 in 1970/71).
Nick Barmby has the distinction of scoring for 6 different Premier League clubs – Spurs, Boro, Everton, Liverpool, Leeds and Hull City. Only Craig Bellamy can beat that by scoring for 7 Premier League clubs.
Now for a record we don’t want; Bobby Stuart, who I have actually seen play, holds the record for the number of own goals in a season – 5 in 1934/35.
Now some records with a tenuous Boro connection; Charlie Wayman who played for Boro in 1954/55 was one of only twelve players to have scored in every Round of the FA Cup including the Final, for Preston in the previous season. And Bryan Robson holds the record for the quickest World Cup goal for England in 27 seconds against France in Bilbao on 16th July 1982; the great Tommy Lawton is reputed to have scored in 17 seconds for England in its first match against Portugal, a 10-0 win in Lisbon in 1947.
Straying away from the Boro, our near neighbours Hartlepool hold several scoring records, for and against. In the old 4th Division they hold the record for the joint highest scores – Hartlepool 10-1 against Barrow on 4th April 1959, and Wrexham 10-1 against Hartlepool on 3rd April 1962. They also share the new 2nd Division record for the highest scores – Hartlepool 1-8 at home to Plymouth Argyle on 7th May 1994, and Hartlepool 8-1 against Grimsby Town on 12th September 2003. Hartlepool also hold the longest non scoring record of 11 successive matches in 1992/93.
Some other scoring records I have unearthed:-
The highest away win in the old First Division is Newcastle 1, Sunderland 9 (lncluding 8 goals in 28 minutes). That occurred on 5th December 1908, and incredibly Newcastle went on to be Champions with 53 points, Sunderland finishing third with 44.
Len Shackleton scored 6 for Newcastle on his debut in a 13-4 win against Newport County on 4th October 1946. He later played for Sunderland.
I remember Dennis Law scoring 6 for Manchester City in a FA Cup match away to Luton Town on 28th January 1961, but the match was abandoned after 69 minutes with City leading 6-2 because of a waterlogged pitch and the scoring feat extinguished from the records. What was galling for Law and his club, was that despite his scoring when the match was played again, City lost 3-1.
Writing about Manchester City, I also remember that they are the only club to have scored and conceded a century of goals in the same season. That was 1957/58 when they finished 5th having scored 104 but conceded 100.
Finally, many of you may recall the story of 149 own goals as recently as 31st October 2002. The Champions of Malagasy (formerly Madagascar) won a league match 149-0, all own goals scored by their opponents Stade Olympique De L’Emryne who repeatedly put the ball into their own net in protest at a referee decision. I wonder whether OFB would have abandoned the match in his refereeing days?