60 years ago this month...

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I read am as a kid but they are sat gathering dust now. I have loads going back to the 30's.

In good condition, I think the 30s programmes would be worth a bit. SpongeBobBlade is one who knows a lot about Utd programmes.

 

[Karaoke Blade]

We didn’t play Plymouth often, so the green shirts looked odd. Hodgy in a white jersey (according to the report) must have looked odder. I thought he wore yellow if he had to change, though that is perhaps remembering him playing for England? Come to think of it, the tv and film for that was black-and-white!
Did you get to many other games in 1960-61?

In those days the yellow keeper's jersey was indeed only allowed in international matches. Not sure when they changed the rule.

 

[kevreedy]

The Blades programmes you have from nineteen-thirties in good condition can be worth £30-40 each. if you have rare sought after programmes could be £100 plus.
I would get them valued before selling. otherwise, you can get ripped off.

 

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September 10, 1960: Stoke 2-0 United

Despite the confidence shown in the mid-week programme about playing bottom-of-the-league Stoke next, United suffered another away defeat as the games continued to come thick and fast. The team was again unchanged, but despite Simpson hitting the post twice, the final result suggested that we were in for a roller-coaster season. And with only 2 points for a win, it was important to pick up a point on the off days. I included some photos in the scrapbook (above), but not a report. The following home programme does not mention the game, and this all suggests that the reason I don’t remember it is that it was forgettable!
A small point of interest - inaccuracies in reporting football are as old as the game. The bottom pic in the scrapbook has the caption say that Pace was heading Russell’s corner, which suggests Russell was even faster than I remember - he is standing there with the no.7 quite clearly on his shirt! The programme notes include a pen-picture of Kevin Lewis, who United had sold to Liverpool 3 months previously. And even Hodgy in his autobiography says we lost 3-0!
On the right of the middle pic above, does anyone else think young Nibloe looks like Lundstram?

And to make matters worse, Wednesday won again, and remained unbeaten. At least Tottenham were looking even better. And with the matches coming thick and fast, there was no time to dwell on defeat - it was off to Huddersfield in 4 days.
Below are pics of the programme. A very poor one in my view - little information and little of interest, and a dull format.

 

[Silent Blade]

Not seen a photo of us wearing that change strip. Eric Skeels was playing then! He was still playing for Stoke in the mid 1970s!

 

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Not seen a photo of us wearing that change strip. Eric Skeels was playing then! He was still playing for Stoke in the mid 1970s!

The kit was used a few times that season. The thread ‘Old United games on video’, post 45 by WalthamstowBlade , has film of Utd at Liverpool, one of the matches we played in it. Don’t know how to do the kinky thing, I’m

 

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‘Old Utd games on You Tube’, I think is correct title. Can’t find the edit button...

 

[Silent Blade]

The kit was used a few times that season. The thread ‘Old United games on video’, post 45 by WalthamstowBlade , has film of Utd at Liverpool, one of the matches we played in it. Don’t know how to do the kinky thing, I’m

I saw the below video but the red V neck seen in your Stoke photos doesnt seem to show in the below video?

 

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I saw the below video but the red V neck seen in your Stoke photos doesnt seem to show in the below video?

My eyes hadn’t spotted that on the iPhone. This pic from Charlton away (Dec 31st) shows the V neck.

 

[Silent Blade]

My eyes hadn’t spotted that on the iPhone. This pic from Charlton away (Dec 31st) shows the V neck.View attachment 91446

Do they show in the Liverpool match photos?

 

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Do they show in the Liverpool match photos?

No, but the pics are poor. Of the matches I have, they are visible away at Lincoln and Rotherham in the 2nd half of the season, and v Eintracht in the friendly the following October. But there will no doubt be others I don’t have photos of. Good job there were no replica shirts then - it would have cost a fortune that season, with Newcastle away in the Cup in tangerine.

 

[XM657]

He divided opinion. My brother was an admirer of Hamilton, I preferred Russell and Hodgson at inside-forward, as they were more consistent, if less talented. He did fade quickly. We were typical brothers - he preferred Buddy Holly, I preferred Elvis. Don’t tell him, but I prefer Buddy Holly now.

Did you or your brother see him at the City Hall? '57 if memory serves.

 

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Did you or your brother see him at the City Hall? '57 if memory serves.

My brother did. I used to have the programme, but I am not sure where it is any more. Bert ’s garage, perhaps?

 

[Bert]

My brother did. I used to have the programme, but I am not sure where it is any more. Bert ’s garage, perhaps?

Bert can report that there's a Buddy Holly LP in his garage but no programme.

 

[XM657]

Any of these

 

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Any of theseView attachment 91533View attachment 91534View attachment 91535

I still can’t find the programme for the City Hall. In defence of my preference for Elvis in my youth, Buddy Holly sadly did not have the opportunity to grow old and decline musically. The impact of the early Elvis was terrific (in my opinion).

 

[XM657]

I still can’t find the programme for the City Hall. In defence of my preference for Elvis in my youth, Buddy Holly sadly did not have the opportunity to grow old and decline musically. The impact of the early Elvis was terrific (in my opinion).

Never mind, I know where mine is, its just getting at it will post soon.
Agree about the music, Holly fresh and vibrant, and defy anyone not to tap their feet, because of the circumstances and Presley pre-army, as you say terrific.

 

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Sept 14, 1969 Huddersfield 0-1 United

Still the games came thick and fast, and with this win, United moved back into 2nd place. The floodlights (referred to in the programme the week before when Utd won 3-1) were still not ready for use, so this game kicked off at 6.00. On a school day it was not possible to make the trip for that time, but my brother (who was in the 6th form at Abbeydale and took a flexible approach to school work) appears to have made it there, and noted in the programme that the crowd was 12346, that United were again unchanged, and that young Nibloe scored the only goal, in the 17th minute. My scrapbook has nothing on the game, so I apologise for having no more information. Pictures of the programme:
Wednesday did not have a fixture, but I include below the league table from the following Saturday, which reminds older Blades of the horrors we endured. Wednesday were unbeaten, and like us, second in their league. We were a long way short of where they were. The good news is that 14 teams from the top league in 1960 are still there today, and Wednesday are not one of them! And even better- we are now there instead of them. A reminder to us to enjoy the day.

 

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Sept 19, 1960: Utd 3-0 Swansea Town

United’s 100% home record kept the promotion push on track, and although the defence kept another clean sheet, it was the forwards who were attracting praise for their positive approach. 3 goals before half-time, kicking towards the Kop, clearly had the crowd in good voice, and I assume that we walked round in front of the Pavilion to stand behind the goal at the Bramall Lane end for the 2nd half - usually to the annoyance of the miserable old gits who generally went there for a peaceful 90 minutes. 3 of the photos from the scrapbook are different ones of the same header by Hamilton, with the captions not agreeing on whether it was saved or went wide.
The crowd was only 14890, and attendance figures are discussed at length in the programme notes, in terms that are very familiar. The players respond to positive vocal support (as in the previous home game), but the low numbers attending were making finances tight, and limiting the possibility of bringing new players in.
There is then an interesting item on Matt Busby, and the page on Swansea ends with reference to 2 Sheffield lads who were once part of Swansea Town. Joe Sykes played for Wednesday and Swansea, and stayed with the club after hanging up his boots. But the amazing story is Frank Barson, who began life in Grimesthorpe. He was a controversial figure who was warned by the referee before the 1920 Cup Final that he would be sent off if he stepped out of line, needed police escorts after several away matches, refused for months to turn out for Villa because he insisted on living in Sheffield, but was then made captain and scored with a 35-yard header against Utd! Well worth looking at his volatile career.
I also include a photo of the squad page. By the end of the Swansea game we had played 9 games, and 10 of the players had played all 9 games, in just 4 weeks. Hodgson and Nibloe had played 3 and 6 games respectively. Quite a workload for the 1st team. And in the Supporters’ Club Notes, the Secretary rates the previous home performance the best in Sheffield for years. High praise, given that Wednesday were still undefeated in the top Division...
Portsmouth at home followed on Tuesday, still 2 games a week... I have put the Swansea pics in the next post.

 

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Photos v Swansea:

 

[Silent Blade]

3 goals before half-time, kicking towards the Kop, clearly had the crowd in good voice, and I assume that we walked round in front of the Pavilion to stand behind the goal at the Bramall Lane end for the 2nd half

Was it in the mid 1960s when the club decided to stop fans moving from the Kop to BL End (or vice versa) via the front of pavilion during half time because of the fighting that had happened there? My dad recalled that before the trouble happened, it were normal that the home and away fans would cheer and wave at each other when they crossed each other in front of the pavilion.

 

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Was it in the mid 1960s when the club decided to stop fans moving from the Kop to BL End (or vice versa) via the front of pavilion during half time because of the fighting that had happened there? My dad recalled that before the trouble happened, it were normal that the home and away fans would cheer and wave at each other when they crossed each other in front of the pavilion.

I can’t remember when it was stopped. I gave up some time in the mid? 60s, when it became a problem. I have always been a coward. Before that, there would be a few hundred do it. I don’t remember the friendly waves, just the grumbles from the older regulars at the Lane End.

 

[Silent Blade]

But the amazing story is Frank Barson, who began life in Grimesthorpe. He was a controversial figure who was warned by the referee before the 1920 Cup Final that he would be sent off if he stepped out of line, needed police escorts after several away matches, refused for months to turn out for Villa because he insisted on living in Sheffield, but was then made captain and scored with a 35-yard header against Utd! Well worth looking at his volatile career.

Tony Mercer (of the Black and White Minstrel Show fame also son to David Mercer who was in our 1925 FA Cup final team) mentioned in his foreword in the "50 seasons in the 1st division" that Frank Barson was his uncle. Looks like either Frank's wife was David's sister or David's wife was Frank's sister

 

[kevreedy]

I can remember standing at the front of the kop on the right-hand side. first time I did that a copper walked up to me and whispered.get down lad you can't stand on the walls. those white railings looked really nice. pity they were removed a few years later.

 

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September 20th, 1960: Utd 3-Portsmouth

First, an apology: some time in the last 60 years, some of my programmes have been lost/misplaced, and the next 3 home games are a case in point. Perhaps Bert could become an influencer, and prepare on-line videos teaching us how to catalogue our memorabilia (or, as wives call it, ‘junk’). If anyone has the programme for this game, I would appreciate pictures of key pages.
There are plenty of talking-points. In view of the disappointments of September 2020, let’s begin with the good news - at the end of the Portsmouth game, the league table looked like this:

Utd were on a roll, and had moved to the top of the league, though they had played 1 game more than their rivals. The bad news was the attendance, 12,602 (the Dennis Clarebrough book gives 13,602). Whichever figure is correct, it confirms the concerns about the lack of support, and fears that a promoted United would be the poor relations in the top flight (sounds familiar?) The causes were no doubt multiple, but the fact that Wednesday were doing well in the top division was certainly one of them.
The headline to the report is misleading, and refers to a goal I remember clearly. The match started in daylight (see Nibloe’s headed goal after 4 minutes), but by the time late in the first-half that Utd won a free kick on the half-way line, darkness had fallen, and the floodlights were on (kick-off was 7.15). Graham Shaw launched the ball long and high towards the Lane End, and as we peered across from the Kop to see if a forward would get on the end of it, we suddenly saw the keeper, Beattie, desperately diving backwards as the ball sailed into the net behind him. ‘Great goal, my arse’, as Jim Royle would have said; it was over-hit. I was reminded of this a few years later, when playing on the all-weather pitches at the University (Crookesmoor), under the primitive floodlights;I was standing around the penalty-spot when an opponent took a lunge to win a bouncing ball around the half-way line, and the ball soared into the night sky, and as I tried to work out where it had gone, I heard an ominous noise behind me as the ball hit the back of the net. The Portsmouth match was a year before Utd inaugurated the new floodlights in 1961, and I concluded that that Dick Beattie and me had been beaten by floodlights that did not go high enough to be of use when the ball was high in the air. It was only today, when reading some background material for this post, that I found out that Beattie was involved in some dodgy goings-on in goal, and was eventually banned for life for his part in a betting scandal in 1964. But my experience of inadequate floodlights convinces me that Graham Shaw’s goal was innocent rather than part of a plot. And no way was it a great goal.
Still the games came thick and fast, and it was off to Luton the following Saturday. And I still have the programme for that game.

 

[Silent Blade]

The old floodlights were like this one (1958-59 season)

The below photo was taken in summer 1961 when the new floodlights were replacing the old ones

 

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The old floodlights were like this one (1958-59 season)
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The below photo was taken in summer 1961 when the new floodlights were replacing the old ones
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Thanks. That shows very well how poor those lights were, though I am sure that as a kid I thought they were magical.

 

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September 24, 1960: Luton 1-4 United

4 days after going top of the league, United celebrated by travelling to recently-relegated Luton and winning 4-1. I have no scrapbook page for the game, but the programme jottings tell the main story (hope they are legible - the prog is an awkward shape to photograph):

The headline points are that Utd had to finally to make a change (the injured Hamilton replaced by Hodgson), and the Luton keeper, Ron Baynham, was stretchered off with a fractured skull in the 30th minute, after a collision when he dived at Nibloe’s feet. United were already a goal up, and went on to score 4 ((Russell, Pace 2, and Simpson); hardly a surprise, with no subs allowed, and full-back Dunne in goal. Baynham was a Luton stalwart - began at Worcester, played for Luton for 15 years (he made a full recovery from his injury, and is still alive), played in the 1959 Cup Final, and was capped 3 times for England in 1955. How many England internationals began their career at Worcester, JonnyRed(WCFC) ?
The programme notes are a classic. Manager (another stalwart goalkeeper, Sam Bartram) was struggling, excuses are made, supporters are writing in with their suggested solutions (all different), and luck has been against them. Baynham’s injury will have added to their problems.

One memory of the trip to Luton. It was about this time that someone in the group of lads we travelled with to away matches decided to take along a Frido plastic football (state of the art technology, in reality blew around too much and burst easily, and the repair kit was useless), and we went to any park we could find near the ground, and sought out home fans to play football against. The two I remember are this day at Luton, and a few weeks later at Middlesbrough. Simple times. I remember it being fun, but not the results. Probably means we lost.

 

[JonnyRed(WCFC)]

September 24, 1960: Luton 1-4 United

4 days after going top of the league, United celebrated by travelling to recently-relegated Luton and winning 4-1. I have no scrapbook page for the game, but the programme jottings tell the main story (hope they are legible - the prog is an awkward shape to photograph):
View attachment 92876
The headline points are that Utd had to finally to make a change (the injured Hamilton replaced by Hodgson), and the Luton keeper, Ron Baynham, was stretchered off with a fractured skull in the 30th minute, after a collision when he dived at Nibloe’s feet. United were already a goal up, and went on to score 4 ((Russell, Pace 2, and Simpson); hardly a surprise, with no subs allowed, and full-back Dunne in goal. Baynham was a Luton stalwart - began at Worcester, played for Luton for 15 years (he made a full recovery from his injury, and is still alive), played in the 1959 Cup Final, and was capped 3 times for England in 1955. How many England internationals began their career at Worcester, JonnyRed(WCFC) ?
The programme notes are a classic. Manager (another stalwart goalkeeper, Sam Bartram) was struggling, excuses are made, supporters are writing in with their suggested solutions (all different), and luck has been against them. Baynham’s injury will have added to their problems.
View attachment 92880
One memory of the trip to Luton. It was about this time that someone in the group of lads we travelled with to away matches decided to take along a Frido plastic football (state of the art technology, in reality blew around too much and burst easily, and the repair kit was useless), and we went to any park we could find near the ground, and sought out home fans to play football against. The two I remember are this day at Luton, and a few weeks later at Middlesbrough. Simple times. I remember it being fun, but not the results. Probably means we lost.

Wonderful post and memories as always HBT ahh, you've got me on that one until I get back home and consult my oracle..Ron Baynham I think is our only England international, might be one or two others who played for Wales/Scotland.

 

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October 1st, 1960: Utd 2-1 Lincoln City

In front of another poor attendance of just over 14,000, United continued their winning run and strengthened their position as league leaders. Again, I do not have the programme, but the report in the scrapbook gives a good account of a dominant performance against a team that rarely seemed to cause us problems.
T
The caption to the photo of Derek Hawksworth mentions that one other Lincoln player that day was an ex-Blade. A little research reveals that he was Jeff Smith, a player who played just one league game for United, in one of Joe Mercer’s eccentric experiments, when he decided to play 2 full-backs instead of wingers, at Liverpool of all places. The 5-1 defeat cannot have come as a surprise: