60 years ago this month...

[Guesty]

My dad said Hamilton was good to watch and he showed some lovely skills in the film. Who was our trainer that came over to Hodgy when he had hurt his arm?

It was a real pity Hamilton did not make it in the long term. He was very easy on the eye.
I'm pretty sure the trainer was Harry Latham, who was trainer for what seemed an age. It certainly looks like him. His magic sponge clearly worked - Hodgy was soon back in full action.

I remember there was a thread on here a while back about the most talented player to play for the Blades. Someone suggested Willie Hamilton, which surprised me because I hadn't heard of him, and I like to think I know something about most of our best players!

I looked into him a bit. Seems he signed for us out of loyalty to Joe Mercer, who bought him a pair of football boots on a scouting trip in Scotland. Though some people reckon Sheffield was a bad place for him (far from his family etc), his sister says his best football was played for us, which is something t least.

 

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I remember there was a thread on here a while back about the most talented player to play for the Blades. Someone suggested Willie Hamilton, which surprised me because I hadn't heard of him, and I like to think I know something about most of our best players!

I looked into him a bit. Seems he signed for us out of loyalty to Joe Mercer, who bought him a pair of football boots on a scouting trip in Scotland. Though some people reckon Sheffield was a bad place for him (far from his family etc), his sister says his best football was played for us, which is something t least.

My (older) brother was a fan of Hamilton's. He had that air of nonchalance about him, and was one of the players at the beginning of the era when footballers merged with the glamour of youth culture. For a while he was an important part of the Utd team, and when he was injured there was no similar player to replace him, and as he faded from the team, I don't think anyone with similar skills and personality took on his role until TC.

 

[Silent Blade]

My (older) brother was a fan of Hamilton's. He had that air of nonchalance about him, and was one of the players at the beginning of the era when footballers merged with the glamour of youth culture. For a while he was an important part of the Utd team, and when he was injured there was no similar player to replace him, and as he faded from the team, I don't think anyone with similar skills and personality took on his role until TC.

See below video of Hamilton (number 10) being the stand out player in the Hearts v Hibs match and scoring a good goal. Pat Stanton (Hibs legend) saying what a good player Hamilton was

 

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See below video of Hamilton (number 10) being the stand out player in the Hearts v Hibs match and scoring a good goal. Pat Stanton (Hibs legend) saying what a good player Hamilton was

You are beginning to spoil me now! It is like having a personal historian. It was much harder to follow the careers of former players at that time, and I don't think I knew of his success in Scotland. Some fine examples of his talent in the film.
My answer in post 150 should have read that he was often/sometimes called 'Wee Willie Hamilton', after the rock singer Wee Willie Harris. It was a common cultural reference: in my final year of junior school, 7 of us (with no musical talent) set up a skiffle group, with 2 of us on washboards. Our 'lead singer' was called Wallace, and my brother immediately named us 'Wee Willie Wallace and the Washouts'. We disbanded without performing in public.

 

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March 21st, 1959, and there was no International break boredom to fill; instead, internationals were often on Saturdays at 3, and tough luck on clubs whose players were selected for the home countries. I remember this happening with Grainger, Graham Shaw, Hodgy, and I think Joe Shaw was in the England squad once, but didn't play. Not bad for a Second Division team. For Utd, fixtures were now coming thick and fast because of the Cup run, and in fact a good run of results was about to start; but too late to allow us to gain promotion. In fact, much of the damage had been done at the start of the season, when results in the first 6 or 7 games meant we were always playing catch-up. Let's hope the 2 defeats at the beginning of 2018-19 don't come back to bite us on the bum.

So, the game this day in 1959 was against 2nd-placed Fulham. Attractive opposition with present and future internationals in Haynes, Cohen (1966 World Cup winner), Mullery, Players Union leader Jimmy Hill, and a young Gibraltarian in goal called Tony Macedo. I always liked goalkeepers, and he was great to watch - made brilliant saves, but he was always likely to gift you a goal. I am sure he let in a goal directly from a corner in front of the Kop a year or two later. The crowd was reasonable (over 17000), and United won 2-0. In the absence of any material in the scrapbook, I have no recall of the game.

The programme has 2 major items of interest, which helped avoid the question of recent poor results. One was a full-page statement by the F.A. and the Football League, responding to claims in the press, about payments to footballers, and in particular setting out the match and end-of-season bonuses. Jimmy Hill was already the players' union chairman, so it may well have been in response to his campaign against the maximum wage; but the item in the programme was not timed to coincide with Jimmy Hill's appearance at the Lane - the same page had appeared in the Derby programme the week before. One interesting feature is that the bonuses for individual matches and top 5 teams at the end of the season were identical in the top 2 leagues - quite a contrast with the current game.

The other point was more parochial, but very important for United. The programme announced the appointment of John Harris as manager, from a date to be announced as soon as Chester had found a replacement. I would love to say that we were all thrilled with an appointment which we knew would bring success. The programme is rather vague about his managerial career, stating that previously Teddy Davison and Reg Freeman had come to United from lower league clubs, just like John Harris. What the programme doesn't mention is that Chester had finished almost bottom in his first 2 seasons there, and in this season that was coming to an end, they were only mid-table 4th Division. I don't imagine many people at the time were enthused about the appointment.
Pics of the programme follow.

 

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It was a real pity Hamilton did not make it in the long term. He was very easy on the eye.
I'm pretty sure the trainer was Harry Latham, who was trainer for what seemed an age. It certainly looks like him. His magic sponge clearly worked - Hodgy was soon back in full action.

Certainly "Scodger", good servant to the club. Not the best ever but dependable with 100% plus most games. Mentioned before, wet days "Scodger" was covered in mud from boots to armpits above that was the only bit of red and white you could see. Another memory, from standing on Terrace just Bramall Lane side dugouts, was how quickly he shot out of dugout when needed. One hand into bucket, to collect sponge ensconced in old bladder, tearing off to injured player with trail of water trailing behind him.

 

[penthouseblade]

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/...NAL-V-SHEFFIELD-UNITED/query/sheffield+united

Brilliant......That's some of the best archive footage of Utd I've ever seen! Watching Graham Shaw embrace a team mate is something I never imagined I'd be able to see with my own eyes; Hodgkinson getting stuck in, making saves, Doc Pace, my dad's hero, his team basically, the Sheffield United he enthused about to me when I was a kid......what a great film. Even the crowd shots, especially the close ups of the terrace, flat caps and woodbines aplenty, wonderfully atmospheric, thank you!

 

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Having put the match report away at Scunthorpe on March 28th, 1959 on the wrong thread ('Your Matchday Programme') ,I revert to the right thread for the game 2 days later (Easter Monday) at Brighton. I have relatively little to report for a game which carried some significance, as it was United's first-ever visit to Brighton. I did not go to that game, though my brother did, and I will again copy his report. The programme has very little content, and little of interest. Just 2 days after playing at Scunthorpe, United played exactly the same XI, though for the return match the following day, changes were necessary. My brother's report on the 2-0 defeat is as follows:

'A heavy shower before kick-off made the ball difficult to control. United, playing the side that beat Scunthorpe, kicked off before a crowd of 21,612. Pace had a good chance of scoring in the first couple of minutes, but shot straight at Gill, who then turned a header from Pace over the bar following a corner from Shiels.

Brighton took the lead after 14 minutes when Shepherd volleyed in a centre from Dixon. Hodgkinson received a kick on the back of the head when he dived to save at the feet of Dixon. Hamilton made a good run down the left and pushed the ball inside to Shiels, who passed it to Pace, but his shot was scrambled off the line. United were unlucky to be losing at half-time.

After 5 minutes of he second half Hamilton left the field because of an injured left leg. After this the forward line faded, although Hoyland and Summers backed them up well.United played good football, but did not move as fast as Brighton. Hodgkinson made another great save, but in the 81st minute Tiddy clinched the game for Brighton.'

So the crowd was good (Brighton were mid-table), United played well, but after going down to 10 men, the match was gone. It turned out that Hamilton had damaged knee ligaments, and this meant that we were without both inside forwards (Russell also had a long-term injury) for the rest of the season. And you have to feel for players and supporters, making the long journey home ready for the next match, which kicked off just 23 hours and 45 minutes after the away game. Pictures of the programme follow.

 

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Easter Tuesday, March 31st, 1959, at 3.00 p.m., United played Brighton at the Lane for the first ever time, just one day after playing them away. The guy who arranged the fixtures had a strange sense of humour, or perhaps he got towards the end of the mammoth task of arranging the season's fixtures, realised it had to be United v Brighton on successive days, and thought 'Sod it, there's no way I'm going back to start that lot again!' The about-to-be-appointed John Harris was in attendance, but only watching, as Chester still had not found a replacement for him. Something of a saga was developing.

Because Utd had had 2 games in 3 days, the programme could not discuss recent matches, so it looks at explaining where the season had gone wrong (too many games/injuries), which players had done well (Joe Shaw and Coldwell are praised, Hamilton's temperament is questioned, ironically on the day after his season-ending injury), and the continuing effort to finish in the top 6 to win Talent Money. There were also 2 comments of interest about the previous home game against Fulham, who were heading for promotion. Graham Shaw's penalty is described as bullet-like, and the result of hours of practice; I certainly have an overall memory of him going for power. And the following extract refers to an incident which I would love to be able to remember: ' Not for a very long time have we seen defenders hoodwink a forward as audaciously as ours did the bearded Jim Hill on that outstanding occasion in the second half. It represented confidence in excelsis.' At least we can still appreciate the Latin!

For the match itself, I again present my brother's match report. I put his omission of the Brighton goal down to the fact that he had travelled to Brighton and back the day before!

' United 3, Brighton 1. Attendance 16,063.
Rooney replaced the injured Hamilton, and Nibloe and Shiels were dropped for Lewis and Simpson respectively. Thorne was brought in for Brighton because Shepherd was injured. The first 20 minutes were very dull, but after 22 minutes Lewis rose high in the air to head in a centre from Simpson. After 37 minutes Lewis forced a corner on the right, and from it Hodgson headed the second goal. Graham Shaw scored from the spot in the 61st minute after Hodgson had been knocked about by Little and Bertolini.

Brighton found the playing pitch too big and their forwards did not move as well as they done the previous day at Hove. Summers found his old form, but Pace seemed to lose his. Rooney made a good debut and did better than Nibloe. Lewis played well, but Simpson missed several good chances.'

So United were back on track picking up points, still pushing for a 'Talent Money' finish, awaiting the arrival of the new manager, and trying out several promising young players, such as Nibloe, Rooney, Shiels, and Orr. Unfortunately, none of them really made the grade; fortunately, the established players, with a couple of additions and under the guidance of a new manager, continued to improve.

Pictures, including the only photos from the scrapbook of the end of season games, follow.

 

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The press often get details wrong, as is often pointed out. The eagle-eyed among you will have spotted on the photo of Hodgson's goal that Rooney has the label 'Pace' below him, and that Pace has Simpson's name above his head. The remaining players are correct.

 

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As the nerves jangle this April with the push for automatic promotion, 60 years ago the excitement was pretty much over, with the programme for the home match with Swansea Town (sic) on April 4th, 1959, trying to get us excited about the push for a share of Talent Money. Having lost out in the 6th round of the Cup, and lost a couple of league games which knocked us out of the promotion race, United again embarked on a good run, but there was no way of catching the leaders.
Swansea were a small club, who had just sold a number of highly talented local players: Medwin and Cliff Jones to Spurs, Ivor Allchurch to Newcastle, and Mel Charles to Arsenal. Luckily there was Len Allchurch still playing for them, as we signed him not long afterwards, and he played a vital role in finally getting us promoted to the top division.
The 2-0 victory pushed us ahead of Stoke into 5th place, and with matches in hand, Derby and Liverpool were well within our sights. I again rely on my brother's report to describe the game.

'Attendance: 16,062. United played the same team which beat Brighton and attacked the Kop n the first half. King turned a shot from Simpson over the bar and one from Hodgson round the post. A shot from from Pace was scrambled off the line, while at the other end Hodgkinson had to dive at Daniel's feet to save a certain goal after Joe Shaw had made a bad mistake.
In the second half it looked as though the game might end in a draw as Swansea packed their goalmouth. Simpson went on the wing, and after 61 minutes he beat Hughes and his centre was headed on by Pace and Rooney for 18-year-old Lewis to run in and head past King. 3 minutes later Hodgson headed another Simpson centre into the net. Rooney had bad luck when one of his shots beat King, but he recovered in time to stop it crossing the line.
Pace had another bad game and should be dropped for his performance. The defence was sound. Graham Shaw had little trouble with Allchurch and 'Ces' never put a foot wrong. 'The People' said 'Coldwell caught the eye with a first-rate display in which he never wasted a ball'. Hoyland played well in the first half, but then faded. Joe had his usual good game, and Summers played well. In general the attack's shooting was poor, and Hamilton and Russell were obviously missed. Simpson and Lewis were the best attackers.
Webster had his name taken, while Mr Kelly was knocked out by the ball from a kick by Davies.'

A few bits and pieces to conclude: it was one of the matches where the cricket pitch meant we could move from the Kop to the Lane End at half-time, to see United attack in both halves. Us lot arriving with rattles and chants at the Lane End used to upset the old gits who stood there. Ricky would have had problems with them. I am surprised at my brother's criticism of Pace - he became a big admirer later. Joe Shaw made a mistake - a collector's item. And Hodgy dived at an opponent's feet to stop a goal - no surprise there. Lewis showed the value of a winger who could head a ball - just like his predecessor, Ringstead. And I can't believe Simpson started at inside-left; I doubt whether John Harris (who still had not been released by Chester) ever tried that. Simpson was a good dribbler, crosser of the ball, and had a powerful shot, but I don't recall a nesher player; he would have regarded Johnson's pathetic tackle before Bristol City's 3rd goal the other day as little short of heroic.
Pictures of the programme follow.

 

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Back in the calmer waters of 1959, United travelled to Stoke on Saturday April 11th, seeking to go back above Stoke in the quest for Talent Money. Stoke had played in midweek, and moved back above United. The programme is rather dull, with concerns over their low crowds (7513 for the previous Monday's game against Sunderland), and concern about meeting us, who are regarded as their bogey team. United were without Graham Shaw (playing for England - no international breaks) and Joe Shaw (a reserve for England). Nevertheless, we won 2-1; if we could win without the Shaws in defence, surely we can survive on Friday without Egan and Basham. Neither replacement would have been welcomed with enthusiasm - Mason was competent, but nothing like Graham Shaw, and Dennis Gratton was Playing his first game of the season in place of the maestro, Joe Shaw. My brother's report tells the story:

'Attendance: 10,439. As the playing surface was very hard it was sprayed with hoses, but then it rained, and by kick-off it was under water.After 11 minutes Simpson received a pass from Summers and put in a high cross, and Pace, rising in the air, headed it just inside the post. United were playing good football on the slippery surface and were having most of the play. After 19 minutes I was cheering again as Utd made it 2-0. Lewis lost the ball to Asprey, but his back-pass was a bad one. Robertson could only get one hand to it, and Hodgson nipped in to push it round him, but was then tripped. Hodgson recovered quickly and crashed it into the net before any defenders covered. Hodgkinson was in fine form in goal, and by half-time we were playing very confidently.

In the second half conditions got worse, and Stoke had most of the play.After 74 minutes Bullock scored for Stoke with a good shot. With the small crowd cheering Stoke on, they threw everything into attack, but despite hitting the post they could not score.

Hodgkinson and Coldwell were United's outstanding players, while Hodgson was the best forward. Hoyland played well at first, but then faded, while Summers' tackling was good throughout. Lewis and Simpson played poorly in the second half, but Pace gave his best display for weeks. Rooney seemed lost in the mud, and Mason was out of position several times. Gratton, making his first appearance of the season, was strong and safe at centre-half. Russell turned up to watch despite his crutches. Hamilton was at the Lane to wish United luck before they left.'

The win took United up to 4th, 3 points behind Liverpool and 2 games in hand. Their form was good,even with key players missing. It was good to have Pace back on form, but despite my brother's praise for Gratton, that was his last match for United. And we were not yet out of the hunt for a trophy - 2 days later we played Barnsley at home in a County Cup semi-final. We had a strong team out, and won 2-1. Pictures of both programmes follow.

 

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[Silent Blade]

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Bobby Howitt played for us in the mid 1950s

 

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Bobby Howitt played for us in the mid 1950s

He scored in my first away match in February 1957, a 2-2 draw at Notts County. He was inside-left with us, but was right-wing for Stoke. I doubt he was effective there.

 

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So, back in the calmer waters of 1959, United were playing for Talent Money, not promotion, but were on a good run of form which boded well for the future. Having played 3 games in 4 days over Easter, they now faced 3 games in 5 days in April. The players must have been exhausted - no substitutes, and few changes. But a group of players who knew each other well was continuing to improve. They drew 2-2 at Rotherham (Wednesday April 15), beat Sunderland 3-1 at home(Saturday April 18), followed by a 5-2 victory v Bristol Rovers ((Monday April 20). This left United in 4th place, just behind Liverpool with games in hand. There was to be no rest yet. The previous 9 games had now produced 7 wins, 1 draw, and just 1 defeat.
I begin with my brother's report on the Rotherham match:

'Attendance 13,523. United climbed nearer 3rd position with a 2-2 draw at Rotherham. As Lewis was injured, Simpson was switched to the right wing, and Gould, who scored 2 goals for the reserves the previous night, was brought in on the left. United played in white shirts and attacked the scrapyard end in the first half. Rotherham attacked for most of the first half, but their only really good attempt was a shot from Lambert which hit the outside of the post. Many of their centres just went straight across the goalmouth due to the bad positioning of their forwards. United's forwards did not move very well, and even when they got within shooting distance, their finishing was poor. Then after 43 minutes United forced a throw-in near the corner flag. Gould threw it straight to Rooney, who was just inside the penalty area, and he centred to Pace, who was unmarked. Pace hit the ball hard and accurately well to the left of Ironside from 6 yards. Utd were lucky to be one up at half-time, but in the second half the luck changed when a hard shot from Cooper hit the post and went in. It looked as though nothing would stop Rotherham from winning, even though Kirkman was limping on the wing after Hodgkinson had dived at his feet to save a certain goal. After 73 minutes Madden made a mistake, and Pace raced through to hit the ball past the advancing Ironside. This goal was against the run of play. Just after this, Gould was sent off for retaliating after he had been pushed into the barrier. He had been booked 2 minutes earlier for charging Ironside as he was about to clear. 5 minutes from time Kirkman ran onto a through ball to score Rotherham's equaliser.

Although nobody played really badly, nobody excelled either. Hoyland and Pace played well, whilst Rooney played worst. I thought United were a bit rough, and Rotherham proved that they do not deserve to be relegated.'

Somewhat similar to this season away at Rotherham? It is almost as if Gould wanted to get sent off, having played a full game the day before for the reserves! Unusual for United to be described as 'rough' in that era, and typical of Hodgy to dive at a player's feet and come out unscathed, leaving the other player injured. And there was little time to dwell on the performance, as there were 2 home games in 3 days to come. As people did not say at the time, 'we take the positives and move on.'

Pics of the programme follow.

 

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Saturday, April 18, 1959, and a good win v Sunderland. They had been unloading their famous/expensive players, and were re-building with some of my favourite players of the time, especially a big, footballing centre-half, Charley Hurley, and Stan Anderson at right-half, a gritty opponent who could also play a bit. It was good to see Colin Grainger back at the Lane, and also Ernie Taylor, a skilful inside-forward who had been one of the players ManU were allowed to sign after the Munich disaster, and he helped them to the Cup Final that season. Despite all this, my brother reports that United deserved the 3-1 win.

'Attendance: 14394. Both United and Liverpool won their matches, so United remained in fourth place. Lewis was fit again, so returned on the right wing. Utd had most of the play in the early part of the game and took the lead after 12 mins. A header from Pace was partially stopped by Wakeham, and Hodgson followed up only to see his header kicked off the line by Hurley. The ball went out to the right wing, and Hoyland was there to hit it back into the centre. Pace ran in from the left and scored with a beautiful diving header. Hodgkinson made a good diving save from Grainger, and a shot from Taylor hit him. An injury to Summers' right thigh meant that he had to go on the wing, with Hodgson dropping back to left-half, while Simpson moved inside. Despite this injury United increased their lead after 40 minutes, when Pace ran in from the left to head in a Lewis centre. Pace nearly had his hat-trick, but Wakeham managed to scramble his header away. At half-time, with 10 fit men, United led comfortably.

With United beginning to let up, Goodchild scored for Sunderland after 74 mins, when Hodgkinson failed to hold the ball while diving at the South African Kichenbrand's feet. Utd were forced into action again, and 3 minutes from the end Simpson clinched the game. He raced down the right-wing, and his centre slipped through Wakeham's hands. Both Pace and Nelson tried to reach the ball, but it trickled over the line.

The defence was sound, and with a little luck the forwards could have scored more goals. Hodgkinson was excellent in goal, but Coldwell was below his usual consistent form. Graham and Joe Shaw had good games, but Hoyland was below form. Summers was playing well until his injury, and Lewis faded out in the second half, mainly because he was sick. Rooney was Utd's worst player, but Pace had an excellent game. It was very pleasing to see him strike his old form. He chased every loose ball and never gave up hope as he sometimes does. Hodgson played well at inside-forward and left-half. Simpson also had a good game.'

So, a positive afternoon, with another to follow in 2 days. The programme was also interesting. The Lines from the Pavilion were defending the team against the perception that they had under-achieved, citing injuries and the fixture pile-up as a result of the Cup run. And as if to air the disappointment of failing to win promotion, they had a page discussing proposals to increase the numbers of teams promoted and relegated, to increase the turn-over of clubs. Strangely, the most-discussed was a proposal from 1926 by Herbert Chapman that leagues of 22 clubs should have 11 up and 11 down. Try selling that to the Premier League!
Pics to follow.

 

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Two days later, and it's Bristol Rovers on a Monday evening at 6.30. Four of the midweek matches that season were played at this time, despite the floodlights. I can only think it was to save on electricity, unless Silent Blade is right, and the aim was to let people go straight from work. Bristol Rovers were a team of little-known players who gelled as unit, and were only a few points behind us. The name that catches the eye is Mabbutt (Ray), father of Gary Mabbutt. United won comfortably, as my brother's report makes clear.

'Attendance: 11,310. The only change was Harry Orr coming in for the injured Summers. This ended a run of 79 consecutive league appearances by Summers. Bristol were never in the game, and after a few minutes Utd took the lead.

The goals: 12 minutes
Rooney scored his first league goal when he raced through the defence to score with a beautiful left-foot shot which went well to he left of Norman.

16 minutes
Drake went down the right-wing and scored with a well-placed shot. United lost their touch for ten minutes, but then got on top again.

43 minutes
Orr passed to Rooney, who then hit it through the middle to Hodgson. Hodgson steadied the ball, turned and cracked it past Norman from about 8 yards. Utd would have been winning more easily if it had not been for Norman, who played well throughout the whole game.

57 minutes
Just to show that his goal at Stoke was no flash-in-the-pan, 'Hoots' Hodgson decided to repeat his performance. He intercepted a back-pass from Frowen, slipped it past Norman, and then hit it between the 2 backs.

66 minutes
Hoyland lobbed the ball into the centre, and Lewis scored with a brilliant right-footed first-timer that whistled into the bottom corner.

75 minutes
United made it 5-1 with a goal from Lewis. Pace went up with Norman and the ball dropped at the feet of Lewis, who cracked it into the roof of the net from about 6 yards.

76 minutes
A good centre from the left found Bradford unmarked and he had no difficulty in scoring with a good shot.

The forwards played brilliantly, with the exception of Lewis. The defence was obviously taking it easy as the 2 goals could have been prevented. Hodgkinson made 2 fine saves, and Coldwell played as well as ever. Graham Shaw had a poor first half, but made up for it in the second. Hoyland was the star of the defence. His tackling was strong, and his passing accurate. Joe had a good game, but not as good as Orr, who proved himself to be a very strong player. Rooney turned in his best performance of his 6 appearances. Pace did not get enough room to work in, but Hodgson played a great game. He ran, tackled, dribbled and shot - he did the lot. Simpson was the star, with many good runs down the wing. He was far too fast and clever for the right-back and got a great reception at the end of the match.
The main reason Utd played so well was probably because new manager, John Harris, was watching. It was the first time that United had failed to score at home with a header since the Fulham match.'

So, even without much to play for, and in front of a small crowd, United were going well, and the arrival of John Harris promised further progress. And the apparently random fact in the last sentence perhaps suggests a feature of Utd at that time - despite not having big players, we scored lots of headers; testament to the quality of the crosses that came in? And Hodgson at his best was a worthy precursor of Fleck - a Scottish Yorkshire terrier.
Pics of the programme follow.

 

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The end of the 1958-59 season had nothing of the excitement of 2018-19, though the final games moved us past Liverpool into 3rd place, but well short of the 2 promoted teams, Fulham and Wednesday. April 25th saw us win 2-1 at Lincoln, with John Harris now at the helm; the attendance was 11,506. Then on Monday April 27th, with another 6.30 home kick-off, we drew 1-1 with Cardiff, with a crowd of 12,737. I remember 3 things about the match: it was quiet; Harry Orr scored with a cracking drive from outside the penalty area; and it was the only match I ever watched from the John Street Terrace. This was because we persuaded my mother to attend her only football match, and we thought it would be less rowdy on the Terrace. As it happened, you could have had a Sunday School picnic on the Kop. She made it clear she was never going again. And the final game was on the Thursday, a 1-0 defeat at Ipswich.And so a good season staggered to an undistinguished end.
There was clearly the nucleus of a good team for John Harris to take over, but the fringe players who Came in during the run of injuries towards the end of the season did not make the grade- Rooney, Gould, Nibloe, Shiels, Orr failed to make the step up. Harry Orr was the one me and my brother thought most likely, but Summers got back to fitness and was not going to lose his place easily. The Cardiff programme notes talk of the need to follow Wednesday back up to the top league, which took John Harris 2 years to achieve, and this was part of what was to be a generally positive period for the Blades. But Wednesday stayed ahead of us for much of that period; once a club has the upper hand, it is difficult to reverse the situation. We now have that upper hand, and a great opportunity to build up our advantage.
Pics of programmes follow. And in a few days, a triumph of sorts provides a trophy, and a pleasing finale. Some of you will know what it was.

 

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[Silent Blade]

The below photo is for the 1959-60 season and John Harris first full season. Notable players missing are Alf Ringstead (left the club), Dennis Finnegan and Billy Russell were on part time contracts so they rarely appear in photocalls

 

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The below photo is for the 1959-60 season and John Harris first full season. Notable players missing are Alf Ringstead (left the club), Dennis Finnegan and Billy Russell were on part time contracts so they rarely appear in photocalls

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Any idea who the player on Coldwell's right is? Louis Reed's grandfather, perhaps?

 

[Silent Blade]

Any idea who the player on Coldwell's right is? Louis Reed's grandfather, perhaps?

Mick Ash

 

[grafikhaus]

Some lovely stuff and memories here HodgysBrokenThumb . Well done!