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Brentford v Doncaster
Doncaster’s James Coppinger celebrates after their extraordinary title-clincher at Brentford in 2013. Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA
Doncaster’s James Coppinger celebrates after their extraordinary title-clincher at Brentford in 2013. Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA

Final-day football ups and downs, Guineas records and Lara at 50

This article is more than 4 years old

This week’s roundup also features cheeky Panenkas, fancy-dress Marathon mishaps and deliberate concessions

1) Nerves will jangle around the country this weekend as the Football League’s remaining automatic promotion, title and relegation issues are resolved. So let’s have a delve through a few memorable deciders of yesteryear. Today is the 29th anniversary of the blue and white half of Bristol’s favourite city derby, as a Rovers side led by Ian Holloway beat Bristol City to clinch the old Third Division title, though City also went up that year. And with Manchester City dreaming of a domestic treble, here’s a reminder of a classic case of Cityitis of old, Joe Royle’s 1998 side thrashing Stoke on the final day but still falling into the third tier, set here to the inevitable Oasis musical backdrop. Fulham have long been down this season, but they’ve probably never endured last-day heartbreak, and controversy, like this promotion-denying defeat at Derby in 1983 in a game that never ended. Meanwhile 2012-13 was quite the season for last-day thrills, with Brentford spurning a chance to go up from League One by missing a last-minute penalty against Doncaster, who promptly went up the other end and scored to clinch the title. Leyton Orient’s return to the Football League this week was their first promotion since 2006, when a last-gasp goal at Oxford (who were relegated that day) helped them into League One and the club commentator got a little emotional. And has there ever been a more dramatic final-day moment than Jimmy Glass’s rescue act for Carlisle?

2) One of Flat racing’s biggest weekends approaches with the 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas. Here’s Jason Weaver setting the 2,000 race record on board Mister Baileys 25 years ago, a race record that still stands. And here’s his trainer, Mark Johnston, talking about it. Two years later, Frankie Dettori’s annus mirabilis included victory on Mark of Esteem at the Newmarket Classic. And here’s some 1,000 Guineas memories, plus Miesque’s stunning burst to win in 1987 and Ghanaati setting the race record in 2009.

3) Brisbane’s Eric Bautheac with the cheekiest Panenka(ish) penalty of the year.

4) Brian Lara brings up his half-century on Thursday. To mark the West Indies great’s 50th birthday, let’s go back a quarter of a century for a look at his first-class record 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham, his Test record unbeaten 400 against England in 2004 and a breathtaking century against Australia 20 years ago. Though even he wasn’t infallible – here’s a duck he might not want to talk about, though the bowler might.

5) When a fancy-dress dash for the London Marathon finish line hits logistical difficulties.

6) Fair play to ’em: Marcelo Bielsa’s instruction to his Leeds team to allow Aston Villa to score in Sunday’s extraordinary Championship game brings to mind other examples of sporting deliberate concessions, such as this, rectifying an accidental goal, in a Norwegian top-flight game from 2012 between Lillestrøm and Brann. While the events at Elland Road bore some similarity to this Ascoli-Reggina clash 10 years ago. On a less competitive note, here’s a four-year-old pitch invader being allowed to score a try during a charity rugby match.

Our favourites from below the line last week

1) Strap yourselves in for a record 5min 19sec lap of the Nürburgring.

2) Club cricket fielding at its most erratic. We’ve all been there

3) Liquid duckpin bowling!

4) Never mind the Whirlwind, the Rocket or the Hurricane, what about this three-minute century break from Tony Drago

Spotters’ badges: GrahamClayton, Crouchy1889, whobroughtoranges, denothemeno

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