Bill Edgar's fiendishly difficult Friday football quiz

Ten of the toughest football questions known to man, set by the statistical genius that is Bill Edgar. It's Monday, and we are decent sorts here at Times Online, so, as promised, you will find the answers at the bottom of this post to any questions that had you guessing.

Question One: Between which years were teams finishing level on points in the Football League’s three divisions split (in the first instance) by goals scored rather than goal difference.

(A) 1992-1994
(B) 1992-1999
(C) 1992-2003

Question Two: John Arne Riise, of Liverpool, scored a stoppage-time own goal against Chelsea in last week’s Champions League semi-final, first leg, but which German player’s last-minute own goal proved decisive in the second leg of a European Cup semi-final?

(A) Klaus Augenthaler
(B) Jurgen Kohler
(C) Stefan Reuter

Question Three: Which player recorded a Premier League hat-trick in December but has not scored in his past 15 appearances for his club?

(A) Marcus Bent
(B) Mikael Forssell
(C) Dave Kitson

Question Four: Who are the only Premier League team not to have received a red card in the league this season?

(A) Bolton Wanderers
(B) Newcastle United
(C) Liverpool

Question Five: Lincoln City have failed to secure a place in the League Two play-offs. For how many years in succession until now had they appeared (unsuccessfully) in the end-of-season competition?

(A) 4
(B) 5
(C) 6

Question Six: A pairing with which country in the 1964 European championship prompted Greece to pull out of the competition?

(A) Albania
(B) Turkey
(C) Cyprus

Question Seven: How many instances have there been of a player scoring four in a Premier League match this season?

(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 2

Question Eight: How many times have two English league clubs finished dead level in their final table (same points  and same goal average up to and including 1975-76; or same points and same goals scored and conceded since then)?

(A) 2
(B) 6
(C) 26

Question Nine: Which of the following Premier League players has been on the winning side only twice in the past nine club matches in which he has scored this season?

(A) Benjani Mwaruwari 
(B) Roque Santa Cruz
(C) Dimitar Berbatov

Question Ten: Which of the following scorelines has not occurred in the Premier League this season or last season?

(A) 4-3
(B) 5-3
(C) 2-4

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ANSWERS

Question One: (B) 1992-1999.

Question Two: (A) Klaus Augenthaler, for Bayern Munich, away to Red Star Belgrade. His own goal gave Red Star a 2-2 draw after they had won 2-1 in Germany in the first leg.

Question Three: (A) Marcus Bent. He scored a hat-trick for Wigan Athletic against Blackburn Rovers.

Question Four: (A) Bolton Wanderers.

Question Five: (B) 5

Question Six: (A) Albania, because of the two countries’ political rivalry.

Question Seven: (C) 2. Frank Lampard for Chelsea at home to Derby County. Dimitar Berbatov for Tottenham Hotspur at home to Reading.

Question Eight: (B) 6. 1907-08, top division: Blackburn and Woolwich Arsenal. 1952-53, division three north: Chesterfield and Tranmere Rovers. 1953-54, division three south: Bournemouth and Swindon Town. 1954-55, division three south: Brentford and Norwich City. 1956-57, top division: Birmingham City and Chelsea. 1959-60, third tier: Newport County and Port Vale.

Question Nine: (B) Roque Santa Cruz.

Question Ten: (A) 4-3. However, there has been a 3-4: West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur in March 2007.

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On Thursday we asked you: Manchester United’s meeting with Barcelona this week has provoked memories of the two 3-3 draws they played out in the 1998-99 season. United also recorded two 3-3 league draws during one season in the 1980s when those opponents went on to win the English league title. Who were their opponents?

Answer: Aston Villa, in 1980-81.

Comments

[Kevin Willoughby]

I thought I was the font of all knowledge on matters football, but I'm reduced to educated guesses and downright stabs in the dark on this one! (Although I know for certain No.4 is Bolton)
I'll be back!