EARLIEST GOALS SCORED IN A SEASON

Henry Race
1st minute goal (1935)
Jim Barrett
2nd minute goal (1957)
Doug Lishman
6th minute (1956)
Chris Wood
6th minute (2025)

We've played 124 games on opening day, and scored in 95 of them. Of those goal-scoring games, I'm currently missing goal times for 2 but here's some info on the fastest time the other 93 were scored.

Henry Race's 1st minute goal against Bury at the start of the 1935-36 season is the fastest goal we've scored in any season. The second fastest goal is a tie between Jim Barret's and James Collins who both managed 2nd minute goals, over 60 years apart.

Jess Willard of Brighton scored a 10th minute own goal for us in 1949, joining Mick Horswill (Plymouth Argyle, 1975) and Sam Currie (Leicester City, 1912) in that little group.

These are all earliest goals we've scored at the start of a season (for those goals that I have the time for):
Date Opponent Game Type Scorer Minute Result
Aug 31, 1935BuryLeague Tier 2Henry Race12-2
Sep 02, 1893Wolverhampton WanderersLeague Tier 1James Collins27-1
Aug 24, 1957Preston North EndLeague Tier 1Jim Barrett22-1
Aug 18, 1956Leyton OrientLeague Tier 2Doug Lishman64-1
Aug 17, 2025BrentfordLeague Tier 1Chris Wood63-1
Sep 05, 1903LiverpoolLeague Tier 1Grenville Morris82-1
Aug 19, 1995SouthamptonLeague Tier 1Colin Cooper84-3
Aug 03, 2019West Bromwich AlbionLeague Tier 2Matty Cash91-2
Aug 20, 1949Brighton and Hove AlbionLeague Tier 3Willard (OG)102-2
Aug 05, 2006Bradford CityLeague Tier 3Julian Bennett101-0
Sep 03, 1892EvertonLeague Tier 1Horace Pike112-2
Aug 25, 1973Luton TownLeague Tier 2Tommy Jackson114-0
Aug 28, 1982West Ham UnitedLeague Tier 1Colin Walsh112-1
Sep 01, 1894BurnleyLeague Tier 1Thomas Rose122-1
Sep 05, 1895BuryLeague Tier 1Albert Carnelly125-0
Aug 30, 1930Wolverhampton WanderersLeague Tier 2Billy Dickinson123-4
Aug 19, 1978Tottenham HotspurLeague Tier 1Martin O'Neill121-1
Aug 17, 1996Coventry CityLeague Tier 1Kevin Campbell133-0
Aug 27, 1927Port ValeLeague Tier 2Harold Wadsworth142-2
Sep 02, 1911Leeds CityLeague Tier 2Grenville Morris152-1
Aug 25, 1928Stoke CityLeague Tier 2Noah Burton151-5
Aug 19, 1953EvertonLeague Tier 2Tommy Capel163-3
Aug 22, 1964Birmingham CityLeague Tier 1John Barnwell164-3
Aug 15, 1970Coventry CityLeague Tier 1Peter Cormack162-0
Aug 19, 1950Newport CountyLeague Tier 3Collin Collindridge172-0
Aug 09, 2003SunderlandLeague Tier 2Marlon Harewood192-0
Sep 01, 1910Preston North EndLeague Tier 1Bill Hooper202-0
Sep 03, 1913Leicester CityLeague Tier 2Robert Firth201-3
Sep 02, 1914Birmingham CityLeague Tier 2Tim Coleman201-1
Aug 23, 1952Blackburn RoversLeague Tier 2Freddie Scott201-2
Aug 11, 2001Sheffield UnitedLeague Tier 2Marlon Harewood201-1
Aug 15, 1993Southend UnitedLeague Tier 2Stuart Pearce221-1
Aug 21, 1976FulhamLeague Tier 2Terry Curran232-2
Aug 06, 2016Burton AlbionLeague Tier 2Britt Assombalonga234-3
Aug 17, 2024BournemouthLeague Tier 1Chris Wood231-1
Sep 05, 1908Sheffield UnitedLeague Tier 1Thomas Marrison252-1
Aug 29, 1981SouthamptonLeague Tier 1Trevor Francis252-1
Aug 09, 2014BlackpoolLeague Tier 2Michail Antonio252-0
Aug 25, 1934Newcastle UnitedLeague Tier 2Tom Peacock265-1
Aug 19, 1961ChelseaLeague Tier 1Geoff Vowden262-2
Aug 20, 1960Manchester CityLeague Tier 1Colin Booth272-2
Aug 26, 1922SunderlandLeague Tier 1Jack Spaven281-0
Aug 16, 1992LiverpoolLeague Tier 1Teddy Sheringham291-0
Sep 01, 1906Grimsby TownLeague Tier 2Grenville Morris301-3
Aug 27, 1921Crystal PalaceLeague Tier 2Walter Tinsley311-4
Aug 16, 1975Plymouth ArgyleLeague Tier 2Mick Horswill (OG)312-0
Aug 18, 1951Rotherham UnitedLeague Tier 2Tucker Johnson322-1
Aug 22, 1959Manchester CityLeague Tier 1Jim Iley331-2
Aug 20, 1977EvertonLeague Tier 1Peter Withe333-1
Sep 02, 1905Wolverhampton WanderersLeague Tier 1Grenville Morris353-1
Aug 23, 1947BuryLeague Tier 2George Lee362-1
Aug 21, 1965Newcastle UnitedLeague Tier 1Frank Wignall362-2
Aug 08, 2021Coventry CityLeague Tier 2Lyle Taylor361-2
Aug 25, 1984Sheffield WednesdayLeague Tier 1Peter Davenport371-3
Aug 19, 1967Sheffield UnitedLeague Tier 1Frank Wignall383-1
Aug 14, 1971LiverpoolLeague Tier 1Ian Storey-Moore381-3
Aug 09, 1997Port ValeLeague Tier 2Kevin Campbell391-0
Aug 20, 1994Ipswich TownLeague Tier 1Bryan Roy401-0
Aug 04, 2017MillwallLeague Tier 2Barrie McKay411-0
Sep 02, 1907LiverpoolLeague Tier 1Edwin Hughes423-1
Aug 20, 1955LiverpoolLeague Tier 2Peter Higham431-3
Aug 06, 2005Huddersfield TownLeague Tier 3Scott Dobie452-1
Aug 18, 1979Ipswich TownLeague Tier 1Tony Woodcock461-0
Aug 04, 2018Bristol CityLeague Tier 2Daryl Murphy461-1
Aug 25, 1990Queens Park RangersLeague Tier 1Nigel Jemson501-1
Sep 05, 1896Derby CountyLeague Tier 1Chas Richards511-1
Aug 27, 1932Grimsby TownLeague Tier 2Billy Dickinson521-1
Aug 25, 1923EvertonLeague Tier 1Jack Spaven531-2
Aug 17, 1985Luton TownLeague Tier 1Neil Webb531-1
Aug 03, 2013Huddersfield TownLeague Tier 2Henri Lansbury531-0
Aug 07, 2004Wigan AthleticLeague Tier 2Gareth Taylor551-1
Aug 15, 1987Charlton AthleticLeague Tier 1Lee Glover592-1
Aug 19, 1989Aston VillaLeague Tier 1Garry Parker591-1
Aug 10, 1968BurnleyLeague Tier 1Jim Baxter602-2
Aug 17, 1991EvertonLeague Tier 1Nigel Clough602-1
Aug 28, 1926BlackpoolLeague Tier 2Noah Burton612-0
Sep 04, 1897Notts CountyLeague Tier 1Arthur Capes621-1
Sep 07, 1912Leicester CityLeague Tier 2Sam Currie (OG)621-3
Aug 18, 1962Sheffield UnitedLeague Tier 1Calvin Palmer622-1
Aug 28, 1937Sheffield UnitedLeague Tier 2Meynell Burgin631-2
Aug 31, 1946BarnsleyLeague Tier 2Sailor Brown652-3
Aug 27, 1988Norwich CityLeague Tier 1Steve Chettle661-2
Aug 18, 2012Bristol CityLeague Tier 2Adlene Guedioura711-0
Aug 20, 1966Stoke CityLeague Tier 1Joe Baker731-2
Aug 07, 1999Ipswich TownLeague Tier 2Chris Bart-Williams761-3
Aug 28, 1920Stoke CityLeague Tier 2Sandy Higgins772-2
Aug 26, 1933BrentfordLeague Tier 2Billy Dickinson771-1
Aug 29, 1931Charlton AthleticLeague Tier 2Billy Dickinson781-3
Aug 17, 1998ArsenalLeague Tier 1Geoff Thomas (1997-98)781-2
Aug 12, 2000West Bromwich AlbionLeague Tier 2Jon Olav Hjelde781-0
Sep 01, 1902SunderlandLeague Tier 1Grenville Morris801-0
Sep 01, 1909Preston North EndLeague Tier 1Grenville Morris801-0
Aug 26, 1939BarnsleyLeague Tier 2Colin Perry801-4
Aug 12, 2023ArsenalLeague Tier 1Taiwo Awoniyi821-2
Aug 23, 1958Wolverhampton WanderersLeague Tier 1Roy Dwight881-5


And these are the opening day goals that I don't yet have the time for:
Date Opponent Game Type Scorer Minute Result
Sep 02, 1899Preston North EndLeague Tier 1John Calvey3-1
Sep 03, 1904Wolverhampton WanderersLeague Tier 1Billy Shearman2-3