“Out of interest, and boredom at work, what is the highest attendance for a non-league league match in England?” ponders Ethan Mackintosh. “No cup finals at Wembley, just league games.”

Let’s start just a few months ago at Meadow Lane, where Notts County attracted a bumper crowd of 9,090 fans for their National League match against Fylde on 28 September. The club had slashed ticket prices to just £3 and those who flocked to see the Magpies were rewarded with a 2-0 home win.

But that crowd is not a National League record. A whopping 11,085 fans packed into the Memorial Stadium to see Bristol Rovers play Alfreton in the Conference on 25 April 2015. It was a match worth turning up for. Rovers hammered their poor opponents 7-0. “Large non-league crowds were common in the pre-1970s but records can be a bit sketchy,” writes Michael St John-McAlister. “That said, a Peterborough United database gives a crowd of 13,431 for the visit of Boston United to London Road for a Midland League match on 18 August 1956.

“I’ve seen mention of 16,000+ turning up for Dulwich Hamlet v Nunhead in the Isthmian League in October 1931. It’s referred to here and here but I can’t find anything more official.” We can, Michael. Dulwich Hamlet’s programme editor, John Lawrence, has been in touch to confirm what appears to be the largest attendance we can find for a non-league domestic league game in England. “Yes, there was a crowd of 16,254 paid to see the first game at our old Champion Hill Stadium on 10 October 1931 for Dulwich Hamlet v Nunhead. It was an Isthmian League match and the result was a 1-1 draw.”

Special mention should go to FC United of Manchester, too, who drew in 6,023 for a North West Counties League Division 2 match against Great Harwood Town on 22 April 2006. Pretty impressive for level 10.

Down on their luck European trophy winners

“Just looking at Ipswich starting to stutter somewhat in League One and it got me wondering: is the club in the lowest domestic division of all the European clubs who have won a European trophy?” asks John Wall.

“As a long-suffering Ipswich fan, I can’t pretend that John Wall’s question didn’t upset me a little bit as I’m not old enough to remember the 1981 triumph,” sniffs Callum Hansey. “The 2001-02 victory over Inter at home will have to do me. I looked into who was playing where and thankfully Town are not alone in being in the third domestic tier despite being European trophy winners. Step forward the only East German winners of a European title … 1. FC Magdeburg. The winners of the 1974 European Cup Winners’ Cup, like Ipswich, were relegated from the domestic second tier last season and now ply their trade in Germany’s 3. Liga.

Magdeburg fans are still turning up in numbers to watch their team in the German third division. Photograph: Pixathlon/Rex Shutterstock

“If we open the net a little bit, there is a club that have won a European trophy competing at a lower level. French Championnat National 2 side SC Bastia are in the fourth tier of French football, having dropped to the fifth tier in 2017 due to financial trouble. They were beaten 1978 Uefa Cup finalists, but did win the 1997 Intertoto Cup.

“On the topic of Ipswich and European football, do Town have the longest unbeaten home run in European competition? Twenty-six wins and five draws from their 31 home European ties between 1962 and 2002.”

Winter ‘champions’ who have never won the league

“Much is made of who is top at Christmas (roughly marking the season’s halfway point),” tweets Colm Kearns. “Which clubs have been ‘winter champions’ (as the Italian phrase goes) the most times without ever winning the league title? Or at least, whose ‘winter titles’ outnumber their official ones?”

“Looking at top-flight clubs only, I can find a fair amount of teams with two ‘winter championships’ but no full league titles,” writes James Clarke. Here goes:

England: Norwich City (1988 and 1992), Bolton Wanderers (1891 and 1958)

Spain: Espanyol (1932 and 1952)

Germany: Bayer Leverkusen (2001 and 2009), Schalke (1971 and 2000) – they won the championship many times prior to the creation of the Bundesliga but this was a knockout tournament rather than a league so I think they still count.

France: Nîmes Olympique (1959 and 1961)

Netherlands: Den Haag (1957 and 1970)

South Africa: Ajax Cape Town (2007 and 2008)

But lower down the leagues in England there is (I think) an undisputed champion for never converting top position at Christmas into a title. Wycombe Wanderers have never won a league title within the football league. But they were at the top of League Two at Christmas in 2005, 2008 and 2014. They were also top of League One on Christmas Day this year – so on past form could be on for a fourth failed conversion of a ‘winter title’.

Also relevant to this season: the team to have thrown away the most ‘winter titles’ is Liverpool. On nine occasions they were top of the league at Christmas (eight in the top flight and once in the second tier), and since the last time they managed to win the league in 89-90 they have spent Christmas on top of the league five times (1990, 1996, 2008, 2013, 2018).”

Knowledge archive

“I read that Rotherham haven’t played a game since 12 December due to the big freeze,” began Jeremy Fitch in 2010. “What is the longest period a team hasn’t played a competitive game in a football season?”

“The answer is Bolton according to ‘The trivia lover’s guide to football stories and facts’ that I picked up in the Boots January sale for a couple of quid,” wrote Joe Rowsell. “The book states that ‘Bolton Wanderers suffered the longest period in league history without playing a match. After their 1-0 win over Spurs on 8 December 1962, they were unable to take to the field again until 16 February 1963, when they lost 3-2 to Arsenal.’” In that same year Rangers also went two months without playing.

Can you help?

“With the regularity of regular National League coverage and the BBC showing FA Cup qualifying matches on the red button, what is currently the biggest English club (let’s say in terms of current position in the league pyramid) to have never played a game on live TV?” asks Simon Tyers.

Goalkeeper Ryan Young scored with a volley from his own box against Bath City on 25/08/2014. The keeper that conceded that goal was Jason Mellor, who then scored with a volley from his own box against Chelmsford City on 22/11/2014. Has this happened in a shorter period of time? — Thanos Michael (@thanos_sk) January 7, 2020

“Seeing that Jordan Henderson seems to have developed his own special trophy lift, are there other footballers who can claim the same?” asks Gareth Bell-Jones.

On January 5th, 2020 Vince Carter became the first NBA player to play in 4 different decades.

Have many footballers done this in English top flight football? All I can think of is Stanley Matthews. — Derek Brosnan (@DerekBrosnan) January 7, 2020

“With the appointment of Mikel Arteta following the sacking of Unai Emery, Arsenal have the distinction of employing two successive Basque managers,” notes Oliver Farry. “Has this ever happened outside of Spain before? Is it even common in Spain outside the Basque Country?”

After seeing Rory Burns miss an England cricket match because of an injury caused playing football, what footballers have missed matches playing other sports? — Mattskating (@Mattskating) January 7, 2020

“Pablo Zabaleta and Pablo Fornals both scored in West Ham’s 2-0 win over Gillingham. Is this the first time two different Pablos have scored in the same game for an English team?” asks George Jones.

Email your questions and answers to knowledge@theguardian.com or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU.