CROYDON Football Club hope they have broken the world record for the fastest goal that has ever been scored.
Ryan Hall’s strike against Cockfosters in the semi-finals of the London Senior Trophy last weekend was timed 2.31 seconds.
Croydon have contacted Guinness World Records and are waiting to hear back.
“It’s been all right, a bit overwhelming,” Hall told the Guardian. “I’ve shot straight from kick-off in Sunday League before and scored but had never tried it during a senior match.
Hall, a 36-year-old part-time delivery driver, explained: “I thought about doing it last week but he was quite a big lad and moved back at the last minute. But this time [the goalkeeper] didn’t go back so I decided to go for it. I said to one of my teammates, ‘I’m going to hit this from here, don’t touch it’. And he said: ‘No way, you’re not going to do it.’ But I was like, ‘I’m going to do it’, and it went in.”
Hall – who was making his debut against Cockfosters – used to be on the books at Crystal Palace. He said: “I always knew I was capable of playing in the league but I got myself in some trouble when I was younger and Palace had to let me go. My friends got into a fight at the Power League and they found out that I had been playing football when I wasn’t supposed to be.
“Simon Jordan said I had to leave. But Mark Goldberg invited me down to Bromley with a few of the other players from Palace and that led to Southend coming in for me.”
The two fastest recorded goals in history have been timed at 2.1 and 2.2 seconds, but Croydon are hoping they have beaten them.
Liam Giles’ Trams, who are eighth in the Southern Counties East Football League First Division, are away to Tooting Bec this Saturday at 3pm.
