Down memory Lane.....this day

[Sharrowblade]

Through the 50's and into the 70's, United used to tour abroad almost every year. Indeed, I can remember my granddad, John Spencer, telling me he had played against Ajax and Eintracht Frankfurt in the 50's in end of season tours. I've been having a flick through the Kirkham/Clarebrough bible this dinnertime, and United often used to tour West Germany and Holland. There's also a tour of Zambia in 1972, New Zealand in 1975 and a visit to China and Malaysia at the end of our 83/84 promotion season.

All the tour matches are included on the website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sharrowblade/sets

 

[Silent Blade]

This is true to a degree, but I understand it was the first game that didn't go to plan as Blackpool didnt stick to the plan. From then on all bets were off as it were.

Cheers! Out of the players who have played for the Blades, Birchenall's autobiography is still the most interesting I have read. A lot of funny stories!

 

[Silent Blade]

Meant to post this yesterday

14th June 1947. Yes we played a football league match! It was cos many clubs had a massive backlog of games after the "Big Freeze" of 1947

Blades 2 Stoke City 1

Stoke needed to win the match to become League Champions despite selling Stan Matthews to Blackpool 5 weeks earlier. 38 year old Jack Pickering played his first league match since before the war and he scored our first goal in our 2-1 win. Stoke's loss meant Liverpool (who had completed their fixtures) won the title

 

[Sharrowblade]

Meant to post this yesterday

14th June 1947. Yes we played a football league match! It was cos many clubs had a massive backlog of games after the "Big Freeze" of 1947

Blades 2 Stoke City 1

Stoke needed to win the match to become League Champions despite selling Stan Matthews to Blackpool 5 weeks earlier. 38 year old Jack Pickering played his first league match since before the war and he scored our first goal in our 2-1 win. Stoke's loss meant Liverpool (who had completed their fixtures) won the title

Nice one silent, I think Stoke had to wait something like 4 weeks for this fixture after their previous one.

Programme as normal for this season, with no name of opposition on the front.

 

[Sharrowblade]

49 years ago today 1965.

United win 3-2 against a Hong Kong XI. Birchenall with a couple and Matthewson. The following day Blackpool played an Chinese XI.

This I understand is the souvenir programme, but there is a official newspaper style programme as well.

 

[Sharrowblade]

OK its back, a programme from this day in History, whether you like it or not

15 years ago, July 12th 2000

The Sheffield Masters at the Arena.

Bradford, L***s, Them and Us

Players representing the Blades:
Agana, Barnes, Beesley, Benstead, Booker, Bryson, Cockerill, Gage, Gayle, Hodges, Pemberton, Philliskirk, Stan, Whitehurst, Wood

Ex players representing others: Saunders and Tomlinson (Bradford), Kamara and Davison (L***s) and former manager Metal Micky (also L***s).

Anybody ever go to any of these?

 

[Sirius]

13years ago today......July 26th 2000

A genuine hard to come by programme, for United's youth team visit to Westbury United in Wiltshire.

The last one that came up on ebay went for £30, which is quite staggering for a modern issue.

The first team were playing at Bodmin on the same evening.

United's youngsters drew 2-2 and they took the following squad:
Travers, Browne, Nugent, Jenkinson, Glarvey, Wood, Tonge, Killeen, Hurrell, Ferguson, Hazell, Jones, Handley, Colvin, Mallon, Fayenuwo, Crutchley, Featherstone, Walton, Sloane, Purkiss

View attachment 6111

Sad that so few of those lads, with high hopes never made it to the top Tonge sticks out Hee Hee but how many of the others made appearance in the first team?

 

[Sirius]

Nice one silent, I think Stoke had to wait something like 4 weeks for this fixture after their previous one.

Programme as normal for this season, with no name of opposition on the front.
View attachment 8681

I was taken to this game by my father who had recently been repatriated having spent time as a POW. It was the start of a long getting to know you time as the previous years it had been Mum and me'.

 

[Silent Blade]

I was taken to this game by my father who had recently been repatriated having spent time as a POW. It was the start of a long getting to know you time as the previous years it had been Mum and me'.

So you saw Jack Pickering play and score! His debut for us was in 1925 and this Stoke game in 1947 was his second last league appearance for us

 

[HighfieldBlade]

View attachment 12393

I recognise the other players but who's in the blue shirt on the left?

 

[malagablade]

ive got the programme from game against Frankfurt in Canada 1962 think it was , ill find it out and try and put it on here

 

[Worksop II]

Nice one silent, I think Stoke had to wait something like 4 weeks for this fixture after their previous one.

Programme as normal for this season, with no name of opposition on the front.
View attachment 8681

Barrel Hole Blade



Does he post on here ?

 

[Darren]

So you saw Jack Pickering play and score! His debut for us was in 1925 and this Stoke game in 1947 was his second last league appearance for us

Pickering must have had the longest gap between 1st and last game of any player. He played his last game in 1948 I believe - 23 years after his debut. Gilliespie, Hagan and Needham all did about 20 years, but not as many as Pickering I don't think.

 

[Silent Blade]

Pickering must have had the longest gap between 1st and last game of any player. He played his last game in 1948 I believe - 23 years after his debut. Gilliespie, Hagan and Needham all did about 20 years, but not as many as Pickering I don't think.

Yes, you are right

 

[Darren]

Yes, you are right

Who has done more than 15 years?

Other ones I can think of

Cec Coldwell
Graham Shaw
Joe Shaw
Alan Hodgkinson
Jack Smith
Albert Sturgess

Any more?

 

[Revolution]

Deano - 1988 to 2006 (with gaps of course)
Billy Gillespie is another lengthy one.

 

[Sharrowblade]

11 years ago today: 2004. Matlock Town v Sheffield United



The Blades took a strong line up to the Causeway
Kenny, Francis, Wright, Tonge, Morgan, Jagielka, Liddel, Quinn (A), Hayles, Gray, Hyde,
Subs:Barnes, Forte, Whelan, Sharp, Robertson, Gordon, Harper, Shaw.

For Matlock, Rockie White, who is the uncle of Diego.

Matlock won 4-3, with the blades goals coming from Liddel and a brace from Morgs.

Decent effort with regards to the programme particularly with reference past pre-season meetings. Included is the scan off page 4 which is a reproduction of a reserve game from 1921. Admission charge by todays standard would have been about somewhere around £0.75p.

 

[billyblademan]

11 years ago today: 2004. Matlock Town v Sheffield United

View attachment 12400View attachment 12402

The Blades took a strong line up to the Causeway
Kenny, Francis, Wright, Tonge, Morgan, Jagielka, Liddel, Quinn (A), Hayles, Gray, Hyde,
Subs:Barnes, Forte, Whelan, Sharp, Robertson, Gordon, Harper, Shaw.

For Matlock, Rockie White, who is the uncle of Diego.

Matlock won 4-3, with the blades goals coming from Liddel and a brace from Morgs.

Decent effort with regards to the programme particularly with reference past pre-season meetings. Included is the scan off page 4 which is a reproduction of a reserve game from 1921. Admission charge by todays standard would have been about somewhere around £0.75p.

Who's Hyde?

 

[Silent Blade]

Who has done more than 15 years?

Other ones I can think of

Cec Coldwell
Graham Shaw
Joe Shaw
Alan Hodgkinson
Jack Smith
Albert Sturgess

Any more?

Graham Shaw's debut was in the 3-1 win at S6 in January 1952, his last competitive match was in the 4-3 win at home to WBA in October 1966 so it is less than 15 years. Will check on Cec Coldwell and Bill Cook when I get home

 

[bornablade]

Sad that so few of those lads, with high hopes never made it to the top Tonge sticks out Hee Hee but how many of the others made appearance in the first team?

Went to that match at Bodmin. Warnock always arranged pre season friendlies in the West Country for personal reasons. He needed to be down there to turn his tractor over!

Went to Bodmin two seasons 1999 / 2000 or 2001.

One of the seasons also went to Exeter. Remember Pesch enjoying banter with Blades fans as he was warming up. I think Asaba missed a penalty Simmo style.

 

[Sharrowblade]

I recognise the other players but who's in the blue shirt on the left?

John Brown

 

[Sharrowblade]

Who's Hyde?

Good question. And one I can't answer

Here's the teamsheet:

 

[Silent Blade]

Who has done more than 15 years?

Other ones I can think of

Cec Coldwell
Graham Shaw
Joe Shaw
Alan Hodgkinson
Jack Smith
Albert Sturgess

Graham Shaw's debut was in the 3-1 win at S6 in January 1952, his last competitive match was in the 4-3 win at home to WBA in October 1966 so it is less than 15 years. Will check on Cec Coldwell and Bill Cook when I get home

Any more?

Albert Sturgess debut was in the 2-1 win at Bury in Sept 1908 and his last was in the 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield in February 1923 before moving to Norwich

Cec Coldwell's debut was in the 1-0 win at Southampton in April 1952, his last game was coming on as sub replacing broken leg victim , Gil Reece, in the 1-1 home draw against Blackpool in November 1966.

Bill Cook's first, 3-1 defeat at Bradford in Sept 1912, his last was the 3-2 home defeat against Arsenal in Jan 1927 so the list of players who have done more than 15 years are

Jack Pickering (23 years)
Billy Gillespie & Joe Shaw (21)
Jimmy Hagan (20)
Ernest Needham & Jack Smith (19)
Alan Hodgkinson (17)

 

[Silent Blade]

Good question. And one I can't answer

Here's the teamsheet:

View attachment 12407

Micah Hyde?

 

[Sharrowblade]

Micah Hyde?

Indeed it was.

He lasted for 45 minutes before being replaced by Forte.

Three weeks later he'd be scoring for Burnley against us at Turf Moor in the first game of the season.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

Here's the teamsheet:

View attachment 12407

Referee, a Mr. A Hogg...must hail from S6, surely.

 

[Sharrowblade]

Referee, a Mr. A Hogg...must hail from S6, surely.

Ha Ha. yes, that would be Andy Hogg, he was alright, he was Lino once in a local Sunday League Cup Final, and should have sent me off in the first minute. Either he took pity or needed to go to specsavers

 

[Sirius]

So you saw Jack Pickering play and score! His debut for us was in 1925 and this Stoke game in 1947 was his second last league appearance for us

Silent, I would like to have said yes but I was quite young and only recall that there was a large crowd

 

[bornablade]

Albert Sturgess debut was in the 2-1 win at Bury in Sept 1908 and his last was in the 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield in February 1923 before moving to Norwich

Cec Coldwell's debut was in the 1-0 win at Southampton in April 1952, his last game was coming on as sub replacing broken leg victim , Gil Reece, in the 1-1 home draw against Blackpool in November 1966.

Bill Cook's first, 3-1 defeat at Bradford in Sept 1912, his last was the 3-2 home defeat against Arsenal in Jan 1927 so the list of players who have done more than 15 years are

Jack Pickering (23 years)
Billy Gillespie & Joe Shaw (21)
Jimmy Hagan (20)
Ernest Needham & Jack Smith (19)
Alan Hodgkinson (17)

Remember that game when Gil Reece broke his leg. Think the incident took place on the cricket pitch side of the ground probably near where the dug outs are now. Thing that sticks in my memory is how everyone said they heard the crack of the bone when his leg was broken.

 

[malagablade]

I actually think it was emlyn hughes that did it !