60 years ago this month...

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Not quite in line with the OP specification but the 22nd. of this month marks the 73rd. Anniversary of my first visit to BDTBL to watch the Mighty Blades .

The result was a 3-1 win against Chelsea and , whilst I have memories of entering the ground and being swung around by my dad when we scored as previously posted , my only recollection of the match itself is a vague one of Chelsea’s goal for some strange reason .

I wondered , therefore , if any of our wonderful historians / memorabilia collectors have any material related to this match and , if so , make an old man very happy by posting it . :)
 

Isaw Joeshaw said:
Not quite in line with the OP specification but the 22nd. of this month marks the 73rd. Anniversary of my first visit to BDTBL to watch the Mighty Blades .

The result was a 3-1 win against Chelsea and , whilst I have memories of entering the ground and being swung around by my dad when we scored as previously posted , my only recollection of the match itself is a vague one of Chelsea’s goal for some strange reason .

I wondered , therefore , if any of our wonderful historians / memorabilia collectors have any material related to this match and , if so , make an old man very happy by posting it . :)
Click to expand...
I was 6 months old at the time, so my memory is a bit hazy... Hope someone comes up with the goods for you.
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
Not quite in line with the OP specification but the 22nd. of this month marks the 73rd. Anniversary of my first visit to BDTBL to watch the Mighty Blades .

The result was a 3-1 win against Chelsea and , whilst I have memories of entering the ground and being swung around by my dad when we scored as previously posted , my only recollection of the match itself is a vague one of Chelsea’s goal for some strange reason .

I wondered , therefore , if any of our wonderful historians / memorabilia collectors have any material related to this match and , if so , make an old man very happy by posting it . :)
Click to expand...
Best I could come up with is this

Match Results for season 1947 - 1948

www.bounder.friardale.co.uk www.bounder.friardale.co.uk

1604765955398.png
 
Nov 12, 1960: Southampton 0-1 United
Attendance: 27405
Another really important win, away at Southampton, who were 4th in the league; the gap between Utd and the teams behind them was growing into a useful lead. The crowd of over 27000 was the 7th Southampton home match (out of 9) with a crowd of over 20000; United’s biggest crowd thus far was under 18000. In an era when the majority of a club’s income was via gate-money, United were clearly at a disadvantage.
The team was a little less settled than earlier in the season - Mason was still standing in for the injured Graham Shaw, Hartle was dropped (as my brother noted in the programme, because of the heavy ground) for the mud lark Hodgson, and Nibloe was about to miss games because of National Service commitments, a complication unknown in the modern game.
E5F8CBB0-CC3B-4A55-ACFA-A02D13E1E3CF.jpeg
The performance at Southampton appears to have been a strong one, against a good side. England manager Walter Winterbottom was at the game, and was very complimentary. He was presumably watching the Southampton wingers, Paine and Sydenham, and Hodgy and Joe Shaw for United. United’s defensive record was by some way the best in the Division, and while it is impressive that the England manager was attending a League 2 match, it seemed wrong to many of us that Joe Shaw never won a full England cap.
14B82FDF-0488-4502-A1AC-95F20A26571E.jpegThe programme is disappointing, though I liked the autograph page. Memories of distinctive signatures stick in the mind - I can confirm that the Terry Paine and John Sydenham are genuine. It still bugs me that I can’t remember what happened to my autograph books!
D5C69FB0-970D-41CE-8F82-DFED946602AF.jpegF76F9392-91E7-40CA-8ECD-A716EDA0039E.jpegA58E2B01-D7CF-4447-B5B0-9FBF658E9412.jpegI was unable to go to Southampton, but in addition to celebrating Utd’s win, I was lucky enough to be at another exciting game. Details to follow tomorrow.
 
Interesting that Nibloe hardly played for the rest of the season due to National Service. Didnt think that this happened in the 1960s
 
Silent Blade said:
Interesting that Nibloe hardly played for the rest of the season due to National Service. Didnt think that this happened in the 1960s
Click to expand...
I’m not sure how long his absence was due to National Service, and how much to loss of form, competition for places after the signing of Kettleborough, etc. As the season progresses I will keep an eye out for information. My impression is that his form slipped.
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
Nov 12, 1960: Southampton 0-1 United
Attendance: 27405
Another really important win, away at Southampton, who were 4th in the league; the gap between Utd and the teams behind them was growing into a useful lead. The crowd of over 27000 was the 7th Southampton home match (out of 9) with a crowd of over 20000; United’s biggest crowd thus far was under 18000. In an era when the majority of a club’s income was via gate-money, United were clearly at a disadvantage.
The team was a little less settled than earlier in the season - Mason was still standing in for the injured Graham Shaw, Hartle was dropped (as my brother noted in the programme, because of the heavy ground) for the mud lark Hodgson, and Nibloe was about to miss games because of National Service commitments, a complication unknown in the modern game.
View attachment 97707
The performance at Southampton appears to have been a strong one, against a good side. England manager Walter Winterbottom was at the game, and was very complimentary. He was presumably watching the Southampton wingers, Paine and Sydenham, and Hodgy and Joe Shaw for United. United’s defensive record was by some way the best in the Division, and while it is impressive that the England manager was attending a League 2 match, it seemed wrong to many of us that Joe Shaw never won a full England cap.
View attachment 97710The programme is disappointing, though I liked the autograph page. Memories of distinctive signatures stick in the mind - I can confirm that the Terry Paine and John Sydenham are genuine. It still bugs me that I can’t remember what happened to my autograph books!
View attachment 97711View attachment 97712View attachment 97713I was unable to go to Southampton, but in addition to celebrating Utd’s win, I was lucky enough to be at another exciting game. Details to follow tomorrow.
Click to expand...

I’m pleased that someone else remembers Billy Hodgson’s reputation as a mudlark . He must be the only footballer I ever saw whose best games by far were always in driving rain on muddy pitches .

One at the Lane was sensational (perhaps against Bolton) and I suspect that , in spite of the appalling weather , every Blades fan left the Lane that day with a smile on their face at what they had just witnessed .
 
November 12, 1960: Wednesday 2-1 Spurs
Attendance: 53988

Many years ago, when the world was black-and-white, and football pitches consisted of mud with patches of grass on the wings, deep in the darkest depths of S6 a strange group of people were dreaming of glory as their heroes were about to challenge the best footballers in the country and prove that they were worthy of becoming league champions. But this was the real world. Spurs were still unbeaten in 1960-61, but Wednesday were in second place, and a huge crowd (should I say ‘massive’?) went to Hillsborough for what was undoubtedly the biggest match of the season in England. I was unable to travel to Southampton that day to support United, as I was playing school football that morning, but having been to Nottingham a few weeks previously and seen Spurs demolish Forest, a visit to Hillsborough to watch them do the same to Wednesday seemed an opportunity too good to miss. The afternoon did not go to plan.
The first surprise was the crowd. United had not yet had a home crowd of 20000 in 1960-61, and as I made my way to the front of the Kop, I began to take in the enormity of the crowd (almost 54000) and the noise they were making. I had experienced similar for cup matches, but never for a league game. I remained confident that the Spurs team, who had dropped just 1 point all season, would be too good for a Wednesday team that in my eyes were a well-drilled team of cloggers with a couple of decent players. I still regard that Spurs team as one of the very best I have seen. At half-time it was 1-1, and I was still confident that Spurs’ superior class would tell; and the news that Utd were 1-0 up added to my feeling that all would be well. But in the second half the noise levels rose and it was Wednesday who lifted their game and deservedly (I say that through gritted teeth) scored the winner through Fantham in a goal-mouth scramble at the Leppings Lane End. To the best of my knowledge I have never seen it again. I was slightly comforted by the fact that it was Fantham - from my autograph-hunting experience he seemed like a normal human being.
I returned home in a state of shock - at the size and noise of the crowd, at how Wednesday had played, and at the fact that Spurs could be beaten, though, of course Wednesday eventually finished second without ever threatening to catch Spurs. I was never tempted to betray the Blades, but I was desperate for us to win promotion and begin to challenge Wednesday and play against the likes of Spurs in front of huge crowds. A lot has happened since then, and our recent promotion to the PL has offered another opportunity to put daylight between us and the lot from S6. Long may it continue.
Some details below:
71D282D7-B3BC-46AD-8F40-2A57021FC81C.png89AEBAE9-1F07-4C2F-A78B-099BB15F68B7.jpegA107F48C-9ED8-4588-AFF0-1B341F814BF9.jpeg
 
HodgysBrokenThumb said:
November 12, 1960: Wednesday 2-1 Spurs
Attendance: 53988

Many years ago, when the world was black-and-white, and football pitches consisted of mud with patches of grass on the wings, deep in the darkest depths of S6 a strange group of people were dreaming of glory as their heroes were about to challenge the best footballers in the country and prove that they were worthy of becoming league champions. But this was the real world. Spurs were still unbeaten in 1960-61, but Wednesday were in second place, and a huge crowd (should I say ‘massive’?) went to Hillsborough for what was undoubtedly the biggest match of the season in England. I was unable to travel to Southampton that day to support United, as I was playing school football that morning, but having been to Nottingham a few weeks previously and seen Spurs demolish Forest, a visit to Hillsborough to watch them do the same to Wednesday seemed an opportunity too good to miss. The afternoon did not go to plan.
The first surprise was the crowd. United had not yet had a home crowd of 20000 in 1960-61, and as I made my way to the front of the Kop, I began to take in the enormity of the crowd (almost 54000) and the noise they were making. I had experienced similar for cup matches, but never for a league game. I remained confident that the Spurs team, who had dropped just 1 point all season, would be too good for a Wednesday team that in my eyes were a well-drilled team of cloggers with a couple of decent players. I still regard that Spurs team as one of the very best I have seen. At half-time it was 1-1, and I was still confident that Spurs’ superior class would tell; and the news that Utd were 1-0 up added to my feeling that all would be well. But in the second half the noise levels rose and it was Wednesday who lifted their game and deservedly (I say that through gritted teeth) scored the winner through Fantham in a goal-mouth scramble at the Leppings Lane End. To the best of my knowledge I have never seen it again. I was slightly comforted by the fact that it was Fantham - from my autograph-hunting experience he seemed like a normal human being.
I returned home in a state of shock - at the size and noise of the crowd, at how Wednesday had played, and at the fact that Spurs could be beaten, though, of course Wednesday eventually finished second without ever threatening to catch Spurs. I was never tempted to betray the Blades, but I was desperate for us to win promotion and begin to challenge Wednesday and play against the likes of Spurs in front of huge crowds. A lot has happened since then, and our recent promotion to the PL has offered another opportunity to put daylight between us and the lot from S6. Long may it continue.
Some details below:
View attachment 97793View attachment 97794View attachment 97795
Click to expand...
Harry Catterick was Wendy's manager
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
I’m pleased that someone else remembers Billy Hodgson’s reputation as a mudlark . He must be the only footballer I ever saw whose best games by far were always in driving rain on muddy pitches .

One at the Lane was sensational (perhaps against Bolton) and I suspect that , in spite of the appalling weather , every Blades fan left the Lane that day with a smile on their face at what they had just witnessed .
Click to expand...

Billy Hodgson was one of my first favourite players. One Saturday morning, late in the 61-62 season my dad came home early and announced he was packing up working Saturdays. I think mainly so he could take me and our kid to the match.
We celebrated this great news by seeing a great display by Billy, against Burnley, he scored with his knee at the Lane end!!
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
I’m pleased that someone else remembers Billy Hodgson’s reputation as a mudlark . He must be the only footballer I ever saw whose best games by far were always in driving rain on muddy pitches .

One at the Lane was sensational (perhaps against Bolton) and I suspect that , in spite of the appalling weather , every Blades fan left the Lane that day with a smile on their face at what they had just witnessed .
Click to expand...
I think this is the game. Against Bolton, 0-0 half-time, 4-1 full-time, with 2 goals from Hodgson. He had missed the mid-week trip to Eintracht Frankfurt for a friendly through injury, but had recovered in time to play Bolton. The ‘Lines from the Pavilion’ are from the following home game:
1FFF7BF3-570A-4A29-A722-02A19E23BE07.jpegBBB06ABF-BB14-4D2F-8449-EDF0D697F786.jpeg0D0955F7-8DDF-4425-8417-A9F6D6042489.jpeg
Who used to write the Lines from the Pavilion? They hardly captured the flavour of the terraces. I can just imagine you saying ‘Scotland should play Hodgson instead of Tottenham’s John White!’, and Bert replying ‘Steady on my good man. Take that back or my butler will give you a jolly good thrashing.’
 
Many thanks Hodgy - a great piece of research there and , as you say , that clearly would be the match I was thinking of and I’m well chuffed that it was against Bolton as I suggested it may be .

In respect of ‘ Lines from the Pavillion ‘ , I was particularly taken by the phrase “ tickled beyond measure “ . As to any encounters between Bert , his butler and myself I’m sure you will understand when I say that these are of a strictly confidential nature ...... :)
 

Isaw Joeshaw said:
Many thanks Hodgy - a great piece of research there and , as you say , that clearly would be the match I was thinking of and I’m well chuffed that it was against Bolton as I suggested it may be .

In respect of ‘ Lines from the Pavillion ‘ , I was particularly taken by the phrase “ tickled beyond measure “ . As to any encounters between Bert , his butler and myself I’m sure you will understand when I say that these are of a strictly confidential nature ...... :)
Click to expand...
Always pleasing to confirm a hazy memory with documentary evidence. The result of years of happy marriage...
 
Isaw Joeshaw said:
I’m pleased that someone else remembers Billy Hodgson’s reputation as a mudlark . He must be the only footballer I ever saw whose best games by far were always in driving rain on muddy pitches .

One at the Lane was sensational (perhaps against Bolton) and I suspect that , in spite of the appalling weather , every Blades fan left the Lane that day with a smile on their face at what they had just witnessed .
Click to expand...
A couple of further details. Hodgson was very much a whole-hearted player, who was always popular with the crowd for his 100% efforts at all times, against opponents of all shapes and sizes. But he was also a player with a good brain; my first memory of a United giant-killing was at Spurs in 1958, and if you haven’t seen this report before, you will enjoy it (hope it is legible):
9747EDA4-47B5-49E3-AAE4-2AFE1809A908.jpeg
Hodgson’s self-discipline that day became the stuff of legends. How many other players have we had over the years willing and able to play that role? Only Montgomery comes to my mind.
The other detail comes from the programme discussing Hodgson’s performance v Bolton. He had missed a friendly in Frankfurt through injury in midweek. The other absentee was Russell - because of his teaching timetable! Quite extraordinary.
 
Nov 19, 1960: Utd 3-1 Rotherham
Attendance: 20442

Things continued to get even better. Top of the league, a convincing win which could have been by a greater margin, and a first home crowd of over 20000, even if it took a local derby to reach that figure.
United were playing some really good football: glowing reports from the previous week by England manager Walter Winterbottom were still being discussed (not least in the programme) when we witnessed a fine attacking performance which should have been matched by an even higher scoreline than 3-1.
ABEF9824-C527-4135-9E22-F203A23CE951.jpeg
It was slightly misty, but the goals by Russell and Simpson stood out for the clinical finishes. In particular, when Sheffield-born reliable goalkeeper Ironside attempted to set up a counterattack, he could not have picked out a worse player than Simpson to give the ball away to. Simpson had a hard and accurate left-foot shot, and in those days of heavy ball and heavy grounds, a well-struck shot went arrow-like towards the goal, rather than wobbling this way and that as the modern balls do. There was something special about being behind the goal when Ronnie Simpson hit the ball; I’m not sure about the 40-yard distance claimed in the report, though.
The team was still pretty settled. The back 6 picked itself, and by the end of this game 5 of them had played all 19 league games, with just Graham Shaw having missed 5 games through injury; his replacement, Cliff Mason, was better than many of us expected, and as we found out later that season, he was surprisingly versatile. After 19 games, only 18 goals had been conceded, by far the best defensive record in the Division.
The attack was doing fine, but without the same consistency. Russell and Pace were ever-presents, and Pace had scored 15 goals in 19 games; Russell had 7 goals from right-wing, but his natural position was inside-forward. On the left-wing, Simpson had missed just 1 game through injury, and had scored 6 goals and created many more. Inside-forward was still a problem with Russell being used as a winger. Young Nibloe’s goals were beginning to dry up, and he was about to go away on National Service for a few weeks. Hamilton was talented, inconsistent, and prone to injuries; Hodgson too had had several injuries, and for the Rotherham game Shiels came in for his first game of the season. He had good moments, but was never totally convincing. So we needed a right-winger and an inside-forward if we were to keep up our promotion challenge. We did not know at the time that the inside-forward was on the pitch that day, though injury made his impact limited that season. The right-winger we needed was eventually signed, and was to prove a absolutely vital; though it is quite possible that had we signed him a little earlier, I might have fulfilled my dream of watching United in a Wembley Cup Final. I am, of course, still waiting.
Amongst other things, the Lines from the Pavilion have a discussion about crowds watching United and Wednesday which is similar to several posts on this Forum - which is the biggest club? There is nothing new under the sun. And next week it is off to Anfield, to play against an in-form Liverpool who are still some way behind us in the League. I wonder if we have since then travelled to Anfield with Liverpool below us in the league.
A0055BE3-0AC1-4CB0-9832-65DE8A02E809.jpegE8A44E51-0675-4140-8B79-869D3894361D.jpeg7BABDF5D-091A-4AC9-8F28-5BF538E1751C.jpeg
 
As a postscript to the Rotherham game, I include below the day’s scores (lots of goals, and a pleasing defeat for Wednesday). At the end of the day, that left Utd 7 points clear at the top of League 2, and Wednesday 7 points behind Spurs in League 1. Things were definitely going in the right direction. Liverpool, our next opponents, had another good win, and that was perhaps a worry...
960D5A8F-D258-4E6E-B8B1-5F51F2066062.jpeg70553076-DBC5-4B70-A818-22B8DE44F47C.jpeg
 
Nov 26, 1960: Liverpool 4-2 United
Attendance: 39,999

This was undoubtedly the best game of the first half of the season. Both clubs had appointed new managers in 1959: John Harris, appointed in the March, had taken United to the top of the league in his 2nd full season, while Bill Shankly, appointed in the December, had taken Liverpool on a good run in his first full season and they had moved steadily up to second place. A first visit to Anfield took me to a new experience for a League 2 match - instead of the crowds around 16000 at the Lane, here was a crowd of 39999 creating a great atmosphere in the fog of a late November afternoon, and if you look back to post 248 from Silent Blade the grainy film shows the Kop in all its glory, and indeed before one of the Liverpool corners in the first half you can hear something of the Kop roar. I am pretty sure this is one of the games when Hodgy invited a lad from behind the goal to join in the pre-match shoot-in (immediately before kick-off, unlike now), a move which always got the home crowd onside. And Liverpool fans were always generous to opposing goalkeepers, especially when, as on this day, the keeper plays a blinder and lets in several goals.
United were again unchanged, and Liverpool were in a phase of transition - the best-known names for us now would be Roger Hunt of World Cup winning fame, and Kevin Lewis, the young right-winger we had sold to Liverpool, and still not replaced properly. Though, as it happens, Russell on the right-wing scored both our goals that day; but his best position was inside-right.
The game ebbed and flowed, with Liverpool deserving their win. But United led first, with Hodgson and Russell combining excellently, but pressure told, and Harrower headed past Hodgy for an equaliser before half-time. More pressure after half-time gave Liverpool a 3-1 lead; the second goal came from a bad error by Joe Shaw. Not a frequent occurrence. Russell pulled one back in front of the Kop, with a good snap shot, and United came close to a 3rd before Harrower completed his hat-trick and gave Liverpool a 4-2 victory.
There were plenty of positives from this, despite defeat. We were still 5 points clear of Liverpool; and next match was Bristol Rovers at the Lane. United had won all their home games, Rovers had not won an away match, so we would surely be back to winning ways. And Wednesday had lost, Spurs won, leaving Wednesday well adrift of Spurs at the top of League 1.
Pictures follow in the next post. The programme is very generous in the space given (4 full pages) to United. Despite defeat, I enjoyed the visit to Liverpool. And early in the New Year, it turned out that we had an even more enjoyable visit awaiting to just across Stanley Park.
 
December 3, 1960: Utd 2-3 Bristol Rovers
Attendance: 12877

In the week we have drawn Bristol Rovers in the Cup, the superstitious among us will not welcome the reminder that 60 years ago we were losing at home to them when they were bottom of the league. We also lost to them 3-1 away, though by then the match carried little importance.
I begin with an apology to my regular reader(s) from my earlier incarnation as a mardy 13-year-old (hard to believe, I know): December 1960 was a bad month for United, and my scrapbook is notable for the absence of any entries for the matches, and I have even lost the programme for this game. Reports on the next few games will be limited.
Everything about the Bristol Rovers was awful, or at least everything I can recall was. The previous match had been a great experience, even though we lost 4-2 at Anfield. We had played well, but lost, in front of a large crowd. We were still top of the league, so the home game against the bottom of the league should have been perfect for getting back to winning ways. We had a new signing making his debut. We even took a 2-0 lead. But the day was a disaster.
The problems started with the weather: another Saturday home game, another day of pouring rain, another terrible home gate- 12877, for a team top of the league. The team selection was less of a forgone conclusion:

Hodgkinson
Coldwell Mason
Richardson Shaw (J) Summers
Russell Shiels Pace KettleboroughSimpson

Mason continued to deputise for the injured Graham Shaw. At inside-forward Hamilton and Hodgson were injured, and Hamilton’s form was patchy. Nibloe was away on National Service. So Kettleborough, signed from Rotherham, filled one of the spots, and the limited Shiels filled the other. In the long run, Kettleborough proved to be a good signing. And Russell was still out of position on the right-wing, although he scored 2 more goals to add to his impressive tally. So the game started well, with a 2-goal lead, but Hodgy, nursing an injury from the Liverpool match, had a recurrence of the injury, and Simpson also got injured, and suddenly the game turned, and United ended up losing 3-2. I think the goals were mainly into the Kop, although I could be confusing this game with similar occasions against Leyton and Bristol City, when the wheels came off.
Ironically, my clearest memory of the day came from after the match. I waited in the pouring rain on John Street for the players to come out, in the hopes of getting some new autographs. The coach was outside for the Rovers players, and as they came out in good spirits after their surprise victory, they invited the few of us braving the rain to get on the coach for them to sign our books. I had got a couple of signatures, and had just given my book (with team photo) to the big centre-half, David Pyle. At this moment, 2 or 3 likely lads (this was pre-hooliganism) came onto the coach, and one of them shouted ‘And get him to sign “Best wishes, a pile of shit”’. Mayhem followed, as a couple of their players made to confront our loudmouthed Blades, and we were turfed off the bus. So I even ended up with a good soaking and hardly any autographs. Black Saturday!
As a footnote, I knew the loudmouth, as he was older than me and went to my brother’s school. I was always slightly scared of him, but a few years later I ended up playing in the same football team as him. It turned out he was soft as a brush, and now I realise he was a Tourette’s sufferer. He used to get into terrible trouble for swearing at opponents and referees, but he really meant no harm.
Next Saturday, it is off to Derby, with - horror of horrors - Hodgy out injured. That just never used to happen.
 
I read that we had agreed a fee with Rotherham to sign Kettleborough but John Harris needed to talk terms with the player (who wasnt aware that we wanted to sign him) but was told that Keith had gone to the cinema with his wife to watch a film. John then waited outside the cinema until after the film had finished and then when Keith and his wife came out, they were surprised to see John waiting for him! Keith's daughter was three years below me at Maud Maxfield and at Sports Days my dad would often talk to Keith. In the 1980s a friend of mine and I came over to see Keith's daughter at her house in Herringthorpe and her parents were decent people to talk to. When I was playing cricket at Herringthorpe in the 1980s I often see Keith (who was still playing cricket at the time) in the Clifton pub before matches.

16 years after you saw us lose 3-2 to Bristol Rovers we did it again 16 years later and we were leading 2-0 too also all goals were scored at the Kop end. I was at boarding school that day. I was told by another pupil (a L**ds fan from Beverley who admired Woodward) that we were winning 2-0 at half time and that Woodward had scored. I thought "oh good, going to be an easy win" before getting ready for the school Xmas party. At full time I was one of the four (others were Norwich, Hibs and Arsenal fans) still in the tv room looking at the the results from the BBC Grandstand teleprinter (the other pupils had already arrived for the Xmas party at the school hall) and then the moment it typed out "4.44 D2 Sheff Utd 2 Bristol Rovers 3", I was shocked and the three others (two are still my close friends) looked straight at my face. It was a really numb feeling all the way to the Xmas party!

 
December 10, 1960: Derby 2-0 Utd
Attendance: 16003

This was the day after a momentous cultural event. On Friday December 9th, 1960, at 7.30 p.m., the first episode of Coronation Street was shown on TV, and the television soap opera was born. 60 years on it is debatable who has had more ups and downs - Ken Barlow or United. It was certainly not a momentous week for United, as the promotion push ran into further trouble with a 2-0 defeat at the bog that went by the name of the Baseball Ground.
Again it appears that I was so fed up with another defeat that I chose not to put anything in the scrapbook, but at least I have the programme (which is a poor one with little of interest) with notes on team news, scorers, etc.
2F0BDC6D-6A9B-4BA9-A17F-E867D888AD40.jpegDA6C2FA1-ADFF-444F-88F9-F676E625BE3C.jpeg
The problems over team selection remained, with Kettleborough settling into his new club for his second game, Mason was still standing in for the injured Graham Shaw, Shiels was dropped and Nibloe returned after his time away on National Service (though his progress was now disappointing), the injured Simpson was replaced by Hodgson (who to me never seemed as effective out on the wing), and horror of horrors for me, Hodgy was out injured and replaced in goal by Des Thompson. The trauma of Hodgy’s absence could be one explanation why I have no memory of the Derby match, though to be fair, I remember nothing about the first episode of Coronation Street either.
Hodgy has a page in his autobiography about his absence, which he said was only his third in 5 years, and the other 2 times were when he was away on England duty. He first of all describes Des Thompson as the hairiest man he had ever seen. He then describes how John Harris blanked him when he knew he was out injured, and Joe Shaw told him that Harris believed he was malingering, despite this being his first absence through injury in 5 years. And then Harris treated him as normal the following week. Apparently Bill Shankly used to do exactly the same with injured players, as if he couldn’t bear to deal with them. When Lawlor missed a game after 250 successive appearances, Shankly said he had been watching him all along, aware that he would throw a sickie one day! And according to Hodgy, Joe Shaw chipped in with what I regard as a rather good joke on the unfairness of life: ‘Which bastard put an “s” in the word “lisp”?’
So, defeat was another setback, but at least we had sufficient points to remain top. Wednesday had also had a poor run, but they won that day, though not without some panic - 5-1 up at half-time v Blackburn, they had to cling on to win 5-4. All was not well with Sheffield football; but compared with December 2020...
 
Dec 17, 1960: United 1-1 Norwich
Attendance: 16904

The disappointing run of results continued, with a home draw against promotion rivals Norwich, and the big lead at the top of the league from November was beginning to look fragile. My scrapbook remained empty for yet another week, and I have lost the programme, but I know I was at the game. The alternative would have been Xmas shopping, so that is not in doubt! Fortunately, I have found film of some highlights, and will try to add this at the end. I have never attempted this before, so 🤞.
Team selection was again clearly a problem. The lineup was:

Hodgy
Coldwell. Mason
Richardson Shaw (J). Summers
Wilson Kettleboro’ Pace Russell Simpson

The good news was that Hodgy was back again, so John Harris was talking to him again; and Kettleborough was settling in at inside-right. But Graham Shaw was still out injured, Russell moved to inside-left, and young Andy Wilson played one of his 4 league games for us. Not for the only time in our history selling a key player (Kevin Lewis) without having a replacement was looking like a big mistake. The video suggests that the youngster made little impression, though Pace did take on a header when Wilson was well-placed behind him in on goal.
Putting together details from the video, the programme for the next game, and Hodgy’s autobiography, United were the better side for over an hour, and should have had the game won by then. The pitch was heavy, and it seems incredible now that games were played in conditions like that, and with a heavy leather ball which absorbed water. Simpson’s goal in the opening minutes was a fore-runner of TC’s famous ‘quality’ goal, For those who never saw Simpson, the early shot that skimmed just wide of the post at the Lane end was typical; imagine that shot from a slightly more central position arrowing into the bottom corner, and you have a typical Simpson goal. And in the second half, there are good examples of his centres for Pace, who meets one of them with an unusually inaccurate header. There are good examples of Summers and Kettleborough’s midfield work in the first half. The late equaliser came from Alcock (a familiar story), who was given space to run on to a through ball and score. Not for the only time, the editing of his book lets Hodgy down, as he describes it as a header from a Punton corner - the route of the Norwich goal at Carrow Road in the opening game. The match video certainly does not back him up. And United ended up getting lucky, with the linesman disallowing a Norwich winner for a foul nobody else spotted. A better performance, then, but there were still problems as Xmas approached. I trust the link below works.


 
ancientblade said:
bit early for me but getting closer to the start of my era but keep em coming love this thread 👍
Click to expand...
Ta. I’m afraid my scrapbook runs out before too long (I discovered there were other things in life, if you catch my drift!), but I am looking forward to re-living the final 4 months of 1960-61. It was 4 months of footballing heaven for a 13-year-old Blades fan with freedom to travel. There have been other spells as good, or even better, but you can’t beat the good things you experience when you are young. Perhaps somebody will want to take over the gap between this thread and the beginning of Silent Blade ’s 50 years ago thread!
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Back
Top Bottom