not have been awarded. His reaction may have persuaded referee David Elleray that Enckelman had grazed the ball; manager Graham Taylor suggested it showed he was unaware of the corner rule, a charge Enckelman denied. History Background Under the original 1863 rules of the Football Association, a ball kicked behind the goal-line was treated similarly to present-day rugby: if an attacking player touched the ball down first, the attacking team was awarded a free-kick at goal (similar to a conversion in rugby), while if a defending player touched the ball down first, the defending team was awarded a goal-kick. These rules were subsequently simplified, so that by 1867 a goal-kick was awarded in all circumstances, regardless of which team touched the ball. During this period, clubs around Sheffield played their own distinctive code of football. The laws promulgated in early March 1867 by the newly-formed Sheffield Football Association contained a similar rule: a goal-kick was awarded whenever the ball went behind the goal-line, regardless of which team touched the ball. One problem with these early rules was mentioned at the 1867 FA meeting: Introduction in Sheffield rules An early law providing for a throw-in from the corner flag had already been used by the Sheffield Mechanics' Football Club for the 1865-66 season: The corner-kick itself was suggested in a letter to the editor of the Sheffield Daily Telegraph published on 22 March 1867. The author, writing under the pseudonym "Rouge", argued that the then-current rule was "a great inducement to foul and dishonourable play, for it is manifestly to the advantage of a defending side to allow the ball to pass their goal line, they having the great advantage or a free kick-off". Instead, Rouge suggested, "when the ball is kicked behind the goal-line, the players [should] run for touch, and the side winning the touch, kicks in from the nearest corner-flag". The corner-kick was introduced to Sheffield football the following year, as the result of a rule-change proposed by Norfolk F.C. The law, adopted in October 1868, ran: This Sheffield form of the corner-kick had two significant differences from today's version: The corner-kick could be awarded to either the attacking or the defending team, depending on which team kicked the ball behind the goal-line. When the ball was kicked directly over the crossbar, by either team, a goal-kick was awarded to the defending team. The Sheffield clubs would retain