Who invented the penalty kick and when was it created?

When McCrum’s idea reached football’s rule-makers, many were unimpressed.

Some believed the punishment was too severe.

But football was changing. Matches were becoming faster and more physical.

Events on the pitch were already making the case for change.

Earlier that year, an FA Cup tie between Notts County and Stoke City had exposed a glaring flaw in the laws of the game.

A defender handled the ball on the line to prevent a goal and escaped with little more than a free-kick against his team.

The entire Notts County team simply stood shoulder to shoulder on the line, blocking the goal entirely. Stoke couldn’t score and went on to lose the game.

To many observers, justice had not been served. The episode helped turn support towards McCrum’s proposal for a far tougher sanction.