Who is Playing Whom? - by Club Nickname! Quiz

Answer: Hull City v. Sunderland

Hull City v. Sunderland at Boothferry Park. Hull are known as "The Tigers" because of their yellow-and-black home strip; Sunderland's "Black Cats" soubriquet derives either from the Black Cat Gun Battery that once overlooked the River Wear or from a lucky black cat that some supporters felt contributed to the club's winning of the FA Cup in 1937.

Answer: Lincoln City v. Manchester United

This match would be a real money-spinner for Lincoln City, "The Red Imps", as they take on Manchester United, "The Red Devils", at Sincil Bank. Lincoln play in a red strip, but their nickname is also a nod to a 13th Century stone carving inside Lincoln Cathedral that depicts an imp.

As for Manchester United - well, I have to say that I'm a founder member of the "Anyone But United" club! Apparently their "Red Devils" nickname was nicked from the local Rugby League club, Salford - somehow that doesn't surprise me!

Answer: Leicester City v. Bradford City

Another attractive fixture as Leicester City, "The Foxes", take on Bradford City, "The Bantams". Leicester is the county town of Leicestershire which is traditionally one of the most important areas for foxhunting in England and home to the famous Quorn Hunt; it's also said that the outline of the county on the map resembles a fox's head.

The nickname for Bradford City, "The Bantams", stem from the colours of the club's strip - claret and amber - which are unique in the Football League. It's said the in the years before World War I Bradford's supporters used to take live bantams to home matches as mascots. Slightly off-topic, but I would heartily recommend the Bradford City fanzine, "The City Gent", which has been published since 1984.

Answer: Fleetwood Town v. Charlton Athletic

An interesting match at Highbury Stadium as Fleetwood Town, "The Fishermen", play Charlton Athletic, "The Addicks". Fleetwood's nickname derives from the town's historic involvement in the fishing industry, although the collapse of that area of economic activity has contributed greatly to the town's current parlous economic state. Fleetwood's supporters refer to themselves as "The Cod Army".
As for Charlton, they take their nickname from the fried haddock that the fish-and-chip shop near the ground sold.

Answer: Exeter City v. Doncaster Rovers

So Exeter City, "The Grecians" are playing Doncaster Rovers, "The Vikings", at St. James Park. The origin of Exeter's nickname is hotly debated: the club played in an area of the city outside the city walls called St. Sidwells, and in Homer's "Illiad" the Greeks camped outside the city walls of Troy. Alternatively a group of children in St. Sidwells were called "The Greasy 'Uns" and this became extended to the football team.

As for Doncaster Rovers, the club badge features a Viking and there are of course etymological links between the words "Rovers" and "Vikings".

Answer: West Bromwich Albion v. Norwich City

This is West Bromwich Albion, "The Throstles", against Norwich City, "The Canaries", at The Hawthorns. WBA have a throstle - or song thrush - on their club badge, because back in the very early days of the club in the 1880's before it had a proper stadium the players used to get changed in a local pub, "The Throstle". Also, song thrushes were often seen in the hawthorn bushes common in the area.

As for Norwich City, originally they played in blue-and-white shirts and were referred to as "The Citizens".

In 1905, however, an incoming new manager drew attention to the popular local past-time of keeping canaries, and by 1907 the club had changed their shirt colours to yellow and adopted the nickname "The Canaries"; the club badge changed to feature a canary in 1922. Slightly off-topic, but I used to like going to Norwich because the famous cook, Delia Smith, was on City's Board of Directors and kept a close eye on the catering in the stadium - which as a consequence was fabulous!

Answer: Cardiff City v. Swansea City

A really passionate South Wales local derby at the Cardiff City Stadium as Cardiff City, "The Bluebirds", take on Swansea City, "The Swans". The backgrounds to these nicknames are quite prosaic, I'm afraid - Cardiff play in blue shirts and have a bluebird on their club badge, while Swansea's nickname is just an abbreviation of the city's name - plus the fact that they play in white shirts and have a swan on their club badge.

Answer: Mansfield Town v. Derby County

A bit of an East Midlands derby, this one, as Mansfield Town, "The Stags", take on Derby County, "The Rams" at Field Mill. Mansfield acquired their nickname in the 1920's from the deer found in nearby Sherwood Forest, and a stag has appeared on the club's badge since the 1960's.

As for Derby County, there are two explanations: one is that it was a tribute to the First Regiment of Derby Militia with which the club had links and which had a ram as their mascot, while the other is that it's taken from a local folk song, "The Derby Ram", about a gigantic ram.

A ram has featured on the club badge since 1924, and their mascot, "Rammie" (a man dressed in a ram's outfit) was the first in the Football League; he has a female partner called "Eweie".

Answer: Stoke City v. Burton Albion

This is Stoke City, "The Potters", against Burton Albion, "The Brewers", at the Britannia Stadium. Clearly both nicknames are taken from local industries: in years gone by Stoke was the centre of pottery production in England, while Burton has many links with the brewing industry and is still home to a number of major breweries.

Answer: Southend United v. Morecambe

It's Southend United, "The Shrimpers", against Morecambe, "The Shrimps" at Roots Hall. Both towns are seaside towns and both have a history of fishing for the shrimps that are found in great numbers in the sands. While the industry is no longer important in Southend it's still prospering in Morecambe, and a small shrimp fishery in the town actually holds a Royal Warrant for supplying potted shrimps to the Queen. I've been a fanatic supporter of Southend United since 1967 and, since 2006, I've lived in the borough of Lancaster and Morecambe.