3 Great Community Shield Moments

The traditional curtain raiser to the Premier League takes place on Sunday August 5th and in preparation for the match we’ve had a look back at some of the greatest moments in the history of the Community/Charity Shield.

1. Gordon Strachan – Pinball Wizard.

Gordon Strachan scored one of the greatest own goals in the history of football in the 1992 Charity Shield match between Leeds and Liverpool. As Mark Wright fired a weak shot at goal Strachan attempted to shuffle his feet, control the ball and clear. His attempt at keeping the ball out resembled a broken pinball machine where neither paddle is working. Strachan was pushing the buttons in his brain to repel the ball but it just bounces from side to side and agonizingly makes it’s way over the line. It didn’t cost Leeds the match, they won 4-3 thanks to a hattrick from Eric Cantona.

2. Javier Hernandez Introduces Us To His Face.
We’ve all dreamed about it. Making our debut for a huge club like Manchester United against Chelsea in Wembley. In our wildest dreams we might even have imagined a scenario where we are faced with an open goal inside the six yard box with the chance to score the easiest goal you could possibly score. What none of us would ever dream of doing however is smashing the ball into our own face. Javier Hernandez’ first goal for Manchester United came after he absolutely blasted the ball off his own face and across the line. His last action as United player was to fall on his arse while taking a penalty. Fitting.

3. Johnny Giles Introduces His Fist To Kevin Keegan’s Face.
The most iconic and memorable Community Shield match took place in 1974 between Leeds and Liverpool. Leeds were lead onto the pitch by Brian Clough at the beginning of his doomed reign at Elland Road and this match was a sign of things to come. The biggest talking point of the match came when Kevin Keegan and Billy Bremner punched the living daylights out each other and were both sent off the field, both taking their shirts off and throwing them to the floor. What preceded that scrap though was our very own Johnny Giles almost taking Kevin Keegan out of his boots with a right hook. Keegan hustled and harried Giles as Johnny made his way from the penalty area with possession of the ball which infuriated ‘National Treasure’ Giles who unloaded on Keegan in full view of everyone. The referee’s decision? Yellow card! Different game then.