The article explores instances of football teams wearing mismatched kits in a single match, highlighting examples from Hibernian, Liverpool, Luton, and Lincoln City. It also discusses Sergey Gotsmanov and Terry Butcher, players who represented nations in the First Division but not the Premier League. Finally, it credits Juventus as the first team to add a star to their badge for trophy wins.
Euan Williamson sparked a fascinating inquiry: "In their Conference League game away to Legia Warsaw, Hibernian wore parts of all three of this season’s kits – third shirt, away shorts, and home socks. Has any other team done this before?" This question opens the door to a quirky corner of football kit history, where necessity, practicality, or perhaps even aesthetics lead teams to create unique on-field ensembles.
Hibs' sartorial choices in Poland – a blend of a black shirt, green shorts, and green socks – certainly caught the eye. Despite the aesthetic appeal, Hibs narrowly missed a victory, losing in extra time after a 2-1 defeat at Easter Road. It begs the question, what other teams have ventured down this path of mixed-kit madness?
Graeme Coleman recalls a classic example: "Liverpool wore their red home shirt, black away shorts, and the yellow socks from their third kit away to Watford back in March 1984." Indeed, archival evidence confirms this three-kit mashup, though the specifics differ slightly. The socks were from their away kit, and the black shorts were from a previous change strip. This wasn't a one-off event; Liverpool sported this combination at Vicarage Road in May 1983, March 1984, and January 1985.
It's intriguing to note the historical context. Watford, at the time, wore red shorts and socks with yellow shirts, making Liverpool's switch a seeming homage to their hosts' colors. This adds another layer to the story, suggesting a potential logistical or even strategic element to the kit selection.
Gavin Hope provides more recent examples. "Luton wore their away shirt, home shorts, and third-kit socks against Sheffield United last October," he notes. The Hatters repeated this kit treble twice in their Premier League campaign, at Bramall Lane again and at Brentford, wearing their third shirt, away shorts, and home socks. This demonstrates that the phenomenon isn't confined to the distant past; it persists even in the modern era.
The trend extends beyond the Premier League. "Lincoln City wore their away shirt, home shorts, and third-choice socks against Wrexham in November last year," adds Gavin, whose website Kitgeek is a treasure trove of such trivia. Walsall, in the 2021-22 season, used 10 different combinations of their three kits, with one instance featuring all three: home shirt, third shorts, away socks, resulting in an all-red look.
For a deeper dive into the world of mixed kits, the Museum of Jerseys website offers a comprehensive archive, showcasing examples from Morocco to Middlesbrough. This resource is invaluable for anyone seeking to explore the full breadth of this quirky footballing phenomenon.
Switching gears, let's revisit a previous inquiry about players representing nations in the old First Division but not yet in the Premier League. Martin Ryle suggests Sergey Gotsmanov, a Soviet international who joined Brighton from Dinamo Minsk in February 1990. Gotsmanov, a four-time Belarusian player of the year, scored four goals in 16 games for Albion.
Brighton weren't in the top division then, but Gotsmanov's talent caught the eye of Southampton, who signed him. He joined another Soviet international, Oleksiy Cherednyk, at the Dell. Cherednyk, arriving from Ukrainian side Dnipro in 1990, also didn't remain for the Premier League era. According to Southampton’s Daily Echo, Cherednyk won Olympic gold with the USSR team in 1988. He failed to adapt to English football, and returned to Ukraine in 1993. Cherednyk is now a scout for Shakhtar Donetsk.
Tom Pinder offers another perspective: "If we’re counting Jack Butler, who played for England but was born in Ceylon, we should also include England defender Terry Butcher, who was born in Singapore. He played for Ipswich and Coventry in the First Division but never featured in the Premier League."
Butcher retired in 1991 to become Coventry manager, was sacked in January 1992 and then came out of retirement to play for Sunderland in the second tier in the 1992-93 season. Singapore-born full back Harry Birtwistle spent eight years at Wolves but left in January of this year without making a first-team appearance for the club.
Dave Watson raises a point about club crests featuring stars to represent European trophies, asking who was the first team to do this. Marcello Barisonzi credits Juventus, who, after winning their 10th league title in 1958, successfully petitioned to add a star to their kit. This practice was then extended to all Italian teams.
Juventus first wore the gold star on their shirts in the 1958-59 season. Today, Juventus wear three stars, Inter two and Milan one star above their club crests to celebrate the achievement of winning 30+, 20+ and 10+ Italian titles, respectively.
In 2010, Rick Porter asked who was the first player at a World Cup finals to play outside his home nation. The answer goes back to the 1930 World Cup, where the Yugoslavia squad included Ivan Bek and Ljubisa Stefanovic of FC Sète, and Branislav Sekulic of Montpellier. Bek would later play for France. George Robledo was the first British-based player not playing for one of the home nations at a World Cup, representing Chile in 1950 while playing for Newcastle.