Fastest Goal by RFC

[Barry the bird boggler]

Good old Tim Dellor, he timed the goal from a replay and came up with 8 seconds.

Assuming ITV show the build up to the goal perhaps anyone of us could time it.

[andrew1957]

Kebe will now go down as a RFC record holder - he is a RFC legend now.

[rabidbee]

Good old Tim Dellor, he timed the goal from a replay and came up with 8 seconds.

Assuming ITV show the build up to the goal perhaps anyone of us could time it.

ITV had a clock running during the replay yesterday which showed 9.7 secs.

[Franchise FC]

Two points :

How many seconds was Doyle's goal at Luton ?

I'm gutted now because I saw Mark White's previous record holder and I wasn't there yesterday.

[Big Foot]

18 seconds? Not even as quick as his goal at Sheff United which was 16 seconds

[SLAMMED]

OS says Doyle's goal was inside 15 seconds for the luton game, and says 16 seconds for his Sheffield United goal.

[West Stand Man]

I think the variation in times quoted so far is largely down to
- when you start the clock
- when you stop the clock.

I know that is obvious but bear with me.

If you start the clock when the WBA player first touches the ball it will give a totally different time to that achieved if you start it as the ball leaves his foot (from the kick off).

Similarly, the angle of the shots makes it hard to see precisely when the ball is completely over the line and hence when the clock stops.

In short, all the times quoted are correct in their own way!

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

The goal should be timed from the second the referee blew his whistle to start the game to the time the whole ball crossed the line.

[Sun Tzu]

The goal should be timed from the second the referee blew his whistle to start the game to the time the whole ball crossed the line.

No it shouldn't - for two reasons.

1. There is no requirement for the referee to blow his whistle at the start of the game
2. The game starts when the ball is played and moves forward

So if the referee blew his whistle and the ball wasn;t kicked for ten seconds the clock shouldn;t start until it was kicked....

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

If you start the clock when the WBA player first touches the ball it will give a totally different time to that achieved if you start it as the ball leaves his foot (from the kick off).

Similarly, the angle of the shots makes it hard to see precisely when the ball is completely over the line and hence when the clock stops.

I can't see how those two differences could account for a whole two seconds.

Besides, the claim that it is Reading's fastest ever goal is slightly shaky as there must have been a number of very quick goals in the past where there was no way of verifying the goal time due to the game not being recorded.

[rabidbee]

"Fastest Goal on Record", then.

[Baines]

If you start the clock when the WBA player first touches the ball it will give a totally different time to that achieved if you start it as the ball leaves his foot (from the kick off).

Similarly, the angle of the shots makes it hard to see precisely when the ball is completely over the line and hence when the clock stops.

I can't see how those two differences could account for a whole two seconds.

Besides, the claim that it is Reading's fastest ever goal is slightly shaky as there must have been a number of very quick goals in the past where there was no way of verifying the goal time due to the game not being recorded.

Agreed. On what old (non-football) recordings have survived from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s it's apparent that in the past people could move very quickly indeed, in a way that seems comical to our modern eyes.

Surely this must have led to hundreds of Kebe-esque goals each season.

[parky]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_records_in_England

Scroll down to the FA Cup part...
Final: Fastest goal: 25 seconds, Louis Saha (for Everton v. Chelsea, 2009)
Any round: Fastest goal: 4 seconds, Gareth Morris (for Ashton United v. Skelmersdale United, 17 September 2001)

and for the avoidance of doubt it was 9 seconds

Amazing how many of those records include lil ol' reading

[Maguire]

Definitely 9 seconds - I timed it

Fastest i've seen, eclipsing Doyle's at Bramall Lane.

[rabidbee]

Fastest i've seen, eclipsing Doyle's at Bramall Lane.

I missed that, thanks to a dimwitted Sheffield steward

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Prior to Kebe's goal, Reading's fastest was 12.96 seconds scored by Mark White against York City on 27th April 1984. Reading lost 1-2.

I remember that goal was at the Town End but cannot remember how it was scored. As Branfoot was manager we probably did our standard kick off - hoofed towards the touch line with Senior running down the wing?

[Franchise FC]

Prior to Kebe's goal, Reading's fastest was 12.96 seconds scored by Mark White against York City on 27th April 1984. Reading lost 1-2.

I remember that goal was at the Town End but cannot remember how it was scored. As Branfoot was manager we probably did our standard kick off - hoofed towards the touch line with Senior running down the wing?

Actually, York kicked off and we had two players almost fighting each other to put the ball in

[BonBoh]

I remember Colin Gordon scoring a really quick goal at Barnsley back in the 80s.
I was in the Barnsley main stand with a friend - we'd blagged some tickets into the home area on the night. Reading got the ball straight from kick-off, went down the right wing - a cross was put in and CG headed it in - simple as that! It was certainly within the first 25 seconds of the match. I can't remember exactly how many, though.
The Royals went 2-0 up a short time after only to succumb to a 5-2 drubbing by Barnsley over the 90 minutes.

[Franchise FC]

I remember Colin Gordon scoring a really quick goal at Barnsley back in the 80s.
I was in the Barnsley main stand with a friend - we'd blagged some tickets into the home area on the night. Reading got the ball straight from kick-off, went down the right wing - a cross was put in and CG headed it in - simple as that! It was certainly within the first 25 seconds of the match. I can't remember exactly how many, though.
The Royals went 2-0 up a short time after only to succumb to a 5-2 drubbing by Barnsley over the 90 minutes.

This game has been listed on another thread - the Comical goals thread (Steve Richardson).

Some of us on the coach didn't arrive until after we were 2-0 up, so only saw 5 goals - all at the wrong end.

[Big Foot]

Definitely 9 seconds - I timed it

Fastest i've seen, eclipsing Doyle's at Bramall Lane.

Ditto