Silent Blade
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It looks like the ghostwriter, Les Scott (a Stoke fan), was using the journalist licence to make up a lot of stories in Hodgy's book. I was disappointed with the number of inaccuracies in the book.
60 years ago this month...
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HodgysBrokenThumb
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I came round to reading it as a historical novel. Much of it is fiction, but much of it does capture the spirit of the period. Not sure about the speech of John Harris, though…
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Saturday, September 13, 1962
Burnley 5-1 United (Russell)
Attendance: 27,557
Things were looking good after a 6-game unbeaten run, but that all came seriously unstuck at 3rd-placed Burnley. I did not go to the game, but the jottings in the programme suggest that my brother did go. After saying for the away match at West Ham that I was sorry that school football kept me away, I was going to begin this report by saying that I was glad that I never saw the Burnley game, and had no recollection that it ever took place. But that was reckoning without Silent Blade , who has just sent me a link to video highlights of the match, and 60 years later I have been able to watch it for the first time, and can conclude that I was right all along - it was a good game to miss! I hope the link here works, so that others can suffer too:
The only blessing is that the quality of the video is poor, as otherwise it would have been rather like watching the highlights of games now when Utd have lost an away match. I was amazed at how involved I became, even though the game was 60 years ago. Coldwell’s pass for their first goal - he’s past it, get one of the reserves in. Free-kick routine for the second - come on, was nobody organising the defence, which was torn apart too easily? It’ll be melt-down on the Forum tonight… But of course, the reaction will have been much more moderate, and nobody would have been demanding the manager’s sacking.
The report from the Green ‘Un makes it sound like a decent game, one in which United played their part, but failed to take their chances, whereas Burnley did take theirs:
The highlights do show United with plenty of possession, but little end-product; sounds familiar? The defence made errors, which was unusual for that back 6. And I may be biased (
), but through the grainy video I sensed that the referee was very willing to give Burnley free-kicks. He even left it to Russell to approach the pitch invading dog and pick it up. Funny the ref was called Mr Pickles, when a dog called Pickles less than 4 years later became world-famous for finding the World Cup; would have been even funnier if Bill Russell had been caked Jack Russell…
And credit where credit’s due, some of the finishing by Burnley was pretty good. They were a good side.
Programme:
I also missed the following away game - not surprisingly, as it was a friendly at Eintracht Frankfurt. Strangely, I have a copy of the programme, signed by Joe Shaw. No idea how I got it.
Burnley 5-1 United (Russell)
Attendance: 27,557
Things were looking good after a 6-game unbeaten run, but that all came seriously unstuck at 3rd-placed Burnley. I did not go to the game, but the jottings in the programme suggest that my brother did go. After saying for the away match at West Ham that I was sorry that school football kept me away, I was going to begin this report by saying that I was glad that I never saw the Burnley game, and had no recollection that it ever took place. But that was reckoning without Silent Blade , who has just sent me a link to video highlights of the match, and 60 years later I have been able to watch it for the first time, and can conclude that I was right all along - it was a good game to miss! I hope the link here works, so that others can suffer too:
The only blessing is that the quality of the video is poor, as otherwise it would have been rather like watching the highlights of games now when Utd have lost an away match. I was amazed at how involved I became, even though the game was 60 years ago. Coldwell’s pass for their first goal - he’s past it, get one of the reserves in. Free-kick routine for the second - come on, was nobody organising the defence, which was torn apart too easily? It’ll be melt-down on the Forum tonight… But of course, the reaction will have been much more moderate, and nobody would have been demanding the manager’s sacking.
The report from the Green ‘Un makes it sound like a decent game, one in which United played their part, but failed to take their chances, whereas Burnley did take theirs:
The highlights do show United with plenty of possession, but little end-product; sounds familiar? The defence made errors, which was unusual for that back 6. And I may be biased (
), but through the grainy video I sensed that the referee was very willing to give Burnley free-kicks. He even left it to Russell to approach the pitch invading dog and pick it up. Funny the ref was called Mr Pickles, when a dog called Pickles less than 4 years later became world-famous for finding the World Cup; would have been even funnier if Bill Russell had been caked Jack Russell…And credit where credit’s due, some of the finishing by Burnley was pretty good. They were a good side.
Programme:
I also missed the following away game - not surprisingly, as it was a friendly at Eintracht Frankfurt. Strangely, I have a copy of the programme, signed by Joe Shaw. No idea how I got it.
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Wednesday 17 October, 1962
(Friendly Match)
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 United (Pace)
Attendance: 20000
United continued their run of friendlies against Eintracht Frankfurt (the previous autumn at the Lane, and 2 games in N. America in summer 1962), and maintained their unbeaten record with this draw. It may have been a friendly, but Eintracht had 7 of their European Cup final team from 1960 in the starting lineup, and a further one (Hahn) came on for the second half; pity it wasn’t Stinka, as that would have been a tap-in for a childish joke… United also had a strong lineup, with Hodgson and Summers out injured, and Russell unavailable because he was a teacher playing football in his spare time. Was he our last part-time player (no joke answers, please)?
I assume this match was part of an attempt to develop an international profile. United were some way behind Wednesday in this in the 1960s, and I suppose we have only caught up because they have declined so badly. United’s attempts in the 60s have been repeated, but not really come to anything much in the long run.
Again, it is remarkable how many games the players played. Shiels and Matthewson got a rare opportunity, but otherwise it was very much the regular team. And they seem to have worked hard, and almost won, but were denied victory 2 minutes from the end.
I have no idea how I got the programme, and my ignorance of German means I don’t understand much of it. The Joe Shaw autograph appears genuine. The team photo on the front appears unusual, in that it has 12 players, in the era before substitutes. I don’t recall seeing that photo elsewhere.
An ‘it’s a small world’ anecdote to finish on. A few weeks ago we were flying with Swissair to Zurich (we are still pursuing them), when our plane was diverted to Frankfurt, and we were dumped by the airline and told to find our own way to Switzerland. On the train, I sat next to a guy similar age to me, and he was a steam train enthusiast (had visited Doncaster and York), and an Eintracht season-ticket holder. He was proud of that famous team from the 1960 European Cup Final, and was sure that he had seen United play there in the friendly - he knew that they had played in Sheffield the previous season. Unfortunately, he remembered nothing of the match, so my hopes of an exclusive were dashed! But the pleasant conversation reduced my stress levels…
Pictures of the programme below, and report provided by Silent Blade
(Friendly Match)
Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 United (Pace)
Attendance: 20000
United continued their run of friendlies against Eintracht Frankfurt (the previous autumn at the Lane, and 2 games in N. America in summer 1962), and maintained their unbeaten record with this draw. It may have been a friendly, but Eintracht had 7 of their European Cup final team from 1960 in the starting lineup, and a further one (Hahn) came on for the second half; pity it wasn’t Stinka, as that would have been a tap-in for a childish joke… United also had a strong lineup, with Hodgson and Summers out injured, and Russell unavailable because he was a teacher playing football in his spare time. Was he our last part-time player (no joke answers, please
)?I assume this match was part of an attempt to develop an international profile. United were some way behind Wednesday in this in the 1960s, and I suppose we have only caught up because they have declined so badly. United’s attempts in the 60s have been repeated, but not really come to anything much in the long run.
Again, it is remarkable how many games the players played. Shiels and Matthewson got a rare opportunity, but otherwise it was very much the regular team. And they seem to have worked hard, and almost won, but were denied victory 2 minutes from the end.
I have no idea how I got the programme, and my ignorance of German means I don’t understand much of it. The Joe Shaw autograph appears genuine. The team photo on the front appears unusual, in that it has 12 players, in the era before substitutes. I don’t recall seeing that photo elsewhere.
An ‘it’s a small world’ anecdote to finish on. A few weeks ago we were flying with Swissair to Zurich (we are still pursuing them), when our plane was diverted to Frankfurt, and we were dumped by the airline and told to find our own way to Switzerland. On the train, I sat next to a guy similar age to me, and he was a steam train enthusiast (had visited Doncaster and York), and an Eintracht season-ticket holder. He was proud of that famous team from the 1960 European Cup Final, and was sure that he had seen United play there in the friendly - he knew that they had played in Sheffield the previous season. Unfortunately, he remembered nothing of the match, so my hopes of an exclusive were dashed! But the pleasant conversation reduced my stress levels…
Pictures of the programme below, and report provided by Silent Blade
Silent Blade
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I read that Dennis Finnegan and Tom Fenoughty were on part time contract when they played for us
HodgysBrokenThumb
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A good shout, though of course, they played far fewer games than Russell. The ‘Who’s Who’ says that Fenoughty was the last amateur to play a league game for Utd. Though it also says that Steve Charles made his debut for Utd as an amateur in January 1980, 2 days before going professional.
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Saturday, October 20, 1962
United 4-1 Bolton
(Pace, Hodgson(2), Allchurch)
Attendance: 19862
Although this is perhaps not Heap’s funniest cartoon for the Green ‘Un, the opening line about playing yet another team beginning with B amused me: Burnley, Bolton, Blackpool, Blackburn, Birmingham - every match that autumn seemed to be against a ‘B’. There was even a League Cup match v Bury the following Tuesday - and it wasn’t so long ago that we had played them 3 times in the Third Round of the Cup.
Fortunately, Bolton turned out to be a straightforward win, which kept United in the top half of the league. United kicked the ‘wrong’ way, allowing those of us on the Kop to change ends at half-time and see Utd attack both halves. And they were out of the blocks quickly, and the photo below, taken before 3.20 (it is just possible to see the Pavilion clock, and the absence of the 15-minute score for Wednesday), shows the ball going in for our second goal, scored by Hodgson (lying on the floor after an audacious overhead kick), and watched by Allchurch as it goes into the net.
This was a game that United dominated, and were good value for the win. Hodgson and Kettleborough were both at the top of their game, and the settled lineup meant that the understanding between the players was good, as well as the team spirit. As ever, life with Utd was not perfect, and the main concern was with attendances. The programme notes refer to the international links the club was trying to develop, and John Hathaway’s report in the Sheffield Telegraph is scathing about the level of attendances. Crowds of under 20000 when United were in the top half of the top division were clearly a problem for the long-term future; clubs were almost totally dependent on gate-money, and the low attendances meant that it was always going to be a struggle to remain a top-half top division club.
It is worth remembering that Bolton had a decent team, and had beaten Wolves, one of the favourites to win the league, 3-0, the previous week. We were perhaps lucky that Sheffield-born inside-forward, who had opted to sign as a teenager for Bolton rather than Wednesday, was away playing for England (no international breaks then). Other (sort of) Wednesday connections are that Warwick Rimmer was nephew of Wednesday’s former player, Ellis Rimmer; and Wednesday were reportedly trying to sign the young lanky centre-forward Wyn Davies, who instead went on to become a cult figure at Newcastle. Eddie Hopkinson was a good goalie, small, like Hodgy, and also winner of England caps. And perhaps the most interesting was Francis Lee, small right-winger who went on to have a combative career with Man City, Derby, and England. And after retiring, he became a millionaire as a toilet-roll manufacturer, and for a while, chairman of Man City. If only he had remained until the Prince took over at the Lane, we could have been playing the original bogroll derby
United 4-1 Bolton
(Pace, Hodgson(2), Allchurch)
Attendance: 19862
Although this is perhaps not Heap’s funniest cartoon for the Green ‘Un, the opening line about playing yet another team beginning with B amused me: Burnley, Bolton, Blackpool, Blackburn, Birmingham - every match that autumn seemed to be against a ‘B’. There was even a League Cup match v Bury the following Tuesday - and it wasn’t so long ago that we had played them 3 times in the Third Round of the Cup.
Fortunately, Bolton turned out to be a straightforward win, which kept United in the top half of the league. United kicked the ‘wrong’ way, allowing those of us on the Kop to change ends at half-time and see Utd attack both halves. And they were out of the blocks quickly, and the photo below, taken before 3.20 (it is just possible to see the Pavilion clock, and the absence of the 15-minute score for Wednesday), shows the ball going in for our second goal, scored by Hodgson (lying on the floor after an audacious overhead kick), and watched by Allchurch as it goes into the net.
This was a game that United dominated, and were good value for the win. Hodgson and Kettleborough were both at the top of their game, and the settled lineup meant that the understanding between the players was good, as well as the team spirit. As ever, life with Utd was not perfect, and the main concern was with attendances. The programme notes refer to the international links the club was trying to develop, and John Hathaway’s report in the Sheffield Telegraph is scathing about the level of attendances. Crowds of under 20000 when United were in the top half of the top division were clearly a problem for the long-term future; clubs were almost totally dependent on gate-money, and the low attendances meant that it was always going to be a struggle to remain a top-half top division club.
It is worth remembering that Bolton had a decent team, and had beaten Wolves, one of the favourites to win the league, 3-0, the previous week. We were perhaps lucky that Sheffield-born inside-forward, who had opted to sign as a teenager for Bolton rather than Wednesday, was away playing for England (no international breaks then). Other (sort of) Wednesday connections are that Warwick Rimmer was nephew of Wednesday’s former player, Ellis Rimmer; and Wednesday were reportedly trying to sign the young lanky centre-forward Wyn Davies, who instead went on to become a cult figure at Newcastle. Eddie Hopkinson was a good goalie, small, like Hodgy, and also winner of England caps. And perhaps the most interesting was Francis Lee, small right-winger who went on to have a combative career with Man City, Derby, and England. And after retiring, he became a millionaire as a toilet-roll manufacturer, and for a while, chairman of Man City. If only he had remained until the Prince took over at the Lane, we could have been playing the original bogroll derby
HodgysBrokenThumb
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Saturday October 13, 1962
United Reserves 0-0 Wednesday Reserves
Apologies for being out of sequence, but I came across this programme today, which suggests that while the first team were losing at Burnley, I was at the Lane watching the Reserves draw v Wednesday. United’s lineup looked the strongest, with only Badger lacking first-team experience. Wednesday, on the other hand, had few experienced players (MacLaren, Tom McAnearney, O’Donnell), though Young was about to get regular first-time football, with the sale of Kay to Everton, and Howard Wilkinson was at the beginning of a long career in football. I have no memory of the game at all.
United Reserves 0-0 Wednesday Reserves
Apologies for being out of sequence, but I came across this programme today, which suggests that while the first team were losing at Burnley, I was at the Lane watching the Reserves draw v Wednesday. United’s lineup looked the strongest, with only Badger lacking first-team experience. Wednesday, on the other hand, had few experienced players (MacLaren, Tom McAnearney, O’Donnell), though Young was about to get regular first-time football, with the sale of Kay to Everton, and Howard Wilkinson was at the beginning of a long career in football. I have no memory of the game at all.
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Tuesday October 23, 1962
League Cup Round 3
Bury 3-1 United
Attendance: 8372
Funny how the same teams seem to play each other several times in a short space of time in cup competitions. We had lost at Bury in the League Cup in October 1960, beaten Bury in the FA Cup after 2 replays in January 1962, and here it was again: a fifth cup match v Bury in 2 years. There was little interest in the League Cup in its early years (I have no memory of the game, and not even got a copy of the programme), so it will not have been a major cause of concern that United were knocked out. In any case, Bury were no pushovers (they were 2nd in League 2, and their player manager was Bob Stokoe), and for once United played a weakened side, probably as a result of being cautious with injuries. In particular, 3 of the regular back 6 were missing, and this probably proved decisive. Des Thompson replaced Hodgy in goal, Finnigan replaced Joe Shaw, and most significantly for the future, 17-year-old Len Badger made his first-team debut in a competitive match. Judging by the report from the Sheffield Telegraph (thanks again to Silent Blade ), Badger had a game which showed great promise, but Finnigan made 2 errors, which along with an error by Richardson, allowed Bury to score the 3 goals which gave them the victory they deserved. Pace’s late goal was never going to affect the result.
The other name which caught my eye was referee Dennis Howell. He went on to become an MP, then a minister in The Labour government in the 1970s. He was put in charge of dealing with the severe drought of 1976, and famously was persuaded to do a public rain-dance to solve the problem. We never forgave him - we drove to North Wales in great heat, and spent our September holiday with the kids in pouring rain…
League Cup Round 3
Bury 3-1 United
Attendance: 8372
Funny how the same teams seem to play each other several times in a short space of time in cup competitions. We had lost at Bury in the League Cup in October 1960, beaten Bury in the FA Cup after 2 replays in January 1962, and here it was again: a fifth cup match v Bury in 2 years. There was little interest in the League Cup in its early years (I have no memory of the game, and not even got a copy of the programme), so it will not have been a major cause of concern that United were knocked out. In any case, Bury were no pushovers (they were 2nd in League 2, and their player manager was Bob Stokoe), and for once United played a weakened side, probably as a result of being cautious with injuries. In particular, 3 of the regular back 6 were missing, and this probably proved decisive. Des Thompson replaced Hodgy in goal, Finnigan replaced Joe Shaw, and most significantly for the future, 17-year-old Len Badger made his first-team debut in a competitive match. Judging by the report from the Sheffield Telegraph (thanks again to Silent Blade ), Badger had a game which showed great promise, but Finnigan made 2 errors, which along with an error by Richardson, allowed Bury to score the 3 goals which gave them the victory they deserved. Pace’s late goal was never going to affect the result.
The other name which caught my eye was referee Dennis Howell. He went on to become an MP, then a minister in The Labour government in the 1970s. He was put in charge of dealing with the severe drought of 1976, and famously was persuaded to do a public rain-dance to solve the problem. We never forgave him - we drove to North Wales in great heat, and spent our September holiday with the kids in pouring rain…
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Saturday October 27, 1962
Leicester 3-1 United (Pace)
Attendance: 21315
Another away defeat meant that United continued to tread water rather than make serious inroads on the teams above them. It may have been an illusion, but it often seemed that United had a poor run in late autumn, and then picked up again around Xmas. At least the score was an improvement on the previous October’s
4-1 defeat!
In some ways, Leicester were what United could reasonably aspire to be - they had a squad of players who played lots of games for the club over several years, and tended to make signings from lower league clubs - Keyworth from Rotherham and Stringfellow from Mansfield were prime examples. Some of their players seemed to be around for ever - the Scottish defenders Sjoberg and King, and Scarborough-born Colin Appleton, for example, and 1962-63 saw them challenge seriously for the League and Cup double. Banks and McLintock famously went on to greater things. But there was nothing about Leicester that meant a club like United could not compete with them, and it appears that we were unlucky to lose:
In the end, it seems that injuries played a big part in the defeat - both Pace and Allchurch were passengers for much of the game, and the reports suggest that United did as much as they could in the circumstances. Perhaps the number of games they had all played was catching up with them, and they needed a rest. And they were still 9th in the League after this game, just 1 point behind Wednesday. So it was still all to play for the following week, with Birmingham the visitors to The Lane.
Leicester 3-1 United (Pace)
Attendance: 21315
Another away defeat meant that United continued to tread water rather than make serious inroads on the teams above them. It may have been an illusion, but it often seemed that United had a poor run in late autumn, and then picked up again around Xmas. At least the score was an improvement on the previous October’s
4-1 defeat!
In some ways, Leicester were what United could reasonably aspire to be - they had a squad of players who played lots of games for the club over several years, and tended to make signings from lower league clubs - Keyworth from Rotherham and Stringfellow from Mansfield were prime examples. Some of their players seemed to be around for ever - the Scottish defenders Sjoberg and King, and Scarborough-born Colin Appleton, for example, and 1962-63 saw them challenge seriously for the League and Cup double. Banks and McLintock famously went on to greater things. But there was nothing about Leicester that meant a club like United could not compete with them, and it appears that we were unlucky to lose:
In the end, it seems that injuries played a big part in the defeat - both Pace and Allchurch were passengers for much of the game, and the reports suggest that United did as much as they could in the circumstances. Perhaps the number of games they had all played was catching up with them, and they needed a rest. And they were still 9th in the League after this game, just 1 point behind Wednesday. So it was still all to play for the following week, with Birmingham the visitors to The Lane.
Silent Blade
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Graham Shaw signing an autograph for a fan during a lull in play when Pace was getting attention from Harry Latham! I have seen cricketers sign autographs during a lull in play but not footballers!
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Probably an automatic yellow card now…
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Saturday, November 3rd, 1962, k.o. 2.45
United 0-2 Birmingham
Attendance: 19188
The autumn wobble continued, with a very forgettable defeat to 2 late Birmingham goals. Because the floodlights were still being repaired following the gale damage earlier in the year, the ritual of moving the kick-off time earlier on Saturday afternoons began. Nothing seemed quite right. Allchurch was out injured following his injury at Leicester the previous week. Pace had a stomach complaint, but because the Reserves had already set off to WBA before he reported the illness, he had to play. Not surprisingly, he was ineffective. The crowd was under 20000, so the club’s income was not buoyant. And an unconvincing performance ended with 2 late goals conceded, a third defeat in a row.
The match reports from the Green ‘Un and Telegraph do not make great reading:
The only consolation was that United remained just in the top half of the league, but form would need to improve soon:
United 0-2 Birmingham
Attendance: 19188
The autumn wobble continued, with a very forgettable defeat to 2 late Birmingham goals. Because the floodlights were still being repaired following the gale damage earlier in the year, the ritual of moving the kick-off time earlier on Saturday afternoons began. Nothing seemed quite right. Allchurch was out injured following his injury at Leicester the previous week. Pace had a stomach complaint, but because the Reserves had already set off to WBA before he reported the illness, he had to play. Not surprisingly, he was ineffective. The crowd was under 20000, so the club’s income was not buoyant. And an unconvincing performance ended with 2 late goals conceded, a third defeat in a row.
The match reports from the Green ‘Un and Telegraph do not make great reading:
The only consolation was that United remained just in the top half of the league, but form would need to improve soon:
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Monday November 5, 1962
(Willie Bauld Testimonial Match)
Hearts 2-2 United (Shiels, Kettleborough)
Attendance: 16000
I have developed a catchphrase for this thread: ‘I have no memory of this game’. Without a scrapbook to jog my memory, I realise how much I have forgotten over 60 years.
I have no idea why United played a testimonial match for a Hearts player. The programme for the following home game suggests that there was a growing relationship between the 2 clubs:
Apart from the fact that Willie Hamilton played for United and then Hearts, to quote a phrase, I have no memory of any relationship. Does anyone else know about it?
There was one remarkable coincidence in this game. Two days previously Utd had played Birmingham, who had playing on the left-wing Scottish international Bertie Auld (aka B. Auld); and the Hearts player honoured by the Testimonial was Willie Bauld. In three days, we played against 2 bald Scots (who both had a good head of hair!)
United had a slightly weakened side, with perennial reserve Roy Ridge, stand-in centre-forward Shiels, and young inside-forward Tony Wagstaffe. From the report below, and perhaps not surprisingly as they had the most to prove, it seems that all 3 played well:
(Willie Bauld Testimonial Match)
Hearts 2-2 United (Shiels, Kettleborough)
Attendance: 16000
I have developed a catchphrase for this thread: ‘I have no memory of this game’. Without a scrapbook to jog my memory, I realise how much I have forgotten over 60 years.
I have no idea why United played a testimonial match for a Hearts player. The programme for the following home game suggests that there was a growing relationship between the 2 clubs:
Apart from the fact that Willie Hamilton played for United and then Hearts, to quote a phrase, I have no memory of any relationship. Does anyone else know about it?
There was one remarkable coincidence in this game. Two days previously Utd had played Birmingham, who had playing on the left-wing Scottish international Bertie Auld (aka B. Auld); and the Hearts player honoured by the Testimonial was Willie Bauld. In three days, we played against 2 bald Scots (who both had a good head of hair!)
United had a slightly weakened side, with perennial reserve Roy Ridge, stand-in centre-forward Shiels, and young inside-forward Tony Wagstaffe. From the report below, and perhaps not surprisingly as they had the most to prove, it seems that all 3 played well:
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Kettleborough (partly hidden), Shiels and Tony Wagstaffe. Plus Mr Cook and Willie Bauld, I assume.
Why do my Google searches for photos of specific games rarely produce results, yet you always find them? Have you hacked my internet connection?
You never cease to amaze me…
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Saturday, November 10, 1962
Arsenal 1-0 United
Attendance: 25,503
In recent seasons, we seem to have accepted that after an international break, United have a bad run; when I wer a lad, it seemed to be accepted that late autumn, we hit a bad patch. So, exciting as it was to be travelling to big clubs like Arsenal, and impressive as it was that we were 7 places above Arsenal, it was no surprise that this game produced our 3rd league defeat in a row. However, there was consolation/optimism in that United played as well, if not better than Arsenal, but lost to a late goal when we deserved a point at least.
The problem was scoring goals, and like many goal scorers before and after, Pace always had his doubters when he went a few games without scoring. The defence was fine, but in lean spells it was generally the forwards that were questioned. And on this occasion, we had another 4 games to wait for the next goal by Pace…
To conclude on a different note: the Arsenal programme was expensive (6 pence as opposed to United’s 4 pence), but for that you got lots of photos. That was particularly good when, like Arsenal, you had scored 5 goals in each of the previous 2 games. And United almost kept a clean sheet… That was a good defence.
Mind you, the programme loses a point for ‘Eric Coldwell’ and ‘The Sheffield Players’!
Arsenal 1-0 United
Attendance: 25,503
In recent seasons, we seem to have accepted that after an international break, United have a bad run; when I wer a lad, it seemed to be accepted that late autumn, we hit a bad patch. So, exciting as it was to be travelling to big clubs like Arsenal, and impressive as it was that we were 7 places above Arsenal, it was no surprise that this game produced our 3rd league defeat in a row. However, there was consolation/optimism in that United played as well, if not better than Arsenal, but lost to a late goal when we deserved a point at least.
The problem was scoring goals, and like many goal scorers before and after, Pace always had his doubters when he went a few games without scoring. The defence was fine, but in lean spells it was generally the forwards that were questioned. And on this occasion, we had another 4 games to wait for the next goal by Pace…
To conclude on a different note: the Arsenal programme was expensive (6 pence as opposed to United’s 4 pence), but for that you got lots of photos. That was particularly good when, like Arsenal, you had scored 5 goals in each of the previous 2 games. And United almost kept a clean sheet… That was a good defence.
Mind you, the programme loses a point for ‘Eric Coldwell’ and ‘The Sheffield Players’!
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Saturday November 17, 1962, 2.30p.m.
United 1-0 WBA
(Shiels)
Attendance: 17821
The traditionally gloomy November continued, despite the fact that United managed a narrow win after 3 successive defeats. The cartoon by Heap has its usual ironical take on Sheffield football, with several important truths:
Both United and Wednesday were having lean spells, and the supporters (as we were called then) were competing to outdo each other in pessimism. The 2.30 kick-off (the floodlights were still out of order) meant that Unitedites would be out of their misery half an hour earlier than Wednesdayites. Wednesdayites were ‘cushion-throwers’ - their chosen method of protesting, as those in the Stands were provided with cushions. I have no idea why they were ‘referee jumper owners’ - can anyone enlighten me? Then that rare event, a Utd goal, and even a Wednesday goal at Spurs. As he had to finish his cartoons before the final whistle, he could not say whether Wednesday held on to their lead. I am pleased to announce that they didn’t
So, we got a win, deserved both points, but all was not well. As the kick-offs got earlier and the wins became rarer, the crowds dipped alarmingly. 17000 was well below what was needed to break even. And injuries and loss of form were beginning to be a problem. Allchurch was out injured, and, horror of horrors, Pace was dropped and Shiels, who was scoring regularly in the Reserves, replaced him - and scored a good goal! Pace soon returned, though.
So, attendances were poor, team selection was a problem, and in the wider world of football, the programme notes refer to crowd trouble. It was not a major problem in the early 60s, but knowing what we know now, it was something else to worry about. But for the moment, a win kept us comfortably mid-table, and in reasonable spirits to travel to Everton the following week.
For those interested in small details, West Brom’s Bobby Cram’s nephew is the athlete Steve Cram.
United 1-0 WBA
(Shiels)
Attendance: 17821
The traditionally gloomy November continued, despite the fact that United managed a narrow win after 3 successive defeats. The cartoon by Heap has its usual ironical take on Sheffield football, with several important truths:
Both United and Wednesday were having lean spells, and the supporters (as we were called then) were competing to outdo each other in pessimism. The 2.30 kick-off (the floodlights were still out of order) meant that Unitedites would be out of their misery half an hour earlier than Wednesdayites. Wednesdayites were ‘cushion-throwers’ - their chosen method of protesting, as those in the Stands were provided with cushions. I have no idea why they were ‘referee jumper owners’ - can anyone enlighten me? Then that rare event, a Utd goal, and even a Wednesday goal at Spurs. As he had to finish his cartoons before the final whistle, he could not say whether Wednesday held on to their lead. I am pleased to announce that they didn’t
So, we got a win, deserved both points, but all was not well. As the kick-offs got earlier and the wins became rarer, the crowds dipped alarmingly. 17000 was well below what was needed to break even. And injuries and loss of form were beginning to be a problem. Allchurch was out injured, and, horror of horrors, Pace was dropped and Shiels, who was scoring regularly in the Reserves, replaced him - and scored a good goal! Pace soon returned, though.
So, attendances were poor, team selection was a problem, and in the wider world of football, the programme notes refer to crowd trouble. It was not a major problem in the early 60s, but knowing what we know now, it was something else to worry about. But for the moment, a win kept us comfortably mid-table, and in reasonable spirits to travel to Everton the following week.
For those interested in small details, West Brom’s Bobby Cram’s nephew is the athlete Steve Cram.
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24 November, 1962
Everton 3-0 United
Attendance: 42017
In the early 60s Everton were known as the millionaire club, and it is generally assumed that this was because the Chairman was John Moores, owner of Littlewoods (football pools company). It is a little-known fact that their wealth also came from their over-priced match day programmes:
While the typical programme price was 4 pence, the clubs which charged 6 pence
( a 50% difference) usually had photos, cartoons, lots of content, etc. (e.g. Arsenal, ManU). The Everton programme had an attractive cover, but very little content, not even a league table… Just look at this waste of space:
So, I disliked Everton for their rip-off (Liverpool’s programme was only 4 pence and more interest), was gloomy about United’s November dip in form, and the grumpiness continued with another decent performance which did not produce a result, largely as a result of the inability to turn good play into goals.
The difference between the 2 sides was Roy Vernon, a talented Welshman who scored over 100 goals in 5 seasons for Everton. He was also famous for smoking in the players’ tunnel waiting to come onto the pitch, and for betting on horses. United had the honest toil of Shiels as opposed to the brilliance of Vernon, and that difference proved crucial. At least that was November out of the way, although December was to begin with the visit of Manchester United. The top division is always tough.
Everton 3-0 United
Attendance: 42017
In the early 60s Everton were known as the millionaire club, and it is generally assumed that this was because the Chairman was John Moores, owner of Littlewoods (football pools company). It is a little-known fact that their wealth also came from their over-priced match day programmes:
While the typical programme price was 4 pence, the clubs which charged 6 pence
( a 50% difference) usually had photos, cartoons, lots of content, etc. (e.g. Arsenal, ManU). The Everton programme had an attractive cover, but very little content, not even a league table… Just look at this waste of space:
So, I disliked Everton for their rip-off (Liverpool’s programme was only 4 pence and more interest), was gloomy about United’s November dip in form, and the grumpiness continued with another decent performance which did not produce a result, largely as a result of the inability to turn good play into goals.
The difference between the 2 sides was Roy Vernon, a talented Welshman who scored over 100 goals in 5 seasons for Everton. He was also famous for smoking in the players’ tunnel waiting to come onto the pitch, and for betting on horses. United had the honest toil of Shiels as opposed to the brilliance of Vernon, and that difference proved crucial. At least that was November out of the way, although December was to begin with the visit of Manchester United. The top division is always tough.
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Saturday, December 1st, 1962, at 2.15
United 1-1 Man Utd
(Simpson pen)
Attendance: 25173
Still without the floodlights, an early kick-off meant that a relatively small crowd witnessed a hint of an improvement in results with a point against a ManU side which was recovering from a bad start. Indeed, if Simpson had not missed a penalty in the last few minutes, we would have won the 2 points which we probably deserved. I was still in the post-Munich positive feelings towards ManU phase, but the presence of Setters and Stiles and one or 2 more games like this and I was past that phase. I did manage to back Stiles in 1966, but football fans were ever thus… And Setters amused as the caretaker manager for Wednesday without them playing a match with him in charge.
As ever, Heap, at his desk, managed to sum the afternoon for Utd and Wednesday quite well:
The match reports make it clear that it was a rough game, ManU missed their expensive superstar Denis Law, but on the other hand Bobby Charlton was coming back into form after injury, and scored his first goal of the season - a very clever angled shot. For the original United, the experiment of playing Shiels instead of Pace (3 games in a row) was coming to an end; Shiels had not played badly, but he had not solved the shortage of goals.
And for your entertainment, I would draw your attention in the programme to Utd keeper Charlie Howlett, whose disastrous performance resulted from his inability to keep his glasses on his nose. As a goalkeeper who wore glasses, I feel his pain…
United 1-1 Man Utd
(Simpson pen)
Attendance: 25173
Still without the floodlights, an early kick-off meant that a relatively small crowd witnessed a hint of an improvement in results with a point against a ManU side which was recovering from a bad start. Indeed, if Simpson had not missed a penalty in the last few minutes, we would have won the 2 points which we probably deserved. I was still in the post-Munich positive feelings towards ManU phase, but the presence of Setters and Stiles and one or 2 more games like this and I was past that phase. I did manage to back Stiles in 1966, but football fans were ever thus… And Setters amused as the caretaker manager for Wednesday without them playing a match with him in charge.
As ever, Heap, at his desk, managed to sum the afternoon for Utd and Wednesday quite well:
The match reports make it clear that it was a rough game, ManU missed their expensive superstar Denis Law, but on the other hand Bobby Charlton was coming back into form after injury, and scored his first goal of the season - a very clever angled shot. For the original United, the experiment of playing Shiels instead of Pace (3 games in a row) was coming to an end; Shiels had not played badly, but he had not solved the shortage of goals.
And for your entertainment, I would draw your attention in the programme to Utd keeper Charlie Howlett, whose disastrous performance resulted from his inability to keep his glasses on his nose. As a goalkeeper who wore glasses, I feel his pain…
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Silent Blade
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On the same day Wendy played at Ipswich and lost 2-0. This was the match in question when Peter Swan, David Layne and Tony Kay were brought to a trial for the betting scandal that was revealed by the Sunday People in April 1964.
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I had completely forgotten that it was that match at Ipswich which became so notorious. The upside is that it possibly helped England win the World Cup in 1966; Swan would certainly have been in the squad.
Silent Blade
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Alf has never picked Swan so he wouldnt have gone in the 1966 squad if Jimmy Gauld hadnt spilled the beans in 1964
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Saturday, 8 December, 1962
Leyton Orient 2-2 United
(Shaw G(pen), Pace)
Attendance: 9874
Looking back at this game, there are 3 points of interest to comment on:
1. Leyton had been promoted in 61-62, and by the end of 62-63, they had been relegated again. This was the only season they have ever spent in the top division, so this is the only time we have played them away in the top division. The return match towards the end of the season was similarly our only top division home match against them.
2. The 3-match experiment of playing Shiels instead of Pace had come to an end; needless to say, Pace scored to mark his return. Shiels played 32 league games for United in 6 years, and never quite looked like making a top player; ironically, later in his career he played a few games alongside Pace at Notts County.
3. The Green ‘Un reports a strong crosswind and muddy pitch ( when they said muddy in those days they meant muddy!), but it was not long before the weather was to become more than a topic for passing comment. The winter of 62-63 was to have an unprecedented impact on football, only matched in subsequent years by the impact of Covid. More on that will follow shortly.
As I did not get to the game, I leave the reports to speak for themselves. Again, it appears that we could have won, but at least the play was again better. The Heap cartoon is brilliant, partly because it emphasises the Wednesdayites’ suffering, with their poor results and ex-Blade Kevin Lewis scoring against them; and partly in the tribute to Doc Pace at the end.
The programme was expensive (6 pence!), with little content, but at least it had a couple of photos:
This game meant the season was half-way through, and we were more or less mid-table:
And, as had been the case for several seasons, the majority of the team had not missed a game, or had missed very few. In hindsight, the squad list is also interesting for the number of youngsters who were soon to become familiar names to us:
Leyton Orient 2-2 United
(Shaw G(pen), Pace)
Attendance: 9874
Looking back at this game, there are 3 points of interest to comment on:
1. Leyton had been promoted in 61-62, and by the end of 62-63, they had been relegated again. This was the only season they have ever spent in the top division, so this is the only time we have played them away in the top division. The return match towards the end of the season was similarly our only top division home match against them.
2. The 3-match experiment of playing Shiels instead of Pace had come to an end; needless to say, Pace scored to mark his return. Shiels played 32 league games for United in 6 years, and never quite looked like making a top player; ironically, later in his career he played a few games alongside Pace at Notts County.
3. The Green ‘Un reports a strong crosswind and muddy pitch ( when they said muddy in those days they meant muddy!), but it was not long before the weather was to become more than a topic for passing comment. The winter of 62-63 was to have an unprecedented impact on football, only matched in subsequent years by the impact of Covid. More on that will follow shortly.
As I did not get to the game, I leave the reports to speak for themselves. Again, it appears that we could have won, but at least the play was again better. The Heap cartoon is brilliant, partly because it emphasises the Wednesdayites’ suffering, with their poor results and ex-Blade Kevin Lewis scoring against them; and partly in the tribute to Doc Pace at the end.
The programme was expensive (6 pence!), with little content, but at least it had a couple of photos:
This game meant the season was half-way through, and we were more or less mid-table:
And, as had been the case for several seasons, the majority of the team had not missed a game, or had missed very few. In hindsight, the squad list is also interesting for the number of youngsters who were soon to become familiar names to us:
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December 8, 1962
United Reserves 1-2 Bolton Reserves
A little bonus for this date, as it appears I went to see the Reserves at The Lane; unfortunately, they lost 2-1, which did not help their challenge to win the Central League. Blades of a certain age will recognise almost all the Utd players, although the standout player is the No. 2. The fact that the Reserves were playing well and getting bigger crowds seems to have encouraged more programme content, and the report on the Juniors is interesting - a certain M Jones scoring goals for fun.
From the Bolton side, 3 names stand out: Brian Birch won the Cup with them in 1958; Brian Pilkington was a regular in the Burnley side which had won the League a few years earlier; and Ron McGarry went on to be a cult figure at Newcastle.
United Reserves 1-2 Bolton Reserves
A little bonus for this date, as it appears I went to see the Reserves at The Lane; unfortunately, they lost 2-1, which did not help their challenge to win the Central League. Blades of a certain age will recognise almost all the Utd players, although the standout player is the No. 2. The fact that the Reserves were playing well and getting bigger crowds seems to have encouraged more programme content, and the report on the Juniors is interesting - a certain M Jones scoring goals for fun.
From the Bolton side, 3 names stand out: Brian Birch won the Cup with them in 1958; Brian Pilkington was a regular in the Burnley side which had won the League a few years earlier; and Ron McGarry went on to be a cult figure at Newcastle.
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Saturday, 15 December, 1962, at 3.00 p.m.
United 3-1 Nottingham Forest
(Hodgson, Pace 2)
Attendance: 17649
In the context of the current hostility towards Forest in these parts, it is interesting to look back to a more innocent time when Forest were quite welcome at Bramall Lane. I went a few times to watch Forest in Nottingham when I couldn’t get to United away games, and rather enjoyed going there.
One reason for Forest being welcome at the Lane was that we often seemed to beat them! And the home matches in 1961 and 1962 had particularly pleasing symmetries. In December 1961, the last home match before Xmas, Forest visited the Lane for the match which inaugurated the new, much improved, floodlights, and lost by 2 goals. One of those floodlight pylons was destroyed by the ‘Sheffield Gales’ the following February, and after a long period of work, during which games had to take place in daylight hours, Forest came to the Lane for the last home match before Xmas 1962 (3.00 kick-off, not 2.15) for the re-opening of the system), and duly lost by 2 goals again. They were our pushover friends from down the road!
For the 17,649 supporters who avoided Xmas shopping, the weather was awful with wind and rain, and the pitch a mud heap. And, talking of Heap, he draws attention to ‘mudlark’ Hodgson scoring the first goal, and to the fact that conditions at Bolton were so bad that their game against Wednesday was called off - meaning that Wednesdayites could celebrate a Saturday without defeat.
United defended successfully against the wind until just before half-time, but with the wind behind them, dominated the second-half without scoring, until Pace came up with a typical brace - the first a trademark header, the second an improvised overhead kick. We expected him to score headers, but he also came up with surprises. The 3 weeks in the Reserve team seems to have served its purpose- he was back scoring goals, and so United’s results improved again. We were back in the top half of the League again.
The programme has several points of interest. Advocates of a singing section at the Lane will be surprised to see details of a 60,000 strong singing section at the local Derby in January 1927
United 3-1 Nottingham Forest
(Hodgson, Pace 2)
Attendance: 17649
In the context of the current hostility towards Forest in these parts, it is interesting to look back to a more innocent time when Forest were quite welcome at Bramall Lane. I went a few times to watch Forest in Nottingham when I couldn’t get to United away games, and rather enjoyed going there.
One reason for Forest being welcome at the Lane was that we often seemed to beat them! And the home matches in 1961 and 1962 had particularly pleasing symmetries. In December 1961, the last home match before Xmas, Forest visited the Lane for the match which inaugurated the new, much improved, floodlights, and lost by 2 goals. One of those floodlight pylons was destroyed by the ‘Sheffield Gales’ the following February, and after a long period of work, during which games had to take place in daylight hours, Forest came to the Lane for the last home match before Xmas 1962 (3.00 kick-off, not 2.15) for the re-opening of the system), and duly lost by 2 goals again. They were our pushover friends from down the road!
For the 17,649 supporters who avoided Xmas shopping, the weather was awful with wind and rain, and the pitch a mud heap. And, talking of Heap, he draws attention to ‘mudlark’ Hodgson scoring the first goal, and to the fact that conditions at Bolton were so bad that their game against Wednesday was called off - meaning that Wednesdayites could celebrate a Saturday without defeat.
United defended successfully against the wind until just before half-time, but with the wind behind them, dominated the second-half without scoring, until Pace came up with a typical brace - the first a trademark header, the second an improvised overhead kick. We expected him to score headers, but he also came up with surprises. The 3 weeks in the Reserve team seems to have served its purpose- he was back scoring goals, and so United’s results improved again. We were back in the top half of the League again.
The programme has several points of interest. Advocates of a singing section at the Lane will be surprised to see details of a 60,000 strong singing section at the local Derby in January 1927
HodgysBrokenThumb
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As a footnote to the above post on Forest, perhaps their effect was not as benign as I thought. Another way of looking at the symmetry involved is that following the inauguration of the new floodlights v Forest in Dec 1961, the lights only lasted until Feb 16, 1962, when the Sheffield gale demolished one of the pylons; following the Dec 1962 inauguration of the reconstructed lights v Forest, the lights were unable to be used again until Feb 16, 1963, again because of abnormal weather. Bit of a coincidence, that…
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Friday, December 21, 1962
Ipswich 1-0 Utd
Attendance: 17055
The final match before Xmas was one that I imagine few Blades fans managed to get to. I have no memory of the game, and no programme (so I assume that even my brother didn’t go). The better run of results came to an end in the 89th minute, with a Phillips header, and the reports suggest that it was a familiar story - a good performance, worth a point at least, but the failure to score goals during periods of pressure cost us points:
The league table at the end of Boxing Day shows us in mid-table, just above the mighty Owls:
But by far the most interesting column in that table is on the right - the date of the next games played. A few managed another game in December, but none of the teams played many games at all in the following 10 weeks. Birmingham, for example, did not play again until March 2nd. The Big Freeze was setting in, and my next post will be an extended weather report. The winter of 1962-63 was unique in my experience so far, and the impact on football was dramatic.
Ipswich 1-0 Utd
Attendance: 17055
The final match before Xmas was one that I imagine few Blades fans managed to get to. I have no memory of the game, and no programme (so I assume that even my brother didn’t go). The better run of results came to an end in the 89th minute, with a Phillips header, and the reports suggest that it was a familiar story - a good performance, worth a point at least, but the failure to score goals during periods of pressure cost us points:
The league table at the end of Boxing Day shows us in mid-table, just above the mighty Owls:
But by far the most interesting column in that table is on the right - the date of the next games played. A few managed another game in December, but none of the teams played many games at all in the following 10 weeks. Birmingham, for example, did not play again until March 2nd. The Big Freeze was setting in, and my next post will be an extended weather report. The winter of 1962-63 was unique in my experience so far, and the impact on football was dramatic.
Silent Blade
Well-Known Member
27/12/1962
Wendy's Tony Kay signs for Harry Catterick's Everton. Catterick was his manager at Wendy. Kay went on to win a football League medal at the end of the season but he was to play professional football for only one more season...
Wendy's Tony Kay signs for Harry Catterick's Everton. Catterick was his manager at Wendy. Kay went on to win a football League medal at the end of the season but he was to play professional football for only one more season...
HodgysBrokenThumb
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From that photo, the uninitiated might think he was banned for smoking illicit substances! How times have changed…
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