Gary Spiers, Clapton, London

Did there used to be a play-off for third place in the FA Cup, and if so when was it last played?

There were play-offs between the beaten semi-final teams for five consecutive years from 1970 (Manchester United beat Watford 2-0 at Highbury) until 1974 (where Leicester lost 1-0 to Burnley at Filbert Street).

The FA finally admitted such play-offs were one of their great non-ideas. Who cares who comes third in the World Cup either? Only Fifa.

John, London

Has anyone ever won the FA Cup without conceding a goal in the tournament?

Preston North End did just that when they did the Double in the League's first season. They won the Championship without losing a game and the Cup without giving away a goal.

Bury kept a clean sheet as Cup winners in 1903 and Watford could do it again this year, but don't bet your house on it!

Roy, Vancouver, Canada

Compared with Sunderland's modern home, how old is the other "Stadium of Light" where Benfica play?

Demolition has just begun of that famous ground in Lisbon, the headquarters of Portugal's most successful club and home of their most famous player - Eusebio. It stood for half a century.

The new Luz Stadium is being built next door and will stage the final of next year's European Championship.

Kevin Nolan, England

Did Emlyn Hughes play for England in the World Cup qualifier against Poland in 1973?

Emlyn played in both qualifiers that year against Poland; the 2-0 defeat in Chorzow in June and the disastrous 1-1 draw at Wembley the following October, which meant that Poland, not England, went through to the finals in West Germany in 1974.

Phil O'Hare, Brighton, UK

Can you confirm for me that when Crystal Palace beat Liverpool 4-3 in the 1990 FA Cup semi-final, Ian Wright did not score, but that he scored twice in the final against Manchester United?

Wright did not play in that semi-final. As a substitute he scored twice in the first match of the final (3-3 against Manchester United). He again went on as a sub in the replay but could not work the oracle again and Palace lost 1-0.

David Smith, England

There's a popular misconception that the Scottish Cup final is regularly contested between Rangers and Celtic. I think the actual number of Old Firm finals is surprisingly low. Can you say how many?

Celtic and Rangers have contested the Scottish Cup final 15 times. Each club has had seven victories and the final in 1909 was left unfinished because of a crowd riot after two drawn matches.

Jason Salusbury, Turkey

Albert, who do you think will win the coveted Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award? My money is on Chelsea's Gianfranco Zola.

I'm a big fan of Zola too. In terms of skill and behaviour on and off the field, I rate him as the best of all foreign footballers who have come to Britain.

However, I think the award will go to an Arsenal player again (after Robert Pires last year) next month. Either the captain Patrick Vieira or striker Thierry Henry.

Nathan Lacey, England

Which were the first two teams to appear on the BBC's "Match of the Day" programme?

The first "Match of the Day" came from Anfield on Saturday 22 August 1964. The highlights, in black and white, were shown on BBC2 at 6.30pm to an estimated audience of around 20,000. Liverpool beat Arsenal 3-2 in the featured game.

David, Nottingham

Someone has told me that one League club has twice won a match by the unlikely score of 7-6. Can that be true?

Strange but most certainly true, David. The club in question is Charlton Athletic. In Division Two in December 1957 (when down to 10 men, no substitutes in those days), they recovered from 5-1 down at home to Huddersfield with only 28 minutes left to win 7-6. And that was also the score when Charlton beat Sunderland on penalties (after a 4-4 draw) in the 1998 First Division play-off final at Wembley.

Cathie, York, UK

How many Premiership clubs have changed their manager this season?

Two so far: Leeds United (Terry Venables out, Peter Reid in for the remainder of the season) and Sunderland (Peter Reid out, Mick McCarthy in). Fulham have also announced that Jean Tigana's contract will not be renewed this summer.