Sheffield United Reserves - The Glory Years

[JOE SHAW 1956]

I have mentioned before that this is my 50th season watching the Blades so I thought I would put something together on where it all started, watching the reserves in the 1960’s. I realise that this is of limited interest but I am sure there are a few out there who were similarly dragged along by their dad to get them out of the house on a Saturday.
The reserves played at home, at the Lane, on Saturdays when the first team were playing away. I never understood why they scrapped this format. The only part of the ground that opened was the terrace and the old wooden stand behind, ideal for the 2-3000 that attended. Ideal for taking your offspring to their first game in a safe environment.
One of the great attractions was that the first team scores were displayed on a low-tech scoreboard attached to the old cricket pavilion. The man put the scores up every 15 minutes following a phone call to the away ground. There was no local radio, five live, internet, mobile phones and BBC national radio covered one match only. The scoreboard man was all powerful. I remember willing him to conjure up an equaliser in the 6th round tie at Leeds in 1968, but not to be. Five times he marched straight past Leeds early goal and our dreams were over for another year.
The team played in the central league and won it in 1965-66 with a fairly consistent line up. The mainstays of the team were Bob Widdowson in goal, Mick Heaton, Dennis Finnigan and Charlie Bell, with Jack Parks banging in the goals. All these players spent several seasons at the Lane with only a handful of first team appearances between them. Parks must have scored 30 goals in 1965-66 without making one first team appearance and gets no mention in the Official Blades Encyclopaedia.
Squads hadn’t been invented and substitutes were not used until 1965-66, both situations restricting the opportunities for the reserves. I suspect that a distinct lack of ambition was another restricting factor.
Lots of youngsters did make the first team though, notably Badger, Shaw, Munks, Wagstaff brothers, Fenoughty, Woodward, Birchenall, Salmons, Barlow, Jones and Hill. Testimony to the great scouting done by Archie Clark in this era in the Dearne Valley area.
Eventually I progressed to the first team and saw my last reserve game in 1971. A night match this time and the scoreboard man played an absolute blinder with a 1-0 win at Arsenal.
Happy days.

Hello Wardonia , the old scoreboard on the Cricket Pavilion , well I still have in my possession the number " 3 " from the 3-0 scoreline that day against Watford in 1971 !. It's a long story - but I told it in the book * Blades Tales 1 * if you can remember those ?. UTB.

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

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Marvellous, Arsenal “A” at the Spotted Dog Ground. I’ve just checked it out, it’s the home of Clapton Community f.c. and the oldest football ground in London.

 

[stainless316]

Are you related to Fred Priest who won two FA Cup and one League Championship medals as our player?

not a relation

 

[stainless316]

Lovely to read that. Others will know better than me, but I don’t recall anyone on here who is an ex-player. To have scored a goal for United makes you a VIP; to have scored v West Ham makes you a legend!
None of my programmes, scrapbooks, etc., describes your goal. Can you describe it for us? Nobody will be able to contradict you if you say it was a 25-yard left-foot volley! And the oldies on here regard Hodgy, Joe Shaw, Hagan, etc. as heroes; have you any little stories about such players? Or perhaps about how tough it must have been to be released?

Alan Hodgkinson , we played in the same "A" team ,then the Reserves , he was a really lovely man , never heard him say a bad word about anyone , I have a central league programme v Chesterfield , Chesterfield keeper Gordon Banks , United keeper Alan Hodgkinson , two greats. I got Gordon to sign it when I was at the dinner for the closure of Saltergate . Joe Shaw one of the best readers of the game ,great positional player and a thorough gentleman , when Joe Mercer was manager he didn't rate Joe and bought Malcolm Barrass but after a few games Joe was back and proved Joe Mercer wrong, Jimmy Hagan ,he was at the end of his career so didn't see him much , did play a few reserve team games with him, Graham Shaw another player that Joe Mercer did not rate , he tried to sell him but Graham refused to go and later proved Joe wrong again , Graham was a good left back that I am sure would have been at ease in the present game , he was an attacking full back ,always available to receive the ball, what would have been termed today as a "Wing Back " Great Days

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

Alan Hodgkinson , we played in the same "A" team ,then the Reserves , he was a really lovely man , never heard him say a bad word about anyone , I have a central league programme v Chesterfield , Chesterfield keeper Gordon Banks , United keeper Alan Hodgkinson , two greats. I got Gordon to sign it when I was at the dinner for the closure of Saltergate . Joe Shaw one of the best readers of the game ,great positional player and a thorough gentleman , when Joe Mercer was manager he didn't rate Joe and bought Malcolm Barrass but after a few games Joe was back and proved Joe Mercer wrong, Jimmy Hagan ,he was at the end of his career so didn't see him much , did play a few reserve team games with him, Graham Shaw another player that Joe Mercer did not rate , he tried to sell him but Graham refused to go and later proved Joe wrong again , Graham was a good left back that I am sure would have been at ease in the present game , he was an attacking full back ,always available to receive the ball, what would have been termed today as a "Wing Back " Great Days

Thanks for that. Amazing to think of the talent in goal at that reserve game; it is always interesting to look back at the old programmes, and appreciate the talent on display. Not that many of us can honestly say 'Of course I immediately realised that they were going to be all-time greats!' I enjoyed having my views on Hodgy and Joe Shaw confirmed - as a kid I hero-worshipped the pair of them, and it is always good to be able to hang on to some of the best memories. I didn't know about the story of Joe Mercer and Graham Shaw; no wonder he didn't last long at the Lane if he didn't rate either Joe or Graham Shaw. I look forward to any more recollections you would like to share with us - and indeed, your thoughts on more recent football.

 

[stainless316]

Thanks for that. Amazing to think of the talent in goal at that reserve game; it is always interesting to look back at the old programmes, and appreciate the talent on display. Not that many of us can honestly say 'Of course I immediately realised that they were going to be all-time greats!' I enjoyed having my views on Hodgy and Joe Shaw confirmed - as a kid I hero-worshipped the pair of them, and it is always good to be able to hang on to some of the best memories. I didn't know about the story of Joe Mercer and Graham Shaw; no wonder he didn't last long at the Lane if he didn't rate either Joe or Graham Shaw. I look forward to any more recollections you would like to share with us - and indeed, your thoughts on more recent football.

I am still around , sorry to hear Derek Hawksworth passed away last week , i have a press photo of Derek going down in the box against Blackburn and i have turned my arms in the air "penalty ref" , again the ref was wrong he did'nt give it
A really nice gentle man was Derek

 

[United Aren't Back.]

I used to go all the time and loved it ,before my mum would let me go to away games with the big lads.
Free with a season ticket and 15p I think without , the programme was one sheet of paper. Cant remember any games realy but the name Andy Keeley springs to mind for some reason.

Andy Keeley was big in the 70s in the reserves.
My favourite players were Kenworthy, Stainrod, Ludlam, Edwards.

 

[sitwell]

Andy Keeley was big in the 70s in the reserves.
My favourite players were Kenworthy, Stainrod, Ludlam, Edwards.

Steve faulkner always seemed to play too.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Andy Keeley was big in the 70s in the reserves.
My favourite players were Kenworthy, Stainrod, Ludlam, Edwards.

Also Gary Hamson

Steve faulkner always seemed to play too.

Steve Faulkner unwittingly gave me my 1st remembered sighting of a naked man as he walked starkers around the dressing room as I collected my autograph book. Traumatised for life. I also recall Steve Conroy
Gary Hamson
John Flood, who later had a Partick Thistle fanzine named after him.
Ian Benjamin. I recall the red and white stripes on the single sheet programme.
The smell of pies.
Tobacco from the old man flask and cloth cap brigade.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Faulkner, Kenworthy, Edwards & Stainrod all on this one from the one nil loss at home to Liverpool on 27 December 1975.

 

[1973Blade]

Does anyone remember United playing Liverpool reserves at home in the late 70s and us getting hammered (I think 5-0?). That was my first visit to Bramall Lane.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Does anyone remember United playing Liverpool reserves at home in the late 70s and us getting hammered (I think 5-0?). That was my first visit to Bramall Lane.

Maybe 5 November 1977. In the Central League. The Carrier Bag Firm records suggest a 6-0 win for Liverpool. Unfortunately, we do NOT have a Teamsheet in the archives for that game.

 

[1973Blade]

Maybe 5 November 1977. In the Central League. The Carrier Bag Firm records suggest a 6-0 win for Liverpool. Unfortunately, we do NOT have a Teamsheet in the archives for that game.

Thanks, yes it could have been that one, I don't think I paid much attention to the game!