I was at that game. I was bang next to the MUFC dug out and had a worms eye view (I was 11) of Best absolutely mesmerising our defence. I saw him play many times over the next few years as I went to college in Manchester in 1970. I was there when he went from the half way line pursued by Chopper Harris against Chelsea, and many more times besides. Later on when he played at Fulham I went to see him at Notts County when he was alongside Bobby Moore and Rodney Marsh. He was quite simply the finest footballer that I have ever seen. I never saw Pele or Maradonna live, but Best is certainly up there with them. And they benefitted from playing alongside world class players in world cup winning sides. People forget what a hard working player he was, probably the first line of defence in the United side. That he had personal problems in later life should never be allowed to cloud the fact that he was a marvellous marvellous footballer. If some of the carthorses of today are worth £100k a week, he would be beyond price. He thrived in an era when referees gave far less protection to players. Harris, Tommy Smith, Norman Hunter, Billy Bremner etc could not play today. Then they tried to kick lumps out of George, but for someone so slightly built he was incredibly resilient, and missed very few games through injury. Those passing judgement on Best as a person would be better off asking themselves what they have ever done to put them in the position of being able to castigate another human being in the way that some are.
Well said, Steve! I saw him at Stamford Bridge in the same year - when he absolutely destroyed (almost single-handedly) a very good Chelsea side, making his marker Ken Shillito (touted as an England prospect at the time) look very amateurish at times. Don't care what others may say - in 50-odd years of watching football I've never seen a better UK-produced player, and that includes the likes of Rodney Marsh, Stan Bowles, Currie, Gazza, Rooney etc.,
Scoring the fourth and final goal <img src ="http://www.barnsleyfc.premiumtv.co.uk/javaImages/6d/a3/0,,10309~2794349,00.jpg"> Over 38 000 inside Oakwell that day .
RE: Sorry - FIFTH round - and he scored! I was at the match but, as a thirteen year old at the time I don't remember much about it. George made such an impression on me that when I started to earn a living I used to go to Sheffield and/or Huddersfield just to watch him play whenever Man.U were in Town. Most boys of my age wanted to play like George. He was the best player I have ever seen and at the time he was a good role model for teenage boys.
RE: I know someone who wasn't! My dad had a ticket and didn't go! I've questioned his sanity from that day on.
RE: Which national daily paper ran an article a day on our team for the entire week? The Daily Herald (which became the Sun). It actually went on for longer than a week, cause I saved em all and made a scrap book out of them. Every day they put in a picture of one of our players with a bit about his career, and there was a report from Oakwell about what was going on. The week before we played Wrexham and beat them 3-0 in front of over 17,000, 4x the average gate. Crafty Joe Richards put the MUFC tickets on sale at the turnstiles to everybody who went to that game. OK then, a stab at the team: Bobby Williamson Alan Hopper Eric Brookes Bobby Wood Eric Winstanley Billy Houghton Eddie O'Hara George Kerr Tony Leighton Johnny Byrne Jimmy Sheavills Yess!! I struggled with George Kerr for a bit though. Williamson had hardly played for us and was in for the injured Alan Hill who went on to become an integral part of Cloughie's back room team at Forest. Kerr went on to manage Grimsby (among others), Tony Leighton died very young of MS (I think)after scoring a lot of goals for Hudds T and Bradford City. Winnie was already a hero. Eddie O'Hara was a scot who ended up working a long time at Shaw CArpets. Eric Brookes was going to be the next England full back but somehow ended up at Northampton. Jimmy Sheavills I have a particular fondness for (see relevant Dear Diary thread) as he scored the goal later on in the season at QPR that saved us from going down.
Denis Law v Bobby Wood = no contest Bobby Wood was interviewed by TV in the week before the match and was quoted as saying, "It's just another day and another game." My own record (I was at the match) says that David Herd got the only goal of the first half, which was remarkably balanced. Then Law let rip with a hat trick in the second (there was some dispute about one of the goals, but it was Law's in my book. I remember Winstanley playing Bobby Charlton out of the game, apart from one shot against the cross-bar when the game was as good as over. I recall Williamson having a blinder, especially second half. I remember George Kerr getting the first chance of the game and completely mis-kicking through nervous tension. Best and Aston were wingers just breaking through into the United team and seemed to playing 'under orders' of the older players, who gave them the ball when they wanted and called for the pass they needed. I don't remember Best 'having a blinder,' but just looking a very talented 'whipper-snapper' who was finding his feet. Recalling Bobby Wood's comment, I remember a photo in the papers of Law sliding in to cliam his third. You can just make out the balding pate of foresaid Bobby somewhere near the far edge of the penalty area, his task for the day abandoned. Good cup-run, though. Went to both Scunny games - both exciting with the late goals to draw at the Old Show Ground and the extra time overhead kick winner from classy Johnny Byrne. Appalling 2-1 fluke against Bury (own goal and good shot from corner kick.) A propos the 17,000 game v Wrexham - both full backs scored for Reds (Hopper penalty and Brookes). Leighton had a test on his damaged ankle on the Queens Ground before the match. He was passed fit, but kept a low profile. I also remember booing Billy Foulkes for his head-high tackle on Leighton near the start of the Man U game.
Slight quibble with the team sheet Suggests O'Hara at No 7 and Sheavills at No 11. The other way round of course. I was in the 38,076 crowd for this game as well, starting off at the back of the Ponte End and not being able to see very much. I wandered round to the Kop end for the second half and got a perfect view from near that gate that used to close off this area with a "transfer" turnstile house next to it. Imagine those days eh - being able to walk around a ground with a crowd of 38,000, unhindered by Jobsworth Stewards. What a day that was - my first glimpse of the genius that was Best. I saw him only twice more live. Old Trafford for the Sheff Utd game which they won 2-0 - Best scoring that famous goals where he weaved through the defence then shot diagonally across the keeper. Then again in his Bournemouth period (5 league games I think). They had a pre-season friendly at Salisbury City and I lived in Salisbury then so went along. Little, slow, bearded chap who used to be a great player. Why did he end it like that I wonder?
