Roy remembers: Match of the Day: Sheffield United

Andrew Hague reviews the archives of Sheffield United on the box.

Andrew Hague

“Who remembers?…”

Welcome to Roy Remembers. In this feature, I will be taking a look at United-related media of the past and remembering those moments that, once recorded, have become part of our collective memory.

To begin with, I present to you the first in a four-part review of Blades home VHS releases. And where possible, I’ll share links to the online versions.

The first video is “Match Of The Day: Sheffield United” from 1991.

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Watch it below

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The BBC released similar “Match Of The Day” videos for a number of clubs in the early 90s. All would focus on one team, chronicling their appearances throughout the history of Match Of The Day from the 1960s up to 1991, with the iconic voice of BBC commentator John Motson narrating the coverage. 

United’s edition of the series began with our first-ever appearance on MOTD. It was 6 November 1962 and the Blades were a single point off the top of the old First Division and we took on Arsenal.

Legendary commentator Kenneth “They Think It’s All Over” Wolstenholme was on the microphone as United were crushed in a 6-2 defeat at Highbury. This result triggered the Blades’ tumble down the league. United would finish the 62/63 season in mid-table. Although things got worse within a few short years, and United found themselves relegated to the second tier. 

Fortunes would improve though when in 1968 a young stylish midfielder by the name of Tony Currie was signed from Watford by manager John Harris in a deal worth £26,500.   

Currie helped the Blades return to the top flight and the MOTD cameras were there to witness it all, including a game against Leicester City. This match is most memorable for Blades’ winger Alan Woodward scoring directly from a corner past future England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. 

Next up we are treated to one of the most famous goals in the history of English football. Unfortunately, it’s not scored by the Sheffield version of United. The Blades were actually top of the league when they travelled to Old Trafford in October 1971, but a George Best wonder goal, one that seems to be shown whenever the Northern Irishman is spoken about on TV, set Manchester United on their way to a 2-0 victory and again the Blades fell down the table. 

It was still a successful 71/72 season though and United qualified for the ‘Watney Cup’, a competition that was contested by the teams that had scored the most goals in each of the four divisions. United managed to navigate their way to the final of this now-defunct tournament before eventually losing 6-5 in a penalty shootout to Bristol Rovers after a 0-0 draw. 

A few years later, United would have their best season in the post-war years as they finished sixth in the old First Division. The highlight of this season, of course, was Currie’s goal against West Ham at Bramall Lane. Thankfully the MOTD cameras were there as ‘TC’ scored one of the most famous goals in United’s history to the backdrop of Motson’s now immortal commentary:

“A quality goal, from a quality player” 

As someone who wasn’t born when Currie was in his pomp, and with footage at a premium, it’s fantastic to have even this small amount of documentary evidence to show his skill. United ended that season just one point from achieving European football, before in classic Blades fashion, they again went crashing down the league. This time though things would just get worse and worse. 

In fact less than ten years after that Currie goal United, incredibly, found themselves in the Fourth Division. The likes of Currie and Woodward were but a distant memory as United travelled to places such as Aldershot, Torquay and Darlington still dazed from their dramatic fall down the pyramid.  

The Blades did at least bounce back at the first attempt from the basement league, winning the title by scoring 94 goals and losing only 4 games all season.  Bizarrely, one of those losses was the only game from this season shown on MOTD. A 5-2 defeat away at Colchester was a mere blip as United cruised to the title and back into the Third Tier. 

United had gone from one of the top teams in England to one of the worst in a spectacularly quick fashion. It’s probably no surprise that it took a while for the club to find their feet again and for most of the 80s they bobbed around the Third and Second Divisions without ever coming close to recapturing their former glories. 

It was Dave Bassett that got the Blades back in the public eye. The former Wimbledon manager had United riding high in the Third Division during the 1988-89 season. A trip to Carrow Road to face then First Division table toppers Norwich City in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup once again saw the Blades in the MOTD spotlight. 

United lost the game 3-2 but it was clear that the club were on their way back. The following year MOTD cameras returned to record the Blades as they reached the FA Cup Quarter-Final. This time they bowed out to a controversial Brian McClair goal, as Manchester United advanced to the semis with a 1-0 win at the Lane. It was a minor blip in a season that saw United promoted back to the First Division after 14 years of asking.

Of course, this came at a time when the BBC didn’t have rights to the top tier of English football. So, comically, the video ends at United’s ascension. The Blades ended their MOTD journey (to that point) as they started it: a First Division club. 

I would recommend this video to anyone wanting to know a little bit about United’s past and see a little more of those “greats” who we often talk about despite many of us never having seen them in person. There can’t be many clubs out there who have witnessed dramatic highs and lows that Blades fans have and ‘Match Of The Day: Sheffield United’ is well worth an hour of your time. 

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Andrew Hague is a friend first, podcaster second, probably entertainer third. He runs Roy’s View From and you can find him arguing with opposition fans on Twitter @Panchero.