The Wrong Kit... Part Two

Last week we highlighted the phenomenon of ‘borrowed kit’ when a club turns up to an away game with strip that clashes with their hosts…

Apparently this is not a rare occurrence…!

Daniel ‏@Luzhniki2008 and Football Shirt Geek ‏@FootyShirtGeek both told us via Twitter that Chelsea turned up to Highfield Road in 1997 with only their blue kit in the hamper which was too close to Coventry’s Sky and Navy stripes. Chelsea ended up wearing a garish combination of their own shorts and socks with Coventry’s red and navy checked away strip.

Chris Worrall messaged our Facebook page with this snap of Stockport County wearing Doncaster Rovers shirts from December 1989. “In 89/90 Stockport wore Doncaster Rovers blue away shirts and socks from 88/89 at Belle Vue. That’s cos they turned up with their white home shirts but forgot to note that Doncaster had white home shirts that season! They did get to wear their own shorts though, which was nice.”

rob stokes ‏@JossiesDad sent us this photo of West Germany keeper Sepp Maier proudly wearing the Welsh international goalies shirt. Why, we don’t know.

Obviously welsh goalie shirts were very trendy at one time because here is Scotland goalkeer Alan Rough wearing one for his Partick Thistle photoshoot sent via Twitter by theglovebag ‏@tgbjimmy

Still on an international theme is perhaps the most globally embarrassing example of ‘wrong kit’ ever… as France and Hungary lined up in the tunnel before their Group A game at the Argentina 78 World Cup, they couldn’t help noticing that they were both wearing their own versions of Adidas white shirts.
Although Hungary’s red and France’s blue did not clash, Argentinian TV was only broadcasting in black and white and so one team had to wear white, though both teams seem to have got that message.
The kick off was delayed for half an hour while a new strip was frantically sought and it was local side Club Atletico Kimberley who came to the rescue, supplying a set of their basic cotton green and white striped shirts, which were worn by France. Kimberley’s rather sung fitting shirts served the French well, with them beating Hungary 3-1.

Incidences of ‘wrong kit’ for which we are still seeking photo evidence include: Leicester City wearing Burnley’s yellow shorts with their blue shirts on the opening day of the 1978-79 season;  ‏Middlesbrough v Man City at Maine road circa 1980. They wore United’s home strip! (mufcshirts.com@mufcshirts and Stuart Barstow); Reading refused to change their clashing away kit with Brighton home kit, so home team played in their own away kit. (Albion Roar ‏@albionroar); Everton once played in Luton’s away kit at Kenilworth Road. And don’t forget in 1984/85 many referees wouldn’t let us wear our space-age silver Le Coq Sportif kit so we had to cobble together a washed out yellow and black number. (When Skies Are Grey).

We are now working hard on ‘Got, Not Got 2′ but you can still get last year’s model. (Cunning punk rock reference). Available from branches of WH Smith and Waterstones or online here…

 

 

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