Dave Wagstaffe shown the first red card in Football League history at Leyton Orient

Blackburn Rovers winger Dave Wagstaffe became the first player shown a red card in English football during a Division Two match against Leyton Orient. Later that same afternoon, George Best was also sent off while playing for Fulham against Southampton. Although players had been sent off for decades, this was the first time a referee used the newly adopted red card to indicate a dismissal. The Football League had voluntarily introduced the coloured-card system after it had first appeared on the international stage at the 1970 FIFA World Cup. The idea is widely credited to English referee Ken Aston, who devised the simple visual system to avoid confusion between players, officials and spectators.