Sheffield United Reserves - The Glory Years

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Oh Hello. Naturally, the Carrier Bag Firm will not be able to leave this thread alone. May I recommend the esteemed work of Sharrowblade
A photo/scan of as many Reserve Programmes & Teamsheets as he could get his far from grubby mitts on. Click on each image & there is information on the score.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharrowblade/collections/72157626856363494/

 

[Wooden Blade]

Many fond memories of the reserve games in late 50's and early 60's. I think I actually preferred as a young boy watching them in preference to the first team, I suppose we were closer to the action in sparsely filled terraces.

One abiding memory is seeing a young Alan Ball playing for Blackpool Reserves, he stood out because of his bright ginger hair and his unstinting enthusiasm, covering every blade of grass. On one occasion when the ball went onto the terraces he leaped frogged over the railings to retrieve the ball for a throw in, as he could not wait for me or my pals to throw the ball back. Later that season he returned playing in their first team and not long afterwards was a World Cup winner.

 

[blade53]

Reading these posts brings back many memories of watching the reserves in the 1960's. Like most people I was taken there by my dad to test the water to see if I was interested or not . Apparently the first time I wasn't! & spent most of the match at the front of the terrace filling a paper cup with the stones on the Cinder track! But I did soon take interest & can remember fondly all the names mentioned , & the excitement of waiting for the scoreboard to be updated every 15 mins. I remember the central league derby at the Lane , when Graham Shaw was the captain that day , the ref gestured for the captains to shake hands at the toss up , the Wednesday player held out his hand & Graham knocked it away!

 

[Dongivensmademecry]

Great read , mi dad took me regularly early 70s, sticks out been at a reserve game the sunny day we played Man Utd in that famous Best match, like yesterday, remember phone would ring at back of John St stand , been told there's a goal , and if by magic a bloke would walk on pavilion or the temporary scoreboard and put score up, remember seeing an 8 in a score for first time think it was Boro slaughtering that lot when Charlton was manager at Boro ... Brought up on seeing Edwards ,Stainrod coming through , then remember Varadi... A big curly haired centre half sticks out too .. Steve Faulkner ..... Happy days and grounding as a young Blade

 

[DifferentClass]

remember seeing an 8 in a score for first time think it was Boro slaughtering that lot when Charlton was manager at Boro ...

/Silent mode on

It probably was. It was 20/4/74. IIRC the pigs were already relegated by then.

Graeme Souness got a hat trick for Boro that day.

/Silent mode off

 

[finlaytheblade]

We won the Central League 3 times, 1921-22, 1965-66 and 2002-03

1965_1966 was the season Cec Caldwell made his name as a coach.Having been ousted by Badger he was the central character behind that successful season playing a lot of games and the unofficial manager of the team.
He progressed to be John Harris's right hand man helping to build that great team of the early 70s

 

[Silent Blade]

/Silent mode on

It probably was. It was 20/4/74. IIRC the pigs were already relegated by then.

Graeme Souness got a hat trick for Boro that day.

/Silent mode off

Wendy escaped relegation in the following week by beating Bolton 1-0 (Ken Knighton scored). They got relegation in 1975

 

[blade53]

Great read , mi dad took me regularly early 70s, sticks out been at a reserve game the sunny day we played Man Utd in that famous Best match, like yesterday, remember phone would ring at back of John St stand , been told there's a goal , and if by magic a bloke would walk on pavilion or the temporary scoreboard and put score up, remember seeing an 8 in a score for first time think it was Boro slaughtering that lot when Charlton was manager at Boro ... Brought up on seeing Edwards ,Stainrod coming through , then remember Varadi... A big curly haired centre half sticks out too .. Steve Faulkner ..... Happy days and grounding as a young Blade

The funniest thing about that time you mention when Wednesday got beat by Eight , was that the little scoreboard man didn't have a number 8 so he excitedly ran up the steps of the scoreboard and held up a 6 and a 2 together with a big beam on his face!

 

[Silent Blade]

The funniest thing about that time you mention when Wednesday got beat by Eight , was that the little scoreboard man didn't have a number 8 so he excitedly ran up the steps of the scoreboard and held up a 6 and a 2 together with a big beam on his face!

Yes, that was after we drew 1-1 at home to QPR. I was one of those who stayed in the BLUT to find out if Boro had scored more than 6. They did and we all laughed all the way back home!

 

[super_pig]

my first ever game.. beat huddersfield 3-1
programme was a sheet of a4

 

[blade53]

Something that people today might not be able to comprehend is that at that time the Reserves meant literally that. No squad rotation and large squads in those days, and no subs on the bench , we had 11 first team players & 11 reserves. if the first team centre forward got injured , then the reserve team centre forward simply took his place! Each player in the reserves was a like for like deputy for the first 11. But some hardly ever or never got a chance . I remember Roy Ridge playing in the reserves week after week & I never saw him in the first team.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

When I was young and stupid, I used to regularly go to reserve games in the 80's. That's when they started playing them at night and you often saw some good stuff. Games that spring out are a 4-3 win over Bury in 1982 with us coming from 3-0 down and Del Chambers (who?) getting a hat trick and Alan "perma-injured" Young, the winner and a 5-5 draw with Sunderland in 1987 with Philliskirk getting 4.

The night games were frequent, way back in the 1970s.
Jimmy Johnstone drew a crowd of several thousand for his reserve debut around 1977.

 

[Silent Blade]

The night games were frequent, way back in the 1970s.
Jimmy Johnstone drew a crowd of several thousand for his reserve debut around 1977.

Jimmy Johnstone signed for us in November 1975 and his first match for us was in the 1st team, 2-1 defeat at Stoke (Salmons scored both goals for Stoke)

 

[Wapping Blade]

My first match at BDTBL was a reserve match vs The Pigs. My dad didn’t want to pay if my brother and I got bored so he waited until the gates were opened and I think we saw most of the second half for free. It ended 0-0 and it must have been early 70s. I’m not sure if my dad and uncle took me to H**********h before that and if they did, I’ve forgotten it!

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Jimmy Johnstone signed for us in November 1975 and his first match for us was in the 1st team, 2-1 defeat at Stoke (Salmons scored both goals for Stoke)

Silent Blade was that Stoke game the one we played in all Blue?

 

[Silent Blade]

Silent Blade was that Stoke game the one we played in all Blue?

Not sure, I will check. We did play in all blue in the 3-2 defeat there in October 1974

 

[blade53]

Not sure, I will check. We did play in all blue in the 3-2 defeat there in October 1974

It was the dreadful day that Jimmy Sirrell thought that it might be ok for us to play in blue !

 

[Silent Blade]

It was the dreadful day that Jimmy Sirrell thought that it might be ok for us to play in blue !

We played in blue under Ken Furphy's management 3 or 4 times in the 1974/75 season. At Stoke, Liverpool and Arsenal but not sure if we did at Boro on Boxing Day (I wasnt there). Not sure if we did the same at Stoke in November 1975 even though I was there!

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Something that people today might not be able to comprehend is that at that time the Reserves meant literally that. No squad rotation and large squads in those days, and no subs on the bench , we had 11 first team players & 11 reserves. if the first team centre forward got injured , then the reserve team centre forward simply took his place! Each player in the reserves was a like for like deputy for the first 11. But some hardly ever or never got a chance . I remember Roy Ridge playing in the reserves week after week & I never saw him in the first team.

Except on odd occasions when the reserve was not good enough, and creative solutions were sought. Classic case was with no adequate right-winger in 1960-61, and we ended up with reserve left-back Cliff Mason on the right wing. And it worked for a time! It appeared to be like a Charlie Drake sketch I half-remember, where he played a manager putting players in the position least suited to their abilities.

 

[blade53]

Except on odd occasions when the reserve was not good enough, and creative solutions were sought. Classic case was with no adequate right-winger in 1960-61, and we ended up with reserve left-back Cliff Mason on the right wing. And it worked for a time! It appeared to be like a Charlie Drake sketch I half-remember, where he played a manager putting players in the position least suited to their abilities.

Remember that at this time United hardly ever bought a player, nearly all home grown players When we went out & splashed £10,000 on Gill Reece it caused a sensation! I recall when Hodgy & Bob Widdowson were both injured , & John Harris went to Buxton Town & borrowed back Des Thompson who had been released the year before. He went straight into the first team & played several times in the First Division.

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Remember that at this time United hardly ever bought a player, nearly all home grown players When we went out & splashed £10,000 on Gill Reece it caused a sensation! I recall when Hodgy & Bob Widdowson were both injured , & John Harris went to Buxton Town & borrowed back Des Thompson who had been released the year before. He went straight into the first team & played several times in the First Division.

Hence my user name. We were top of the old division 1, and when Hodgy suffered a broken thumb, we brought in Des Thompson, who was quite a character, but not a goalkeeper to win the league with. That was the best chance of us being champions in my lifetime, and it was squandered for the sake of a very modest sum of money. Around that period small clubs like Burnley and Ipswich were league champions, and I shall always believe that we could have done the same that year.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

We played in blue under Ken Furphy's management 3 or 4 times in the 1974/75 season. At Stoke, Liverpool and Arsenal but not sure if we did at Boro on Boxing Day (I wasnt there). Not sure if we did the same at Stoke in November 1975 even though I was there!

My recollection is as follows - I was run off The Stoke End (which was the away end, the home end was The Boothen End) days after Stoke had played Ajax. I had to jump a wall over to the terrace on the side of the pitch. That would have been October 1974.
The next year, I tried low profile on the terrace. That would have been November 1975. I recall Utd played in Blue one or both of those games. But, memory plays tricks.

 

[Lane Ender]

My recollection is as follows - I was run off The Stoke End (which was the away end, the home end was The Boothen End) days after Stoke had played Ajax. I had to jump a wall over to the terrace on the side of the pitch. That would have been October 1974.
The next year, I tried low profile on the terrace. That would have been November 1975. I recall Utd played in Blue one or both of those games. But, memory plays tricks.

Best game at Stoke was late 70s we’d did a Four man assault on Boothen End escorted round to Stoke End running battles with there other end crew followed by last stand in a cemetery outside the ground finally ending in an arrest
Top day

 

[bertieblade]

I remember standing on the John street terrace watching a reserve game, where a bloke was giving Uniteds young midfield player Mick Speight dogs abuse.
Speight was either substituted or injured towards the end of the match and was walking off, listening to said bloke venting his spleen. He stopped took off his boots and handed them to the bloke. The bloke did not know where to put himself lol.
Wonderful memory of a guy who may not have been the best technical player we ever had but always left everything out on the pitch. Unlike Jeff Bourne who I remember watching get booed by everyone at BDTBL as he shirked tackle after tackle and never put a shift in.
These moments made me realise that blades with the very ODD exception, always admire a bloke who is prepared to work hard for the cause, no matter how limited they were. But shirk a challenge or not work hard and lose respect. Rather like life, that’s why being a blade is a great foundation to take us forward as opposed to glorying in being “massive” or play in a 1966 World Cup stadium in south Barnsley or hark back to history to prove a pointless point.
Yes I am pleased my uncle a Frank took me to central league fixtures as a kid

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Best game at Stoke was late 70s we’d did a Four man assault on Boothen End escorted round to Stoke End running battles with there other end crew followed by last stand in a cemetery outside the ground finally ending in an arrest
Top day

Lane Ender
I miss Four Man Assaults. Whatever became of them? A much underused tactic imho.....

 

[originaltrueblade]

Brilliant original post I remember those days very well. The man with the score, at a first team home game remember him jumping up and down celebrating when pigs lost on a delayed kick off on their travels somewhere we waited for him to put up the pigs score it had been 0-0 all afternoon then he put up 1-0 ground went mad and the man jumping up and down celebrating magic moment oh we won by the way

 

[stainless316]

Most of this seems a bit after my time. I remember when we won the Central League and I was one of those who ran on the pitch afterwards.

I mentioned Des Thompson the goalkeeper. Bob Widdowson followed him. Widdowson seemed to model himself on Hodgy but didn’t have the skill levels. He used to come off his line to “smother” an attack, just like Hodgy, but he always timed it wrong and got stranded with the attacker facing an open goal.

We had some good centre-forwards in the reserves – Laverty; John Turley (very good). Jack Parks was good. Dennis Shiels was better than he is given credit for here. When Hodgy got injured and carried off after the Tommy Johnston incident (yes, the same one) Shiels went in goal and did all right. There was also an inside-forward called Bobby Rooney. I thought he might be ok but never got established. Particularly in 1960-61 the right-wing was a problem between Kevin Lewis leaving and Len Allchurch joining. One bloke tried out was Andy Wilson who looked a possibility but didn’t get established. There was another inside-forward called Nibloe whose dad, I think, had played for Wednesday. I think he got killed in an accident after leaving United. Another inside-forward was J.A.S. Richardson. I wonder if he was related to Rocco ?

The blokes mentioned on the site as coming up through the reserves actually started out in the Junior team together. They spent little time in the reserves, moving quickly from Juniors to 1st team. Wardonia Blade has got it right – Len Badger; Bernard Shaw; Dave Munks; Tony and Barry Wagstaff; Tom Fenoughty (I know the family); Barlow; Mick Jones and Alan Birchenall.

- Walth Snr

 

[stainless316]

I remember Des Thompson, Ces Coldwell , do you remember Willie Hamilton? he was a wizard , I was a player for the reserves 1956 - 58 ,we played on Bramall Lane every other week , I was a centre forward, only managed to get a few 1st team appearances , great days

 

[LoughboroBlade]

I thought the resurrection of this thread was going to be all about this set of all-stars highlighted this week...

I’m contractually obliged to pick a hole in at least one thing I post about, so on this one I’m taking exception to the article’s suggestion that Jon O’Connor, the right-sided centre-back, was featuring in midfield in this team of Pontins Paladins.

 

[Tony]

I remember Des Thompson, Ces Coldwell , do you remember Willie Hamilton? he was a wizard , I was a player for the reserves 1956 - 58 ,we played on Bramall Lane every other week , I was a centre forward, only managed to get a few 1st team appearances , great days

Come on, at least give us your initials. My guess G or W Robinson.