Manchester United delay winning the inaugural Charity Shield by making their first overseas tour

 

As a result of winning the First Division for the first time in 1907-08, Manchester United were asked to play in the inaugural FA Charity Shield Match, which evolved from the Sheriff of London Charity Shield introduced at the end of the 1897-98 season that pitched the best amateur and professional team against one another.

However, when the former fell out with the FA, a new format in which the Football League winners played the winners of the Southern League was devised. As a result, United played QPR in a match held at Stamford Bridge. Dashing the FA’s hopes that the new competition would be keenly anticipated, only 6,000 fans bothered to turn up on a day that saw the funeral of Prime Minister Campbell-Bannerman, who had died suddenly.

Monday 27 April 1908

FA Charity Shield Stamford Bridge

Manchester United 1 (Meredith), QPR 1 (Cannon)

Manchester United: Moger, Stacey, Burgess, Duckworth, Roberts,

Bell, Meredith, Bannister, J. Turnbull, A. Turnbull, Wall.

QPR: Shaw, MacDonald, Fidler, Lintott, J. McLean, Downing,

Pentland, Cannon, Skilton, Gittons, Barnes.

It was a game Manchester United should have won, as they were the better side throughout the 90 minutes. They did however fall behind when, early in the game, Frank Cannon scored for the West London side, but Billy Meredith levelled the scores with a great goal when his shot from a tight angle completely beat Charlie Shaw in the QPR goal.

The Londoners were grateful to their ’keeper in the second period, however, when he saved Stacey’s penalty. When the match ended it was agreed to be replayed at the start of the following season, as United was unavailable for the rest of the season with games still to play at Newcastle and Manchester before taking part in a tour of Austria and Hungary.

Evelyn Lintott

Lintott was QPR’s first-ever England international, making his debut against Ireland in Belfast in a 3-1 win in February 1908. In total he was to make seven appearances for his country, for which he later gave his life when he was killed in action on the first day of the Somme, 1 July 1916. His football colleague Frank Cannon had earlier lost his life at Ypres in February 1916.

Austro-Hungarian Tour, 1908

Following the season’s end, the United board decided to reward the team with a trip to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This took place only weeks before the England national team made their first-ever overseas tour to play four matches against Austria, Hungary and Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) – despite having won the League, no Manchester United players were picked to play.

After arriving in Paris on Saturday 2 May, United travelled to Zurich where, on 6 May, they played a combined Zurich XI, winning 4-2. On Saturday 9 May 1908, United beat SC Slavia 2-0 before a crowd of 5,000, with the goals coming from Picken and Bannister. On Sunday 10 May, United again beat SC Slavia 2-0 before a crowd of 10,000, who saw Picken and Bannister again score the goals. On Wednesday 13 May, United beat a Vienna XI side, consisting of players from Vienna SC, Vienna Athletic and Vienna FC, by four goals to nil in front of 2,000 people. The scorers were Turnbull with two, Picken and Wall. On Friday 15 May, United played Vienna Athletic, winning 5-0 with goals from Duckworth (2), Wall (2) and Turnbull.

The team then travelled by train to Budapest for two games.

On 22 May, they beat Magyar Athletikai 6-2 after leading 4-1 at half-time. Scorers for Manchester United were Picken with three, Wall, Thomson and Duckworth. On Sunday 24 May, the final game of the tour, and the season, sparked a minor diplomatic incident. It finished Ferencváros Torna 0 Manchester United 7, with Bannister, Meredith (2), Wall (2), Picken and a penalty from goalkeeper Moger completing the rout. There seems to be some uncertainty as to what exactly the cause was, but there was no doubt that abuse, and more worryingly stones, some of considerable size, were thrown at the players. As a consequence, a number were injured, although none seriously.

On 26 May, the Manchester Guardian, carrying an article from Reuters in Budapest, reported on ‘the inability of the onlookers to appreciate differences between the rules obtaining in England and those which are recognized here’.

It was reported that the referee had wanted to send off three of the United side. There had been arguments over the use of goal judges stationed on the goal line, and even more so when they appeared to be shouting out to the referee what decisions to make.

Thomson appears to have grabbed hold of the referee, which the Reuters news agency, making the following comment, reported as an attempt to ‘explain matters’:

In the discussion one or two of the visitors placed their hands persuasively on the referee’s shoulder and the spectators in the cheap seats, misinterpreting the action, thought the Manchester men were trying to attack him. Considerable excitement resulted.

Follow-up reports in the paper, and in the Manchester Courier, do not suggest that at this point stones were thrown. Instead, they suggest in fact that when apologies were offered, the match was restarted with all twenty-two players on the pitch.

However, after the match had finished, some of the crowd, who were believed to have bet heavily on their side beating Manchester United, began throwing stones at the away players. At this point, a body of mounted policemen came to their rescue and, with swords drawn, escorted them from the ground. After taking the players to what was felt to be a safe distance, the police then dispersed and more stones were thrown.

When peace was finally restored, it was possible for both teams to attend the after-match dinner. The United side was also accompanied to the station by their hosts, and it was reported that the First Division champions had agreed to play in Budapest the following year after the hosts offered their sincere apologies for the unfortunate events.

Whether this was really the intention we will never know. But by Friday morning (29 May 1908), when the side arrived back in London – but not until they had played a final game on 25 May against a mixed team drawn from Vienna clubs that was won 3-2 – Ernest Mangnall had announced that they would not be playing Budapest or Slavia again. In addition, the United boss was reported in the Manchester Courier as saying that ‘the idea of the foreign players seemed to be that all they do is to kick, push and hack.

They go for the men and not the ball.’ He finished by complaining about the standard of the refereeing.

When the side finally arrived back in Manchester, where Mangnall again described the tour as ‘a big success, except for Budapest and Slavia’, they were met with what the Courier described as ‘a hearty welcome from a number of friends and supporters’.

Saturday 29 August 1908

FA Charity Shield Replay Stamford Bridge

Manchester United 4 (Turnbull 3, Wall), QPR 0

Manchester United: Moger, Stacey, Burgess, Duckworth, Roberts,

Bell, Meredith, Bannister, J. Turnbull, Picken, Wall.

QPR: Shaw, MacDonald, Fidler, Lintot, J. McLean, Downing,

McNaught, Cannon, Skilton, Gittons, Barnes .

In a match held over from the previous season, Manchester United returned to the form they had exhibited in the first half, and QPR were fortunate not to suffer an embarrassing defeat. Special permission had to be given for the game to take place before the official starting date of the season, which was then 1 September, and a good number of newspapers were of the opinion that it should have been denied.

The newspapers were also critical of the decision of QPR not to play Fred Pentland, who they had transferred to Middlesbrough during the summer, the feeling being that he should not have missed out playing in this most prestigious of events due to circumstances over which he had no control. Pentland travelled to the game and won the approval of FA secretary Frederick Wall to play, but his former club refused him a place in the side. Pentland later managed Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, taking the latter to two league titles and five Spanish Cups during the club’s most successful period ever. Pentland still remains revered by the Basque supporters. His place in the replayed 1908 Charity Shield match was taken by John McNaught, and his teammates, showing solidarity with Pentland, refused to pass the ball to him.

From the start, Charlie Shaw was the busier of the two ’keepers, punching clear a series of crosses before tipping over a beauty from Bannister. Picken was then denied by a last gasp John MacDonald tackle, but on 25 minutes Meredith got past Sam Downing and his cross was turned home by James Turnbull to the cheers of the crowd, who clearly appreciated the style and panache of a United side in full flow. Ernest Mangnall’s men were showing some

superb skills, with immaculate passing between the half-backs and forwards tearing QPR apart. Turnbull then doubled the northern side’s advantage.

Perhaps certain of their victory, Manchester United then relaxed and might have paid for their complacency, but Alfred Gittens was unable to get round Stacey before Frank Cannon’s shot was easily saved by Moger, back in the United goal after missing the original match in April.

On 56 minutes, Wall made it 3-0 and just before the end of the game, Turnbull completed his hat-trick to round off a thoroughly convincing 4-0 victory that ensured Manchester United added another new trophy, the Charity Shield, to the Football League one they had captured for the first time at the end of the previous season. All they now had to do was win the FA Cup in 1909.