I would imagine it was something as simple as making the most of the two bank holiday days? With Christmas day on a Sunday, obviously a Saturday game on 24th would be impossible/poorly attended so it would make financial sense to use both the Monday and Tuesday bank holidays for football matches. The other alternatives would either be to effectively have only one game over the Christmas period (which historically were usually well-attended) or have one on the Monday and one on the Wednesday evening, with the likely reduction in attendance.
I don't know for sure but from what I remember professional footballers used to be able to play competitive games on successive days for the convenience and enjoyment of the paying public without too much distress to themselves (although a depressing 0-4 defeat at home to Cheltenham around Christmas a few years earlier suggests the players may have slightly not been in the mood).
That's probably it @bookertease. I note that the next time Christmas Day was on a Sunday, in 2005-06, matches were played on Mon 26, Wed 28 and Sat 31, although our midweek one was on Thu 29, the TV game v Leyton Orient at home (W 4-2).
It next happened in 2011-12 when we just had games on Mon 26 and Sat 31, and in 2016-17, games on Mon 26 and Fri 30 (at Cheltenham). So it seems that the EFL have stopped doing three games in six days over Christmas.
Cheers @Malone, yes Brighton not Bristol Rovers. I think (and I could be wrong again!) that the 27th was the Boxing Day holiday with perhaps the 26th being a Sunday? Back then, you'd always play on the 26th and always have fixtures on the Bank Holidays and it just so happened that year, that meant playing twice in 2 days.
I also remember the Cambridge Friday night game, mainly because it was one of the coldest games I've ever been to. Don't recall anything about the game itself.
Comments
I would imagine it was something as simple as making the most of the two bank holiday days? With Christmas day on a Sunday, obviously a Saturday game on 24th would be impossible/poorly attended so it would make financial sense to use both the Monday and Tuesday bank holidays for football matches. The other alternatives would either be to effectively have only one game over the Christmas period (which historically were usually well-attended) or have one on the Monday and one on the Wednesday evening, with the likely reduction in attendance.
I don't know for sure but from what I remember professional footballers used to be able to play competitive games on successive days for the convenience and enjoyment of the paying public without too much distress to themselves (although a depressing 0-4 defeat at home to Cheltenham around Christmas a few years earlier suggests the players may have slightly not been in the mood).
That's probably it @bookertease. I note that the next time Christmas Day was on a Sunday, in 2005-06, matches were played on Mon 26, Wed 28 and Sat 31, although our midweek one was on Thu 29, the TV game v Leyton Orient at home (W 4-2).
It next happened in 2011-12 when we just had games on Mon 26 and Sat 31, and in 2016-17, games on Mon 26 and Fri 30 (at Cheltenham). So it seems that the EFL have stopped doing three games in six days over Christmas.
Cheers @Malone, yes Brighton not Bristol Rovers. I think (and I could be wrong again!) that the 27th was the Boxing Day holiday with perhaps the 26th being a Sunday? Back then, you'd always play on the 26th and always have fixtures on the Bank Holidays and it just so happened that year, that meant playing twice in 2 days.
I also remember the Cambridge Friday night game, mainly because it was one of the coldest games I've ever been to. Don't recall anything about the game itself.