SUBSTITUTES
Substitutes were introduced into the game in 1965. Our first bench player was Bill Brindley, who stayed on the bench during the 2-2 draw away Newcastle United on August 21st 1965. Our first actual substitution was Barry McArthur coming on for Colin Addison a month later against Leeds.Since then there have been several changes to the rules on how and under what circumstances you can use them, and they're summarized here as follows:
| Premier League | Football League | League Cup | FA Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1800-1965 | - | NONE | NONE | NONE |
| 1965-66 | - | 1 (injury) | 1 (injury) | 1 (injury) |
| 1967-68 | - | 1 (any reason) | 1 (any reason) | 1 (any reason) |
| 1986-87 | - | 1 (any reason) | 2 | 2 |
| 1987-88 | - | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1992-93 | 3 (only use 2) | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 1993-94 | 3 (only use 2) | 3 (1 must be goalkeeper) | ||
| 1994-95 | 3 (1 must be goalkeeper) | 3 (1 must be goalkeeper) | ||
| 1995-96 | 3 (use any 3) | 3 (use any 3) | ||
| 1996-97 | 5 (use any 3) | 3 (use any 3) | ||
| 1999-2008 | 5 (use any 3) | 5 (use any 3) | ||
| 2008-09 | 7 (use any 3) | 5 (use any 3) | ||
| 2009-11 | 7 (use any 3) | 7 (use any 3) | ||
| 2011-20 | 7 (use any 3) | 5 (use any 3) | ||
| 2020-21 | 9 (use any 5) | 7 (use any 3) |