56 years ago today...

[grafikhaus]

...was my first memory of watching The Blades. April 23rd 1962 and I went with my mum and dad to Old Trafford. We won 1-0 with a goal from 'Doc' Pace in front of 30,073 in the top flight. John Harris's team that day was:
1. Alan Hodgkinson 2. Cec Coldwell 3. Graham Shaw 4. Barry (?) Richardson 5. Joe Shaw 6. Reg Matthewson 7. Len Allchurch 8. Keith Kettleborough 9. Derek Pace 10. W. (?) Hodgson 11. (?) Simpson.

As it was a Bank Holiday Monday, we played the 'return fixture' the following day at Bramall Lane where - as usual - our joy from Old Trafford was short-lived as The Reds won 2-3.
More on 'Doc' Pace here from Cyprus Blade (and others).
Ipswich won the title that season, with Burnley runners-up. The Blades finished in fifth place.

Burnley knocked us out of the FA Cup 6th round at Bramall Lane (0-1, March 10th, 1962) in front of an estimated crowd of 57,000.

 

[blade.i.am]

Happy anniversary!

 

[grafikhaus]

Happy anniversary!

Thanks! I 'celebrated' the 50th anniversary in 2012 by having a tattoo done. Not sure how I'll mark the occasion today. Probably get pissed.

 

[axel smeets]

This remains our best post war finish.

 

[Sean Thornton]

...was my first memory of watching The Blades. April 23rd 1962 and I went with my mum and dad to Old Trafford. We won 1-0 with a goal from 'Doc' Pace in front of 30,073 in the top flight. John Harris's team that day was:
1. Alan Hodgkinson 2. Cec Coldwell 3. Graham Shaw 4. Barry (?) Richardson 5. Joe Shaw 6. Reg Matthewson 7. Len Allchurch 8. Keith Kettleborough 9. Derek Pace 10. W. (?) Hodgson 11. (?) Simpson.

As it was a Bank Holiday Monday, we played the 'return fixture' the following day at Bramall Lane where - as usual - our joy from Old Trafford was short-lived as The Reds won 2-3.
More on 'Doc' Pace here from Cyprus Blade (and others).
Ipswich won the title that season, with Burnley runners-up. The Blades finished in fifth place.

Burnley knocked us out of the FA Cup 6th round at Bramall Lane (0-1, March 10th, 1962) in front of an estimated crowd of 57,000.

Brian Richardson, Ronnie Simpson

 

[ucandomagic]

30,000 at Old Trafford, 57,000 at The Lane!

Truly Magic Days

 

[finlaytheblade]

...was my first memory of watching The Blades. April 23rd 1962 and I went with my mum and dad to Old Trafford. We won 1-0 with a goal from 'Doc' Pace in front of 30,073 in the top flight. John Harris's team that day was:
1. Alan Hodgkinson 2. Cec Coldwell 3. Graham Shaw 4. Barry (?) Richardson 5. Joe Shaw 6. Reg Matthewson 7. Len Allchurch 8. Keith Kettleborough 9. Derek Pace 10. W. (?) Hodgson 11. (?) Simpson.

As it was a Bank Holiday Monday, we played the 'return fixture' the following day at Bramall Lane where - as usual - our joy from Old Trafford was short-lived as The Reds won 2-3.
More on 'Doc' Pace here from Cyprus Blade (and others).
Ipswich won the title that season, with Burnley runners-up. The Blades finished in fifth place.

Burnley knocked us out of the FA Cup 6th round at Bramall Lane (0-1, March 10th, 1962) in front of an estimated crowd of 57,000.

Brian Richardson not Barry

 

[Tony]

Brian The Rock, hardest player I've ever seen. No one messed with him. Also Ken Mallender whose stare could make grown men weep with fear.

 

[snootyfenooty]

30,000 at Old Trafford, 57,000 at The Lane!

Truly Magic Days

Using pig logic, doesn't this make us a bigger club then?

 

[cahill]

...was my first memory of watching The Blades. April 23rd 1962 and I went with my mum and dad to Old Trafford. We won 1-0 with a goal from 'Doc' Pace in front of 30,073 in the top flight. John Harris's team that day was:
1. Alan Hodgkinson 2. Cec Coldwell 3. Graham Shaw 4. Barry (?) Richardson 5. Joe Shaw 6. Reg Matthewson 7. Len Allchurch 8. Keith Kettleborough 9. Derek Pace 10. W. (?) Hodgson 11. (?) Simpson.

As it was a Bank Holiday Monday, we played the 'return fixture' the following day at Bramall Lane where - as usual - our joy from Old Trafford was short-lived as The Reds won 2-3.
More on 'Doc' Pace here from Cyprus Blade (and others).
Ipswich won the title that season, with Burnley runners-up. The Blades finished in fifth place.

Burnley knocked us out of the FA Cup 6th round at Bramall Lane (0-1, March 10th, 1962) in front of an estimated crowd of 57,000.

Great post that. Ipswich, Burnley and the Blades, all top five. A lifetime ago. I remember the old Easter Monday, Tuesday turnarounds.

You were a lucky lad to have parents take you to Old Trafford for your first game.

 

[snootyfenooty]

...was my first memory of watching The Blades. April 23rd 1962 and I went with my mum and dad to Old Trafford. We won 1-0 with a goal from 'Doc' Pace in front of 30,073 in the top flight. John Harris's team that day was:
1. Alan Hodgkinson 2. Cec Coldwell 3. Graham Shaw 4. Barry (?) Richardson 5. Joe Shaw 6. Reg Matthewson 7. Len Allchurch 8. Keith Kettleborough 9. Derek Pace 10. W. (?) Hodgson 11. (?) Simpson.

As it was a Bank Holiday Monday, we played the 'return fixture' the following day at Bramall Lane where - as usual - our joy from Old Trafford was short-lived as The Reds won 2-3.
More on 'Doc' Pace here from Cyprus Blade (and others).
Ipswich won the title that season, with Burnley runners-up. The Blades finished in fifth place.

Burnley knocked us out of the FA Cup 6th round at Bramall Lane (0-1, March 10th, 1962) in front of an estimated crowd of 57,000.

Around about the same time I started watching them in earnest, the cup game with Burnley being my earliest match memory.

 

[cahill]

Brian The Rock, hardest player I've ever seen. No one messed with him. Also Ken Mallender whose stare could make grown men weep with fear.

..” ...and Mallender’s dirtier than Rattin” Great hit bitd.

 

['Doc' Pace my hero]

This is my favourite Blades team,so many really good players and long before the grossly overpaid,less capable,modern day overpaid twats that have spoiled our great working class national sport.The one player,other than good old 'Doc' that i've always loved was little Glaswegian Billy Hodgson,a tiny,inside left who was as hard as nails and a really clever footballer,very similar to Willie Carlin.I still have great memories of this time,the Burnley cup game was played in dense fog,i was at the front near the cricket scoreboard at the Kop end,just a few yards away from where the white railings collapsed and couldn't see a bloody thing !!!

 

[bornablade]

1961/62 we finish 5th, our neighbours across at S6 finish 6th and yet they qualify for the Inter Cities Fairs Cup.

 

[axel smeets]

Wasn't that to do with that cunt Eric Taylor?

 

[grafikhaus]

You were a lucky lad to have parents take you to Old Trafford for your first game.

Weeell, maybe. I was six and three-quarters at the time and, knowing there'd be a big crowd, my parents took the precaution of making sure I was dressed in summat so I'd stand out if I got lost. I did get lost, my parents did find me but I'm not sure whether it was their choice of my attire that helped. A bright red jumper! (Think they were trying to tell me something).

But you're right, my parents were the best. My dad was only a 'umble lorry driver but he bought a car when they were extremely rare. Two years later (1964), dad drove the three of us clean across Europe to Austria where my mum was from.

 

[Silent Blade]

1961/62 we finish 5th, our neighbours across at S6 finish 6th and yet they qualify for the Inter Cities Fairs Cup.

Wasn't that to do with that cunt Eric Taylor?

The top 6 that season were

1. Ipswich
2. Burnley
3. Spurs
4. Everton
5. Blades
6. Wendy

Ipswich qualified for European Cup, Spurs who won the FA Cup qualified for the Cup winners Cup. The FL nominated Burnley, Everton and the Blades to play in the Fairs Cup but the Fairs Cup committee wanted Everton, Wendy and Birmingham (who finished in 20th place) then over the summer meetings both committees failed to reach an agreement then in the end only Everton played in the Fairs Cup in the 1962-63 season

 

[Silent Blade]

...was my first memory of watching The Blades. April 23rd 1962 and I went with my mum and dad to Old Trafford. We won 1-0 with a goal from 'Doc' Pace in front of 30,073 in the top flight. John Harris's team that day was:
1. Alan Hodgkinson 2. Cec Coldwell 3. Graham Shaw 4. Barry (?) Richardson 5. Joe Shaw 6. Reg Matthewson 7. Len Allchurch 8. Keith Kettleborough 9. Derek Pace 10. W. (?) Hodgson 11. (?) Simpson.

As it was a Bank Holiday Monday, we played the 'return fixture' the following day at Bramall Lane where - as usual - our joy from Old Trafford was short-lived as The Reds won 2-3.
More on 'Doc' Pace here from Cyprus Blade (and others).
Ipswich won the title that season, with Burnley runners-up. The Blades finished in fifth place.

Burnley knocked us out of the FA Cup 6th round at Bramall Lane (0-1, March 10th, 1962) in front of an estimated crowd of 57,000.

Manchester United's team that day

http://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/match_data/match_sql.php?my_match_date=1962-04-23

 

[finlaytheblade]

30,000 at Old Trafford, 57,000 at The Lane!

Truly Magic Days

That was in the days when the FA cup was treated as a big prize,it's playing in the Prem today

 

[grafikhaus]

Ipswich qualified for European Cup, Spurs who won the FA Cup qualified for the Cup winners Cup. The FL nominated Burnley, Everton and the Blades to play in the Fairs Cup but the Fairs Cup committee wanted Everton, Wendy and Birmingham (who finished in 20th place) then over the summer meetings both committees failed to reach an agreement the in the end only Everton played in the Fairs Cup in the 1962-63 season

To qualify for the 'Inter City Fairs Cup', your team had to come from a city that had hosted an International Trade Fair. Sheffield hadn't (and probably still hasn't) but as the 'glamour' of European football took off, Wendy made sure they pushed in. Needless to say, that was the death-knell for the competition...