The Knowledge | When did we last play on Christmas Day? | OneFootball

Believe it or not, the festive football programme 'back in the day' often included back-to-back games on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Indeed, for 50 years, from entering the Football League in 1908/09 through to the 1958/59 campaign, there are 22 seasons where we played the same opposition on 25 and then 26 December.

First up, 1908, we travelled up to Oldham, Manchester on Christmas Day, a 1-0 defeat before the reverse of the fixture at the Lane, where a crowd of 40,000 watched in delight as goals from Billy Minter, Bert Middlemiss and Vivian Woodward secured a 3-0 win on our way to promotion at the first attempt.

Fans had a Christmas treat on Christmas Day three years later as we beat our future north London rivals Woolwich Arsenal 5-0 at the Lane, 47,109 in attendance this time as goals from Minter (2), Jabez Darnell, John McTavish and Middlemiss saw us home. A day later, Woolwich Arsenal turned it around at the Manor Ground, a 3-1 win - that was often the case in these back-to-back affairs.

Fast forward to 1952, and our biggest win on Christmas Day, a 7-1 hammering of Middlesbrough in front of 36,102 at the Lane - Les Bennett struck four times with Len Duquemin (2) and Eddie Baily also on target. This time around, we played the return two days later at Middlesbrough, a 4-0 win.

We hit Everton for six in 1956 with Terry Medwin (2), Bobby Smith (2), Tommy Harmer and Alfie Stokes on target at the Lane, only to draw 1-1 24 hours later at Goodison Park.

And that takes us to the last time we played on Christmas Day - a 2-1 loss against West Ham at Upton Park, followed by a 4-1 loss against the Hammers at the Lane on Boxing Day.