The starting point
A match can be difficult to identify when the same teams meet repeatedly. Date, venue and competition help distinguish the record. A publication date may differ from the fixture date, and a present-day team name may differ from the name printed in the original report.
A useful way to read the evidence
Create a fixture identifier using the confirmed match date, participants and competition. Keep the report’s publication date as another field. If the venue is uncertain, retain the source wording rather than substituting a familiar home ground. These simple distinctions make a collection easier to search and reduce accidental merging of records that describe different events.
Keep in your notes
- Separate fixture and publication dates.
- Retain contemporary names.
- Do not guess a venue.