38 years ago today

[grafikhaus]

With the present season due to have been finishing this Sunday, a look back to grim times for The Blades.

Approx. ten thousand Blades fans descended on Darlington’s Feethams ground to see United clinch the Fourth Division Champions crown. The previous season – 1980/81 – managers Harry Haslam and Martin Peters had disgracefully seen United relegated to the fourth tier for the first time ever. Peters resigned and manager of newly-promoted (from the Third Division to the Second Division) Rotherham United, Ian Porterfield, was appointed.

Keith Edwards was brought back from Hull City to partner Bob Hatton and between them they scored 50 of United’s 94 league goals that season.

It was United’s first-ever league game at Feethams on 15th May, 1982 – a three-sided ground.





The Blades team that day was 1. Waugh 2. Charles 3. Garner 4. Matthews 5. MacPhail 6. Kenworthy 7. Morris 8. Trusson 9. Edwards 10. Hatton 11. King.

The Quakers team included David Speedie and…Chris Kamara.

The ‘official crowd’ that day was stated as 12,557 but many more gained entry to the ground without being counted. Darlington’s previous home game drew a ‘crowd’ of 1,612 and their highest crowd before this Blades game was in the local derby at home to Hartlepool – 4,575.

Many United fans had dressed in fancy dress – gorillas, clowns, bishops etc. The party atmosphere increased on 24 minutes when Bob Hatton put the Blades 1-0 up with his 15th league goal of the campaign. Five minutes later, Keith Edwards scored his 35th league goal to make it 2-0 and with the only other club capable of catching us – Wigan – losing at Aldershot, the Fourth Division Championship was safe.

​

 

[TCsLoveChild]

True story. I was living with the in-laws on this day (we were saving up to buy a house) and my father in law Geoff (lovely guy bless his soul), woke me up about 7 am telling me “ I think someone has stolen the wheels off your car” I rushed to the window only to see my beloved mark2 Ford Escort sitting on 4 bricks of Tudor stone . I looked at Geoff and said “what do you mean you THINK they have been stolen?”. I honestly can’t tell you how upset and disappointed I was firstly because it was obviously going to cost me a lot for new wheels but mainly because I was desperate to get to the match.

Geoff, bless him, drove me around 3 local scrap yards before we could get the correct sized 4 wheels we needed. Plainly showing how desperate I was for the wheels the good hearted scrap men completely ripped me off and I probably paid double what I should have done had I had the time to haggle with the feckers.

Anyway wheels collected we got the wheels fixed on the car and at breakneck speed I rushed around to collect my mates who were relying on me to drive them to Darlington. We were about 3 hours late setting off so I absolutely thrashed it up the old A1 expecting the wheels to drop off at any minute. We got to Darlington which was chokka block with Blades and no-where to park ffs. Ended up just parking it literally in a park, not a car park a proper park on the grass. Got to the ground with seconds to spare before the kick off and without seeing a single Darlington fan ( saw a few once the game started but only outside on a hill throwing rocks at us). Inside all 4 sides of the ground seemed to be 100% occupied by Blades and it turned into one of my best days ever .

So boys and girls, just because you day starts off shit doesn’t mean it’s not gonna turn out brilliantly!

Apologies for the length of this but this was one of my most memorable days ever and I can’t feckin wait for all this crap to be over so I can see my beloved Blades again. COYRAWWZZZZZZZZZZS. UTB

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

I am very pleased to report. That at the end of this game at Darlington, I was able to sneak into the Utd Dressing Room at Feethams as the players & staff began their celebrations. Not for very long, I'll grant you. But, still....

 

[TCsLoveChild]

I am very pleased to report. That at the end of this game at Darlington, I was able to sneak into the Utd Dressing Room at Feethams as the players & staff began their celebrations. Not for very long, I'll grant you. But, still....

That reminds me, you may remember that during the celebrations at the end ( it might even have been before the game finished during one of the many pitch invasions) Keith Edwards had one of his boots stolen off his foot and as we were driving home we were following a van and a lad was hanging out the back showing everyone who passed them the feckin boot . Top top day UTB

 

[Canterbury Blade]

I am very pleased to report. That at the end of this game at Darlington, I was able to sneak into the Utd Dressing Room at Feethams as the players & staff began their celebrations. Not for very long, I'll grant you. But, still....

Come on Phil, spill the beans, describe the scene.. for instance, did Bob have his Hat on? What ale was being supped? Was Edwards being mardy? We demand to know!!!

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Come on Phil, spill the beans, describe the scene.. for instance, did Bob have his Hat on? What ale was being supped? Was Edwards being mardy? We demand to know!!!

Fair enough. But, basically, I've got nowt. As I stumbled down a corridor, the team & staff walked towards me. I remember congratulating Edwards. I stood OUTSIDE the door for what seemed like an age. But was probably just seconds. And I thought - FFS, what else am I supposed to do - and pushed it open. I slithered in & stood just to the left. Again, felt like an age ... wasn't. I have no real visualisation of the next "short while". Too busy thinking - Jeez I'm in. It was Tony Kenworthy who asked me to leave - "you can't stay in here....".

 

[blade.i.am]

Interesting that we got promoted with 3 clubs that would, at the time, have been considered unlikely candidates for the top flight but all subsequently spent time there.

 

[Carlton Blade]

I was born 58 days after this. Of all the games I've missed, this was the one I would have liked to be around for

 

[GodricBlade]

I went with 2 school mates - Jamie Smith (Smit) & Michael Aldred (Minky).
We went on the train..... Football specials were mental when you think about it.
As I remember things, we spilled off the train, came out of the station in Darlington & walked 20-a-breast down a long straight road to the ground - which was situated at the far side of a park or cricket pitch or summat green anyway.
Ended up at the back of the stand behind the goal.
Didn’t see a Darlington fan all day.

 

[benn5712]

The baby. What about the baby?
Must have been 35 if he was a day. Complete in nappy, bonnet and doh doh.
LMAO
What a day.
Stopped off at Swiss cottage/chalet ? on the A1 coming back. Some Blade shouted "Get your t###s out for the lads", at the comely woman behind the bar.
She threw everybody out, everybody!
Morally and in all decency correct I suppose. Feckin bad business wise.

 

[Snake]

What a day that was! Went up there on the crazy football special train. Fuckin mental! Brilliant! Got back, went to Romeo's and pulled a cracker of bird. Her parents were away for the weekend too .... say no more, happy days

Perhaps these days my generation are viewed as knuckle dragging dinosaurs , but back in the day it's what we did! And I wouldn't swap what we had for owt. There just seemed so little pressure back then .... no pc's, no internet, no mobile phones (we didn't even have a house phone lol, or coloured tele). We just got our money, went on the piss Thursday, Friday, Saturday night. Saturday and Sunday dinner (and the odd Sunday night) then we were skint until the cycle began again. Marvelous days!

 

[AnglesWithDirtyFaces]

The 81/82 season, i seem to remember that it was the first one to have three points for a win, i think it sticks in my mind because at the time the total points we got at the end of the season was a record.

 

[Silent Blade]

That weekend, my Norwich supporting mate stayed at my house. I got tickets for us in the North Stand to watch Wendy v Norwich. Wendy's defeat at Bolton in the previous game ended Wendy's hopes for promotion. Norwich needed a win to go up to the 1st division with Luton and Watford. If they didnt win then they hoped that Leicester wouldnt get maximum points from their two remaining games. My Norwich mate couldnt hide his joy when Keith Bertschin equalised and I was worried that Wendy fans would attack us! Not long after Wendy scored the winner (for years I hadnt realised a Wendy fan was not far behind from the scorer, Gary Bannister I think, until I saw the footage years later) and fans invaded the pitch, a Wendy fan walked up to my mate asking for a fight so I pushed him away and he was dragged away by his friends but my mate and I got menacing stares from some of the Wendy fans around us. We had heard that Leicester had failed to beat Shrewsbury at home which meant Norwich had got the third promotion spot but the deluded Wendy fans still invaded the pitch after the final whistle. My mate and I couldnt understand the delusion shown by the Wendy fans and it was funny to see Jack Charlton going berserk and telling the Wendy fans to go back to their seats!

 

[Never be mastered]

I was a 14 yr old bar man that day in the boot of a ford cortina estate and numerous slabs of cans for my bro n his mates one of the best days of my life and was sat just behind the net on the grass for most off the match so I'm on most of the pics that day but can't seem to get one where I can zoom in and it not be blurred ⚔

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

I was born 58 days after this. Of all the games I've missed, this was the one I would have liked to be around for

You'd have loved it CB, but take comfort in the fact that you didn't have to suffer the previous season(s) like the rest of us!

 

[FreePaulRodgers]

I managed to run ove r to Tony Kenworthy who was warming up.
I introduced him to my teddy Tony (named after him) .Well I was only 19....and yes I still have said teddy.
I can honestly say I saw ONE home fan -a girl -in the ground and none anywhere else,only Middlesbrough fans who had come expecting to give 12,000 Blades a hiding....

 

[Teofilo Cubillas]

I remember being on the football special, then walking down that long street in Darlington. We all so happy. We knew we would win. During the match, I remember everyone chanting, "What shall we do with the argentinians... " and the coppers turning around to laugh. Then at the end, on the pitch, Trusson having his shirt ripped off just next to me.
And then back on the train. We stopped at what must have been York ... and there on the other platform was a single L**ds fan... WHOAAARHHH!... everyone, everyone leaned out of their window. He didn't move an inch (he must have been hallucinating), and someone asked him. "Did you lose again?" What a day!

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

Photos and videos please for someone who is still totally pissed off at not having been there .

 

[blade too long]

 

[blade too long]

 

[GodricBlade]

View attachment 79799

That was the goal I was behind & I remember - vaguely - hanging onto one of the advertising boards for much of the game. I may be one of the blurry shapes on that pic