Down memory Lane.....this day

[The Who Blade]

World Cup winners Patrick Viera and Gilberto Silva both played against us in the 2003 FA Cup semi final

 

[Sharrowblade]

Following on from dazzler's grim recollection of the Blackburn game, comes arguably the worst in the Blades history.

May 2nd 1981

Who remembers this one

 

[Darren]

Following on from dazzler's grim recollection of the Blackburn game, comes arguably the worst in the Blades history.

May 2nd 1981

Who remembers this one

View attachment 8362

Me

I was there and at the Blackburn game. Memries of the Walsall game

We needed a point to stay up and send Walsall down. They needed to win and send us down. However, even if we lost we would stay up in Swindon lost their game.

A frenetic start, which calmed down into a game of few chances. In the second half, I recall the ref getting laid out by a poweful shot just inside the half at the Kop end (was he replaced by the linesman? I can't recall) and Givens on a powerful run that led to a 20 yarder than went just wide of the right post at the Kop end.

Then came the drama: 5 mins to go, Alan Buckley breaks into the United area to the left of the BL goal. John MacPhail comes careering across and sends him flying. I knew it was a pen straight off. Don Penn took it, Conroy dived left and the ball went stright down the middle of the goal.

The United fans at the Kop end then started climbing the barriers with a view to invading the pitch. With a min to go Hatton had the ball on the right of the Walsall area and sent in a speculative cross shot, which hit a Walsall player. To the amazement of everyone, the ref gave a pen, for handball apparently, though I coudn't see it. I reckon he thought he would be lynched if Walsall won.

Don Givens took the kick (as we all know John Matthews bottled it). I remember focusing on the net waiting for the ball to hit it. It didn't. It was a soft kick to Ron Green's right and he easily smothered it.

The final whistle went shortly afterwards, there was a pitch invasion and a number of Walsall players were attacked. Then a rumour started circulating that Swindon had lost; it was apparently spread by the police to end the violence. We lived in hope and I saw a bloke come out of a Kop exit, arms aloft shouting "yesssssssss".

Me and my brother walked home, daring to hope. My dad told us the bad news when we got there :-(

 

[Silent Blade]

World Cup winners Patrick Viera and Gilberto Silva both played against us in the 2003 FA Cup semi final

Forgot Gilberto Silva. Have added him in my list (done this morning) of the World Cup winners I have seen play in a match
1966 winners
Gordon Banks (first saw him in Blades v Stoke in Oct 1971)
Nobby Stiles (Blades reserves v Man U reserves in Sept 1970)
Jack Charlton (Blades v L**ds in League Cup Sept 1970)
Bobby Moore (West Ham v Blades Nov 6th 1971)
Alan Ball (Wendy v Everton April 1970)
Roger Hunt (Blades v Bolton March 1970)
Bobby Charlton (Man U v Blades Oct 1971)
Geoff Hurst (West Ham v Blades Nov 1971 I think, but did see him in few more matches if he didn’t play in that match in Nov 1971)
Martin Peters (probably Wendy v Spurs in March 1970 but saw him loads of times)
1958 and 1970
Pele (Wendy v Santos Feb 1972)
1974
Paul Breitner (Derby v Real Madrid Oct 1975)
1978
Ubaldo Fillol, Daniel Passarella, Leopoldo Luque and Oscar Ortiz (Blades v River Plate August 1978)
Osvaldo Ardiles (Man City v Spurs Sept 1978)
1998
Patrick Vieira ( Arsenal v Blades March 1999)
2002
Gilberto Silva (Arsenal v Blades April 2003)
2006
Marco Materazzi (Sheffield FC v Inter Milan Oct 2007)
2010
Cesc Fabregas (Blades v Arsenal 2005)

 

[bornablade]

May 2nd 1981 Blades v Walsall. I found myself working some 70 miles north of Sheffield and I was unable to get anyone to cover my shift on that day. At half time (important for younger readers / contributers to this forum, this is pre internet, texting, Ceefax, mobile phones etc etc.) I 'phoned Radio Hallam and asked for the H/T score.

Some vague female answered rather unsurely 'Well it's 1-1.'
'Thanks' I said thinking that'll be OK.
At full time I was able to get myself in front of a TV to see the full time scores. Up they come on the screen

Sheffield United 0 Walsall 1.

Now what must have only been seconds but felt like minutes I tell myself they've made a mistake. Can't be 0-1 when it was 1-1 at half time. I kept staring at the screen waiting for the BBC to rectify their mistake.

It suddenly dawned on me we'd lost, the BBC score was correct and Radio Hallam had dropped a right bollock in my life.

Although the feeling was not as bad as the BDM defeat a few years previous it's certainly up there as one of the worst.

Just as I don't read the Star following their disgraceful Save Our Owls campaign I have never listened to Radio Hallam since that day.

(Reading this post I think I should change my user name to BORN A BITTER BLADE)

 

[Lane Ender]

2nd May 1979

United 0 Blackburn 1

In late April 1979, we were locked in a struggle for the last relegation place from Division 2 with Charlton. Blackburn were already down and Millwall as good as down. We played Charlton at the Lane on 28/4/79 and got a nervy 2-1 win. That left United and Charlton level on points. Charlton had the better GD would be had 3 games left and Charlton only 1. Moreover our 3 games were against the already relegated Blackburn at home and lower mid table and nothing to play for Cambridge (A) and Leicester (H). After the Charlton match, their manager more or less gave up saying it would now take a "miracle" to keep his lot up.

So, we played Blackburn at the Lane on the following Wednesday night. A win would have seen us about 90% surre of safety. As it happens, around the half hour mark, Kenworthy sent a dodgy back pass to Conroy which went out for a needless corner. Blackburn scored from the corner and, despite them having a man sent off, United could not get a goal back.

Come Saturday the 5th, we lost at Cambridge, Charlton won and our draw at home to Leicester on Tuesday the 8th merely confirmed our first ever spell in the 3rd tier.

I thought we'd cracked it against Charlton and i was at Cambridge bad day that.

 

[Silent Blade]

May 2nd 1981 Blades v Walsall. I found myself working some 70 miles north of Sheffield and I was unable to get anyone to cover my shift on that day. At half time (important for younger readers / contributers to this forum, this is pre internet, texting, Ceefax, mobile phones etc etc.) I 'phoned Radio Hallam and asked for the H/T score.

Some vague female answered rather unsurely 'Well it's 1-1.'
'Thanks' I said thinking that'll be OK.
At full time I was able to get myself in front of a TV to see the full time scores. Up they come on the screen

Sheffield United 0 Walsall 1.

Now what must have only been seconds but felt like minutes I tell myself they've made a mistake. Can't be 0-1 when it was 1-1 at half time. I kept staring at the screen waiting for the BBC to rectify their mistake.

It suddenly dawned on me we'd lost, the BBC score was correct and Radio Hallam had dropped a right bollock in my life.

Although the feeling was not as bad as the BDM defeat a few years previous it's certainly up there as one of the worst.

Just as I don't read the Star following their disgraceful Save Our Owls campaign I have never listened to Radio Hallam since that day.

(Reading this post I think I should change my user name to BORN A BITTER BLADE)

My dad told me that a friend of his (his name is Pete) was in the navy in 1961 and one night he was desperate to find out the score for our FA Cup semi final 2nd replay against Leicester and kept asking a woman who was a sort of a receptionist if she had heard the score. After a while the woman told him that she had phoned to find out Sheffield United had won the match. Pete celebrated that night telling everyone that the Blades had reached the FA Cup final and he got pissed! In the next morning a Navy friend of Pete's came up with a morning paper to tell him that the Blades actually lost 2-0! He then realised that the receptionist was either playing a cruel joke on him or said a lie just to shut him up!

 

[bornablade]

My dad told me that a friend of his (his name is Pete) was in the navy in 1961 and one night he was desperate to find out the score for our FA Cup semi final 2nd replay against Leicester and kept asking a woman who was a sort of a receptionist if she had heard the score. After a while the woman told him that she had phoned to find out Sheffield United had won the match. Pete celebrated that night telling everyone that the Blades had reached the FA Cup final and he got pissed! In the next morning a Navy friend of Pete's came up with a morning paper to tell him that the Blades actually lost 2-0! He then realised that the receptionist was either playing a cruel joke on him or said a lie just to shut him up!

Silent, some people just don't realise the damage they are causing.

On Monday I can see this forum going into meltdown as people remember that amazing day 24 years ago.

 

[UnitedBlade]

Silent, some people just don't realise the damage they are causing.

On Monday I can see this forum going into meltdown as people remember that amazing day 24 years ago.

Quite a few will have quite a lot to say and if anyone took photos that day ...............

Now that is one of our greatest ever days.

Green 'Un please !

 

[Sharrowblade]

May 3rd 1994, 20 years ago today:

A 1-1 at Boundary Park in the penultimate game of the season, thanks to Corky gives United a great chance to escape relegation,

What could possibly go wrong? United pushing for a winner in the last minute when they didn't need to,Everyone else winning, and some fiddling cheating t**t 200 miles away on Merseyside, conceding 'that' goal. ......Oh hang on tho.....

Bad day all round,...right I'm off to BDTBL, enjoy the game today boys and girls

 

[Silent Blade]

Remember this match, before the match a Blade a row below me was slagging off the decision in picking Alan Cork and saying loudly (Cork was warming up on the pitch and must have heard him!) that Cork wouldnt be in his Sunday league team. When Cork nodded in our opener, he ran in the direction of the fan below me and pointed at him while being mobbed by his team mates. Late in the game Simon Tracey got sent off for upending Darren Beckford outside the penalty box.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Correct and it was on March 28th 1970 (not March 21st as I said earlier). I have seen all of the 1966 World Cup winners play in a match except for George Cohen and Ray Wilson. I have seen Pele (1970 winner) at S6 in 1972, saw Paul Breitner (1974 winner) for Real Madrid at Derby in 1975, saw Ubaldo Fillol, Daniel Passarella, Leoplodo Luque and Oscar Ortiz (all 1978) for River Plate at BDTBL in August 1978. Materazzi (2006) at BDTBL in Oct 2007. Will have to think of more World Cup winners

With out using google

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

 

[Silent Blade]

With out using google

Didnt use google for checking the World Cup winning teams from 1966 to 1978. When I was doing the list on Friday morning I had realised I had forgotten that I saw Ardiles in the Man City v Spurs game in Sept 1978 (we were playing away to West Ham that day, my school mate who was from Northern Ireland was staying at my house that weekend so my dad suggested we go to see Ardiles and Villa at Maine Road so we agreed to this). I did use Google to check the 1982 to 2010 World Cup winning teams, I then remembered Vieira, didnt realise that Fabregas came on as sub in the last final so I added them to my list but overlooked Gilberto Silva until I read the post from "The Who Blade". A month ago I was thinking of the World Cup winners I saw play in a match but I wasnt sure if I saw Roger Hunt play so looking in the 1970-71 programme set I have at home, I had realised that he didnt play for Bolton in the 2-2 draw at BDTBL in Oct 1970 or in our 2-1 defeat at Burnden Park in Jan 1971 so on my day off (yes, I am a saddo!) I visited the Central Library to look at the Morning Telegraph archives to see if Roger Hunt did play in our home defeat on 28th March 1970 and he did play in that match!. I had always thought Clodoaldo played for Santos in that friendly at S6 in Feb 1972 but on checking the morning Telegraph archives, Clodoaldo didnt play in that friendly.

 

[bornablade]

May 3rd 1994, 20 years ago today:

A 1-1 at Boundary Park in the penultimate game of the season, thanks to Corky gives United a great chance to escape relegation,

What could possibly go wrong? United pushing for a winner in the last minute when they didn't need to,Everyone else winning, and some fiddling cheating t**t 200 miles away on Merseyside, conceding 'that' goal. ......Oh hang on tho.....

Bad day all round,...right I'm off to BDTBL, enjoy the game today boys and girls

View attachment 8369

I think the previous season we played at Boundary Park about the same time of the year (could have been Easter Tuesday?). It was pay on the gate and thousands of Blades turned up and many were locked out. I managed to get in on the home side. The following season (03/05/94) I bought a ticket early and ended up being in a really crap seat - on the front near the corner flag.

I think the Blades were all singing at the Oldham fans - 'Going down with the Swindon Town.' Well that came back and bit us on the bum the following Saturday at Chelsea which I am sure we will speak about later on in the week.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Didnt use google for checking the World Cup winning teams from 1966 to 1978. When I was doing the list on Friday morning I had realised I had forgotten that I saw Ardiles in the Man City v Spurs game in Sept 1978 (we were playing away to West Ham that day, my school mate who was from Northern Ireland was staying at my house that weekend so my dad suggested we go to see Ardiles and Villa at Maine Road so we agreed to this). I did use Google to check the 1982 to 2010 World Cup winning teams, I then remembered Vieira, didnt realise that Fabregas came on as sub in the last final so I added them to my list but overlooked Gilberto Silva until I read the post from "The Who Blade". A month ago I was thinking of the World Cup winners I saw play in a match but I wasnt sure if I saw Roger Hunt play so looking in the 1970-71 programme set I have at home, I had realised that he didnt play for Bolton in the 2-2 draw at BDTBL in Oct 1970 or in our 2-1 defeat at Burnden Park in Jan 1971 so on my day off (yes, I am a saddo!) I visited the Central Library to look at the Morning Telegraph archives to see if Roger Hunt did play in our home defeat on 28th March 1970 and he did play in that match!. I had always thought Clodoaldo played for Santos in that friendly at S6 in Feb 1972 but on checking the morning Telegraph archives, Clodoaldo didnt play in that friendly.

It always amazes me how to people like Darren and yourself come up with so much information about our history when I can't remember the last match.

 

[Silent Blade]

It always amazes me how to people like Darren and yourself come up with so much information about our history when I can't remember the last match.

To be honest I do struggle to remember many Blades matches in the last 15 years. I easily remember the 1970s matches and our matches in the Bassett years too. I have noticed in some of Darren's posts he finds it harder to remember the more recent matches. I think it is because we have other things to think about after we are 35 years old. I play chess and my performances for 2013/14 is probably the worst in the last 30 years. I think it is because nowadays I find it too tiring to do long analysis and make more mistakes!

 

[Sharrowblade]

4th May 1982. 32 years ago.

United 3-1 Rochdale.

Not the greatest performance by United, infact I thought we were really poor, but I remember it for going to the chippy on London Road, the one next to the Hermitage, and sitting down on the top deck of the No 75, and hearing that one of our ships had been hit by the Argies and lost. As naive teenagers (5th years) we joked that it was probably ours, (Sheffield) we didn't even know at the time we had one. The rest is history unfotunately

 

[Sharrowblade]

5th May. 1990

I know its been covered elsewhere today but still,

 

[Sharrowblade]

May 6th 1989 - 25 years ago today.

United end their home campaign with a 5-1 thrashing of Swansea City,

Agana with a hat-trick and a better than normal programme cover.

 

[Sharrowblade]

May 7th 1994. 20 years ago today. If you weren't there. It was a 'Kennedy-esque' moment.

Another entrant into the Blades Pantheon of dark days.

 

[Sharrowblade]

May 8th 1982 - 32 years ago.

A 4-0 thumping of Peterborough in our final home game of the season, and I perfect the art of getting polo's inside inflated bubbles of hubba bubba whilst sat at the back of the South Stand

Feethams here we come

 

[Revolution]

May 7th 1994. 20 years ago today. If you weren't there. It was a 'Kennedy-esque' moment.

Another entrant into the Blades Pantheon of dark days.

I was there. It remains the worst experience of my United supporting life.

May 8th 1982 - 32 years ago.

A 4-0 thumping of Peterborough in our final home game of the season, and I perfect the art of getting polo's inside inflated bubbles of hubba bubba whilst sat at the back of the South Stand

My first 20,000 plus crowd at the Lane..vivid memories of Kenworthy's headed goal, Edward's 35th of the season, and people scaling the fences and walking round the pitch before invading at full time...great day

 

[Silent Blade]

May 8th 1982 - 32 years ago.

A 4-0 thumping of Peterborough in our final home game of the season, and I perfect the art of getting polo's inside inflated bubbles of hubba bubba whilst sat at the back of the South Stand

Feethams here we come

View attachment 8432

With a few minutes left the fans thought the final whistle had been blown so many of them invaded the pitch, many in the Kop climbed over the wire fence and one of them lost his finger because his wedding ring got caught in the fence! The ref idicated that there were still a few minutes left so all the fans surrounded the pitch and their feet being very near the line to see the remaining minutes. A fan ran on the pitch trying to play in the match and he was taken away quickly. At the final whistle it was a struggle for the players to make it to the players tunnel!

 

[Sharrowblade]

17 years ago today, 1997.

A programme cover to remind us how bad our goalie shirts were back then.

First leg of the playoff, 1 1-1 draw with Ipswich.

 

[Foxy]

I hope your giant John Ebbrell poster is intact

 

[Silent Blade]

17 years ago today, 1997.

A programme cover to remind us how bad our goalie shirts were back then.

First leg of the playoff, 1 1-1 draw with Ipswich.

View attachment 8453

There was torrential rain before the match and there were puddles on the pitch, I did think the ref was going to postpone the match! It is ironic that tonight's match at York is postponed. Fjortoft scored a clever goal by using the puddles to carry the ball from the halfway line to the penalty box and then shooting the ball into the net. I remember Kieron Dyer giving us problems. Ipswich's late equaliser got me thinking "dont bother going to the 2nd leg cos we dont do well at Portman Road since the 1970s" but my dad went to the 2nd leg while I watched Wolves v Reading on Sky at his house and Sky would show goal updates from the Blades match (our extra time at Portman Road was shown live)

 

[Silent Blade]

I hope your giant John Ebbrell poster is intact

I always thought the 1996/97 programmes were the worst for errors and features

 

[leedsblade1982]

My memories of the Ipswich home leg on top of the torrential rain were the huge speakers sited around the pitch and the music that greeted Fjortofts goal. First time to my knowledge that this had ever occurred at Bramall lane. Now we can't get rid of it!! Have always preferred it when the crowd is allowed to cheer and greet a goal naturally.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I hope your giant John Ebbrell poster is intact

More than he ever was!