On Thursday 6th February, 1958 I left work in Birmingham at five o'clock and immediately outside saw the newspaper headlines 'Manchester United involved in air crash'. At this time we thought little of it. We had seen similar things before involving a burst tyre at worst and nobody injured - just a way of selling more papers. It was not until I arrived home and heard the full story that it began to sink in that something dreadful had happened with the list of players killed getting longer and longer.
I had seen them all play, first in the Manchester United Youth team in two memorable Youth Cup Finals with Wolves, then later many of them in the great Busby Babes team that had emerged as such a force in both the First Division and the European Cup competition. It is still hard to describe the feelings of myself and everyone I knew at this awful tragedy. United were then admired and respected throughout the football community for what they had achieved, with largely home grown youngsters,under the guidance of the great Matt Busby.
It was hard to believe that Roger Byrne, Duncan Edwards and Tommy Taylor would never play for England again and that they would not have been joined by Eddie Colman, Dennis Violett and David Pegg. However as the survivors, including Matt Busby, began to recover from their injuries it was realised that the show must go on. The new Manchester United led by Assistant Manager, Jimmy Murphy, were soon back in action and I was there to see them at West Bromwich on 1st March.Many years later I was privileged to be at Wembley in 1968 to see them win the European Cup.
SATURDAY 1ST MARCH 1958 Attendance 58,250
F.A. CUP SIXTH ROUND AT THE HAWTHORNS, WEST BROMWICH
WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2 (Allen, Horobin) MANCHESTER UNITED 2 (Taylor (E), Dawson)
Sanders; Howe, Williams; Dudley, Kennedy, Barlow (capt);
Whitehouse, Robson, Allen, Kevan, Horobin;
Gregg; Foulkes (capt), Greaves; Goodwin, Cope, Crowther;
Webster, Taylor (E), Dawson, Pearson, Charlton;
This game, the third played by Manchester United since the Munich air disaster, proved beyond doubt that the new 'Babes' are worthy successors to their illustrious predecessors. It also proved that their win over Sheffield Wednesday in the previous round of the cup and their draw with Notts Forest last week were on merit and not achieved because of sentiment by their opponents.
That this would be a great game was evident well before the start as the fifteen thousand Mancunians present worked themselves up into a frenzy, which let loose a tremendous roar as the red shirts of United appeared.
The wisdom of signing Ernie Taylor from Blackpool was shown at once. He started a move which saw Bobby Charlton, playing his first game since the crash, cut in from the left and started a scramble in the Albion goalmouth which ended in Taylor crashing the ball into the net.
How the crowd roared! This goal undoubtedly shocked the Albion, but they were soon level. A similar goalmouth scramble saw the ball running loose and Allen scoring. Manchester were not downhearted and continued to dominate the play during the first half. Taylor was here, there and everywhere, dribbling past man after man with a casualness and ease that is the mark of genius. He gave Dawson, the dark haired burly centre forward a great chance, but the youngster shot over the bar.
The Albion just couldn't get it going against the brilliant United defence in which Foulkes and Greaves tackled well and placed their clearances brilliantly. Cope was cool and calm, a centre half in the true United tradition, beating his man and placing the ball to advantage every time. Crowther, signed from Villa, looked as if he had been playing this style of football for years.
The attack was equally impressive with only Webster, on the right wing, seeming a trifle slow. Young Mark
'Pancho' Pearson chased everything and everyone and Charlton played some splendid football. Just before half time came United's second goal and again Taylor was the architect. He robbed Barlow on the edge of the area, fired in a tremendous shot which hit the bar and there was Dawson racing in to head home before Sanders could recover.
Earlier Kevan had missed a great opportunity when Cope slipped on the greasy surface leaving him a clear run for goal, he shot past Gregg, but it hit the post and was cleared.
In the second half Pearson had a similar chance, but his lob over Sanders head went just wide. Charlton several times dribbled through the entire Albion defence and was blocked at the last moment. Towards the end Albion piled on the pressure and Gregg was called upon to make several brilliant saves. However, Albion got their equaliser four minutes from the end, and a most unsatisfactory scrambled effort it was compared with their usual quick fire goals.
Several efforts were blocked and then with some players on the floor, Horobin pushed the ball in as he was tackled, the rolled gently for an inch or two over the line, before being kicked away by Cope. A goal was awarded!
Fans streamed onto the pitch, Gregg chased the referee and threw his glove at him in protest, but all to no avail. 2-2 and a replay to look forward to at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Story of the equalising goal in pictures :-
This the preview I wrote, at the time, before the cup semi-final with Fulham followed by my report on the game itself and the replay which I watched on television.
THURSDAY 20TH MARCH, 1958 - F.A. CUP SEMI FINAL PREVIEW
Of the two semi finals of the F.A. Cup to be played on Saturday, the one which is promoting most discussion is the one I shall see, Manchester United v Fulham at Villa Park. It is an intriguing pairing, the rebuilt United, who did so well at first after the Munich air crash, having new lost their last two games. They are also being accused of dirty play and their youngest player, Mark Pearson, was sent off the field at Burnley last week.
Fulham are having a grand season and are challenging strongly for promotion from the Second Division. The occasional glimpses I have seen of them on television confirm reports that they are playing very good football. Let us consider some of the personalities who will do battle at Villa Park to secure every footballer's great ambition - to play at Wembley. United and Fulham are both blessed with brilliant goalkeepers, Gregg and Macedo. Gregg, the regular goalkeeper for Northern Ireland, is well known, but Macedo born in Gibraltar, has only bee in the Fulham side since Christmas. In that time he has established himself as one of the most brilliant performers in the country and is confidently tipped for honours.
At full back, United have skipper Foulkes and young Ian Greaves, already being tipped for the late Roger Byrne's place in the England side. Fulham also have a contender for this position in Jim Langley, selected to play for the Football League on Wednesday. Half back personalities are Roy Bentley of Fulham, recently converted to right half after a successful career at centre forward for Chelsea and England, and Stan Crowther returning to Villa Park, where he made his name before joining United immediately after the disaster. United right half Fred Goodwin, after stopping Albion's forceful Derek Kevan in the previous round, now has the job of marking the elusive Johnny Hayes, currently England's best inside forward.
Fulham's other inside man, bearded Jimmy Hill, Chairman of the Players' Union, has come right into form. He has scored in every round of the cup and got five in a league match at Doncaster last week. Stevans, their veteran winger comes in at centre forward in place of Maurice Cook, who is ineligible having played for Watford in an earlier round.
United of course, have the great little general, Ernie Taylor, at inside right and Bobby Charlton, also selected for the Football League XI on Wednesday, moves to inside left, changing places with that controversial character Mark Pearson.
SATURDAY 22ND MARCH, 1958
F.A. CUP SEMI-FINAL AT VILLA PARK, BIRMINGHAM
MANCHESTER UNITED 2 (Charlton 2) FULHAM 2 (Stevens, Hill)
Gregg; Foulkes (capt), Greaves; Goodwin, Cope, Crowther;
Webster, Taylor (E), Dawson, Charlton, Pearson;
Macedo; Cohen, Langley; Bentley, Stapleton, Lawler;
Dwight, Hill, Stevans, Haynes (capt), Chamberlain;
Bobby Charlton - long after other memories of this game have gone details of his display will remain and to say as I did on the previous page, that Haynes is England's greatest inside forward, would be quite false. Haynes did inspire Fulham, particularly after moving to left half in the second period, when Langley was injured and limping on the left wing, but he didn't stamp his mark on the game as did Charlton.
The other two stars of the game were the two goalkeepers, surely the two greatest in Britain, Macedo and Gregg. Three saves in particular stand out, although there were many more, all of them in the second half. The first when Jimmy Hill lobbed the ball towards the top corner of the goal and Gregg flung himself sideways and backwards to finger it over the bar. The second was an exact replica, only this time by the cat-like Macedo from a header by Webster. The third, and most brilliant, was again Macedo.
With the score 2-2 Charlton breasted the ball down on the edge of the penalty are, brushed past three defenders as if they didn't exist and fired in a terrific shot well to Macedo's left, but the Gibraltarian threw himself sideways, caught the ball in mid-air and although the force of the shot knocked him backwards almost over the line, he recovered to complete a remarkable save.
Charlton had previously put United ahead with a glorious shot from a precision Taylor pass, only for Fulham to equalise immediately. Left back Langley, often criticised for his attaching tendencies, dribbled through to the edge of the are and pushed the ball to Hill who squared it to Stevens, unmarked in the middle to push it home.
Fulham now took control of the game and eventually took the lead when, from a move started by Haynes, Dwight pushed the ball through to Hill, ever on the move, for the bearded inside right to beat off the challenge of Cope and Greaves, before shooting past Gregg. The came the accident which was to alter the course of the game. Langley and Dawson both went for the ball and both fell to the ground. Dawson got up but Langley stayed down and was carried off on a stretcher.
Things looked bad for the Londoners as Robin Lawlor moved to left back and Haynes to left half. They looked even worse when just before the interval a mistake by Cohen gave Charlton a simple change to score United's second goal. So there it was, 2-2 at half time and it seemed likely that Fulham would have only ten men during the second half.
Indeed they did start the second half with ten men, but Langley was soon back so surprise the Manchester defence with this efforts in attack. He did of course play on the the left wing occasionally for his previous club, Leeds United.. The dominance swayed from one side to the other, but it was Manchester in the last twenty minutes who piled on the pressure. However the inexperience and lack of staying power of the two youngsters Dawson and Pearson, plus of course the brilliant goalkeeping of Macedo, prevented a further score.
The teams will therefore do battle once more at Highbury on Wednesday, which means that Charlton, Haynes and Langley will all miss the English League versus Scottish League match. There can be little need for such a trial of the two inside fowards' international capabilities on this display.
WEDNESDAY 26TH MARCH 1958
F.A. CUP SEMI-FINAL REPLAY AT HIGHBURY (TELEVISED LIVE)
MANCHESTER UNITED 5 (Dawson 3, Brennan, Charlton) FULHAM 3 (Stevans, Dwight, Chamberlain)
Gregg; Foulkes, Greaves; Goodwin, Cope, Crowther;
Webster, Taylor (E), Dawson, Charlton, Brennan;
Macedo; Cohen, Langley; Bentley, Stapleton, Lawlor;
Dwight, Hill, Stevans, Haynes, Chamberlain;
So United are there! They will meet Bolton Wanderers at Wembley in yet another all Lancashire Final, after they played Blackpool in the memorable game of 1947-48. There was only one change in the two teams today, Seamus Brennan came in at outside left in place of Pearson for United. Brennan was having his third first team game, he scored twice in his first appearance, against Sheffield Wednesday in the fifth round.
The game soon became lively and Goodwin, dribbling through, unleashed a fierce shot to Macedo's right, he dived but couldn't hold the ball and only managed to stop it trickling over the line with a second desperate leap. Soon afterwards Goodwin again caused panic among the Fulham defenders with a similar dribble, his shot this time was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Macedo.
However the Fulham goalkeeper's nerves were soon in evidence again. He advanced well to the right of goal to dive at Webster's feet on the bye-line, but Webster stabbed the ball past him for Dawson to fling himself full length and head the ball into the net. Fulham fought back as they did on Saturday and Stevens was put through by Haynes to equalise.
Dawson and Webster had switched positions and continued in this formation for the rest of the match. With thirty four minutes gone United were ahead again, and once more it was a slip by Macedo who allowed a left foot shot from Dawson to slip for his grasp. Fulham came back yet again and as on Saturday it was left back Langley who made the goal by advancing into the penalty area and Chamberlain was on hand to tap it home.
A minute before half time United regained the lead. This time it was Taylor who swept down the middle and pushed the ball through for Brennan, Macedo got there first, dropped it and Brennan pushed it into the net.
Half time 3-2 to United.
When Dawson completed his hat trick after sixty four minutes, following a brilliant run by Charlton whose shot had been charged down, United looked to be coasting to victory. Fulham though were still not to be denied and Dwight scored from close range to make it 4-3. Going all out for an equaliser and the possibility of victory in extra time, Fulham piled on the pressure. They thought they had done it when Haynes broke through to push the ball into the net assisted by Dwight, but the referee gave it offside. Seconds from the end Charlton got a deserved goal, crashing it home from an almost impossible angle to the right of goal to make it 5-3.
The Manchester United team certainly had a more balanced look about it and praise must be given to Jimmy Murphy for bringing in Brennan as well as switching Dawson and Webster, a move from which they both benefited. The half back line of Goodwin, Cope and Crowther was magnificent. Goodwin in particular showing his best form since coming into the team. Apart from allowing Haynes little scope he was well up in attack and very unlucky not to score.
Full marks to the gallant losers. The Second Division side fought hard to the end and sadly Macedo was unable to maintain his brilliant form of Saturday. In addition Fulham must have felt at times that United were being swept along on a tide of sentiment and sympathy.
There was to be no happy ending for the new Manchester United at Wembley in the Cup Final on the 3rd May when they lost 2-0 to Bolton. Nat Lofthouse scored both Bolton goals, memorably shoulder charging goalkeeper Harry Gregg and the ball over the line. The sense of occasion no doubt got to the United players and they did not really do themselves justice, but they had achieved so much just by getting to Wembley at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment