Balham Blade
S24SU Seer
Given our rapid rise I don't get to do these very often at the moment but we travelled to Reading in the FA Cup in 2013. Reading were back in the Premier League while we were midway through our second season in League One with the cracks in Danny Wilson's regime beginning to show.
United's line up that day
25 George Long: now at Hull and has turned into a competent Championship keeper, even if he's not dealt with his one major weakness (pushing shots back into the six yard box)
2 Darryl Westlake: it's still incomprehensible to me that he a) had a professional career and b) we paid a transfer fee for him: last seen at Stourbridge in 2016
4 Danny Higginbotham: this was a final payday (well, exercising an option that he had for an extra year was his proper final payday) for an over-the-hill Higginbotham. Left United in the summer of 2013 with an extra year's pay in his pocket, played a few games for Chester and Altrincham in the Conference before becoming a pundit
5 Harry Maguire: the world's most expensive defender, now captaining Manchester United to a finish just outside the European places
29 Tony McMahon: Shithouse Tony spent two years at United kicking opposition wingers. Now a free agent after leaving Oxford in September
10 Nick Blackman: spent 6 months at United, scoring 11 goals in 28 appearances having signed from Blackburn for £50k. We sold him to Reading for £1.2m a few days after the cup defeat there; he's now at Maccabi Tel Aviv having spent time at Derby - who paid Reading over £3m for him, a lot of money for a player whose main goal threat is from the penalty spot
8 Michael Doyle: still playing as he nears 40, he's been spotted scoring ridiculous goals for Notts County this season
11 Kevin McDonald: left us early in the David Weir regime to join divisional rivals Wolves for £500k. Now at Fulham where he plays a squad role.
23 Jamie Murphy: left United for Brighton in August 2015, now back with Nigel Clough at Burton on loan from Rangers after missing the past two years with ACL injuries.
14 David Kitson: played for us for one season before joining Oxford. Now retired to allegedly concentrate on his writing career.
9 Chris Porter: cult hero to some at the Lane with some vital goals (a match-winning double in the last 5 minutes against Forest in the FA Cup under Clough being the pinnacle), now at Crewe where he's scoring plenty but still missing sitters
Subs:
35 Danny Coyne: emergency signing after Howard got injured at Leyton Orient, don't think he made a first team appearance. Now goalkeeping coach at Middlebrough
15 Neill Collins (on for Westlake, 76): managing Tampa Bay Rowdies in the second tier of the US system. Bizarrely rated by some, his time at United saw us finish lower pretty much every season he was at the Lane
7 Ryan Flynn (on for Porter, 60): the epitome of our stay in League One, Flynn is now at St Mirren but suffered an ACL injury in early February. Has been playing at right back which I maintain is his best position
27 Elliot Whitehouse (on for McDonald, 69): dropped into non-league before working his way back up, now with Grimsby in League Two
36 Diego De Girolamo: arguably the most talented youth player we've ever brought through until a series of knee injuries ruined his career. Now at Buxton which is a long way from Juventus.
17 Richard Cresswell: left United in the summer of 2013 to play for his hometown club York in League Two before retiring in December 2013. Now Head of Academy Coaching at Leeds
24 Joe Ironside: another tale of too much pressure on a young player who probably wasn't good enough, Ironside didn't score in 16 appearances and is now at League Two crisis club Macclesfield having worked his way back up from non-league.
Given that this game was 7 years ago it's surprising that the majority of the players in the squad are still playing: the only one who isn't who isn't at retirement age (as far as I can tell) is Darryl Westlake but you could argue that he wasn't good enough to start with.
United's line up that day
25 George Long: now at Hull and has turned into a competent Championship keeper, even if he's not dealt with his one major weakness (pushing shots back into the six yard box)
2 Darryl Westlake: it's still incomprehensible to me that he a) had a professional career and b) we paid a transfer fee for him: last seen at Stourbridge in 2016
4 Danny Higginbotham: this was a final payday (well, exercising an option that he had for an extra year was his proper final payday) for an over-the-hill Higginbotham. Left United in the summer of 2013 with an extra year's pay in his pocket, played a few games for Chester and Altrincham in the Conference before becoming a pundit
5 Harry Maguire: the world's most expensive defender, now captaining Manchester United to a finish just outside the European places
29 Tony McMahon: Shithouse Tony spent two years at United kicking opposition wingers. Now a free agent after leaving Oxford in September
10 Nick Blackman: spent 6 months at United, scoring 11 goals in 28 appearances having signed from Blackburn for £50k. We sold him to Reading for £1.2m a few days after the cup defeat there; he's now at Maccabi Tel Aviv having spent time at Derby - who paid Reading over £3m for him, a lot of money for a player whose main goal threat is from the penalty spot
8 Michael Doyle: still playing as he nears 40, he's been spotted scoring ridiculous goals for Notts County this season
11 Kevin McDonald: left us early in the David Weir regime to join divisional rivals Wolves for £500k. Now at Fulham where he plays a squad role.
23 Jamie Murphy: left United for Brighton in August 2015, now back with Nigel Clough at Burton on loan from Rangers after missing the past two years with ACL injuries.
14 David Kitson: played for us for one season before joining Oxford. Now retired to allegedly concentrate on his writing career.
9 Chris Porter: cult hero to some at the Lane with some vital goals (a match-winning double in the last 5 minutes against Forest in the FA Cup under Clough being the pinnacle), now at Crewe where he's scoring plenty but still missing sitters
Subs:
35 Danny Coyne: emergency signing after Howard got injured at Leyton Orient, don't think he made a first team appearance. Now goalkeeping coach at Middlebrough
15 Neill Collins (on for Westlake, 76): managing Tampa Bay Rowdies in the second tier of the US system. Bizarrely rated by some, his time at United saw us finish lower pretty much every season he was at the Lane
7 Ryan Flynn (on for Porter, 60): the epitome of our stay in League One, Flynn is now at St Mirren but suffered an ACL injury in early February. Has been playing at right back which I maintain is his best position
27 Elliot Whitehouse (on for McDonald, 69): dropped into non-league before working his way back up, now with Grimsby in League Two
36 Diego De Girolamo: arguably the most talented youth player we've ever brought through until a series of knee injuries ruined his career. Now at Buxton which is a long way from Juventus.
17 Richard Cresswell: left United in the summer of 2013 to play for his hometown club York in League Two before retiring in December 2013. Now Head of Academy Coaching at Leeds
24 Joe Ironside: another tale of too much pressure on a young player who probably wasn't good enough, Ironside didn't score in 16 appearances and is now at League Two crisis club Macclesfield having worked his way back up from non-league.
Given that this game was 7 years ago it's surprising that the majority of the players in the squad are still playing: the only one who isn't who isn't at retirement age (as far as I can tell) is Darryl Westlake but you could argue that he wasn't good enough to start with.
He improved immeasurably by not playing.
