Dom Ballard's outrageous backheel volley for Bristol City against Birmingham City in gameweek two of the Championship has raised the question: what is the earliest in a season a goal has gone on to win goal of the season? The strike, which kissed the crossbar on its way in, is a strong contender for the best goal of the 2026-27 Championship season.
Early Goal of the Season Contenders
Ballard's goal was scored on 22 August. Eleven years earlier, on the same date, Marco Matias scored a remarkable effort for Sheffield Wednesday at Leeds United, though that Yorkshire derby was in gameweek four of the 2015-16 season. Matias won the goal of the season award in April 2016.
The earliest Championship goal of the season found was Ismaïla Sarr's for Watford in 2022-23. The Senegalese, now at Crystal Palace, scored from the halfway line against West Brom on the opening day, 8 August, just 12 minutes into the match. David Beckham's famous halfway-line lob for Manchester United against Wimbledon in 1996-97, later voted the best of that Premier League campaign, also came on the opening day but later in the year and in the 87th minute.
Scottish and European Examples
In Scotland, the 2017-18 SPFA goal of the season went to Kieran Tierney for Celtic against Kilmarnock, also on 8 August (2017) in the League Cup, though the cup tie came three days after Celtic's opening league game. Celtic's Jota once scored a goal of the month for August, even though the goal was in July, against Aberdeen on 31 July 2022.
Schalke's goal of the year in 2013 came on 27 July, but with caveats: it was in a pre-season friendly, scored by a player not on Schalke's books at the time, and it was a tap-in. Raúl, who had joined Al-Sadd, played the first half for his new side and the second for Schalke, scoring twice. The first was a two-yard finish, with the assist from a teenage Julian Draxler.
Player-Managers with International Caps
Kenny Dalglish became Liverpool player-manager in the summer of 1985 and played for Scotland, including the World Cup playoff win against Australia. He won his 100th cap in March 1986 and was selected for the World Cup squad but withdrew due to a knee injury. Graeme Souness, appointed by Rangers in April, played the first two games at Mexico 86 but struggled with altitude and was left out of the final group match.
Johnny Giles held player-manager positions for club and country simultaneously, serving as player-manager of the Republic of Ireland from 1973 to 1980 while playing for Leeds United and later managing West Bromwich Albion and Shamrock Rovers. He selected himself for 24 of his 59 international appearances. Other examples include Andy Aitken, Orvar Bergmark, Gunnar Gren, Stuart Pearce, Fanny Vágó, Elisha Scott, John Toshack, and Jim Platt.
Jury Service and Other Queries
Plymouth's Carl Fletcher once tried to argue he couldn't sit on a jury as he was too well known, but Judge Francis Gilbert said being captain was not sufficient reason. James Perch had to cut short a holiday to Dubai for jury service, telling the club website: "I've got jury service, unless I can be excused."
Other questions include which football ground has the highest and lowest Google rating, and whether there has ever been a more 'early alphabet team'-dominated Premier League. Readers are invited to mail in questions and answers.
