Game of three halves
| Event | 1894–95 Football League | ||||||
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| Date | 1 September 1894 | ||||||
| Referee | John Conqueror, Mr. T. Kirkham |
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The "Game of Three Halves" was the name given to a football match played between Sunderland and Derby County on the opening day of the 1894–95 English football season.
Derby had travelled to Sunderland on 1 September for their first round fixture in the new First Division season. The nominated referee, Mr. T. Kirkham, was running late, so the game started with a replacement referee, John Conqueror, in charge.
After 45 minutes play, with Sunderland leading 3–0, Mr Kirkham arrived. He made an incredible decision, asking Derby if they wanted to start the game from scratch, thus annulling the 45 minutes that had already been played. Derby accepted, and two more halves followed, thus allowing three halves to be played.
The decision to start the match again did not help Derby. They conceded three further goals in the "second half" and five goals in the "third half" to officially lose the match 8–0.
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