Boxing Day 1963 goalfest is famous but what happened two days later?

The results on 26 December 1963 – 66 goals in 10 games – are celebrated every year. They are only half of the story

By Richard Foster for The Football Mine

As the frenetic Christmas schedule swings into action, players in England are very much in the minority among major European leagues in readying themselves for the customary glut of games squeezed into the tightest of holiday schedules. While the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 are embarking on a winter break, Premier League and Football League clubs face the prospect of three games in a week, starting with the traditional Boxing Day fixture. Until the late 1950s, there was even a full programme of games on Christmas Day itself, as one of the few public holidays that allowed working people to attend matches.

Boxing Day has become enshrined in English football culture as a much-loved curiosity of the fixture list. One reason why Boxing Day matches gained popularity was the extraordinary events of 1963, when 10 matches in the First Division produced a scarcely credible 66 goals, a feat that is still commemorated to this day. What fans may not know is what happened in the fixtures that followed two days later on 28 December. Many of the games were rematches from Boxing Day and there were some stunning turnarounds.

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