GLOVERS NEWS: A look back at Yeovil Town’s previous meetings with Manchester United

THE build-up to Yeovil Town’s forthcoming FA Cup Fourth Round clash with 12-times winners Manchester United will continue to gather pace up until the big kick-off later this month.

The United giants will head to Huish Park on Friday, January 26, 2018, in a 7.55pm start with the game also being screened live on BBC 1.

It will be the fourth time that Yeovil have met United in the world’s most famous club knockout competition.

Here we take a look back at the previous meetings the two sides have had in the FA Cup – starting back 80 years ago to the Third Round of the 1937-38 season when the Glovers were then known as Yeovil & Petters United.

Manchester United 3, Yeovil & Petters United 0 – FA Cup Third Round 1938: The first-ever meeting between the two sides took place at Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground on January 8, 1938, in the Third Round when United were then a Second Division team.

A crowd of 49,004 was at the match and the Glovers did well and held their more illustrious opponents until ten minutes into the second-half.

United then stepped up a gear and scored three goals in 20 minutes from Harry Baird, Tommy Bamford and Stan Pearson as they comfortably went through to the next round.

A group of cyclists had ridden bicycles the 220 miles up to Manchester for the match at Old Trafford. When United heard about this they gave all the cyclists a free ticket for the game.

PHOTO - RIGHT: A ticket from the Manchester United v Yeovil & Petters United FA Cup Third Round clash on January 8, 1938.

PHOTO - TOP: The managers of United and Yeovil from the previous three meetings in the FA Cup between the two clubs. Pictured (from left) are United's Walter Crickmer and Yeovil's David Halliday from 1938; United's Matt Busy and Yeovil's Alec Stock from 1949; and Yeovil's Gary Johnson and United's Louis van Gaal from 2015.

United eventually got knocked-out in the Fifth Round that season with a 2-0 defeat at Brentford in front of a 24,147 crowd, while in the league United – managed by Walter Crickmer - finished second in the table behind champions Aston Villa and were promoted back to Division One where they would stay for the next 36 years.

Yeovil Town finished fourth that season in the Southern League behind champions Guildford City, runners-up Plymouth Argyle Reserves and third-placed Ipswich Town.

The previous rounds of the FA Cup that season saw Yeovil win 3-0 at Radstock Town in the Fourth Qualifying Round, a 2-1 success over Ipswich Town at the First Round and then a 2-1 win at home over Gainsborough Trinity in the Second Round.

The interesting thing for Yeovil was that they went into the United game knowing that their player-manager, David Halliday, was leaving. It had already been announced after the cup win over Gainsborough that Halliday would be joining Aberdeen as manager, but would stay in charge of the Glovers until after the United game.

Manchester United 8, Yeovil Town 0 – FA Cup Fifth Round 1949: The famous tie that saw plucky non-league giant-killers Yeovil Town take on the mighty Manchester United in a front of 81,565 spectators at Maine Road due to Old Trafford being out of action because of war-time bomb damage.

Yeovil, who had knocked star-studded Division One team Sunderland out in the Fourth Round at the sloping pitch of Huish, gained a corner in the opening minutes of the match at Maine Road and everyone thought the Glovers could do even more giant-killing.

PHOTO - RIGHT: The matchday programme from Yeovil Town's FA Cup Fifth Round clash at Manchester United in 1949.

But it was not to be as United – managed by Matt Busby who was only in the early stages of his legendary 24-year reign as manager - soon showed off their class with an eight-goal salvo with leading goalscorer Jack Rowley hitting five, Ronnie Burke two and Charlie Mitten one.

Although the Glovers may have been slightly crestfallen at the time on the back of a heavy defeat, the players’ achievements in the previous round had etched the name of Yeovil Town into FA Cup folklore and the likes of player-manager Alec Stock, defender Ralph Davis, winger Bobby Hamilton and striker Eric Bryant became legends. Far greater than the actual result on that day at Maine Road.

United went on to reach the FA Cup semi-final that year before losing out to Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in a replay, while in the First Division they finished runners-up to champions Portsmouth.

Despite all the success and excitement Yeovil Town had enjoyed in the FA Cup in that 1948-49 season they finished a somewhat disappointing eighth in the Southern League table behind champions Gillingham, runners-up Chelmsford City, third-placed Merthyr Tydfil and then Colchester United, Worcester City, Dartford and Gravesend & Northfleet.

Yeovil’s previous rounds in the FA Cup that season saw a 3-2 win at Lovells Athletic in the Fourth Qualifying Round, a 4-0 win over Romford at Huish in the First Round, a 4-0 win at Weymouth in the Second Round and followed by a 3-1 success over Bury at Huish in the Third Round.

There was then the famous 2-1 giant-killing success over Sunderland in the Fourth Round with goals from Alec Stock and Eric Bryant, alongside a masterclass goalkeeping performance from reserve keeper Dickie Dyke who had been pressed into action at the last minute due to an injury to regular shot-stopper Stan Hall.

Yeovil Town 0, Manchester United 2 – FA Cup Third Round 2015: It was 66 years before Yeovil Town locked horns with Manchester United once again – this time at the Glovers’ Huish Park stadium on Sunday, January 4, 2015.

A crowd of 9,264 had packed into the ground to watch Yeovil, now a Football League team and plying their trade in League One, come face-to-face with Louis van Gaal star-studded United team with a galaxy of internationals on show including Wayne Rooney.

Yeovil did well, to be honest, and held United to 0-0 first-half. United made a double substitution at half-time to try and get themselves going, but it was Yeovil who nearly took an unexpected lead only for striker Kieffer Moore to scuff a shot straight at keeper David De Gea.

PHOTO - RIGHT: The Yeovil Town v Manchester United FA Cup Third Round matchday programme from 2015.

United then brought on their third substitute of the afternoon, £60m Angel Di Maria, on 60 minutes and it was not long before the Premier League giants had taken the lead when Ander Herrera unleashed an excellent looping shot into the net.

Yeovil still did not give up, however, and skipper Joe Edwards nearly drew the Glovers level but his header was nodded off the line by Di Maria.

It was then that the £60m man made sure of United’s safe passage through to Round Four when he broke away and scored in the last minute to make it 2-0.

United went out in the Sixth Round of the FA Cup that season with a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford to Arsenal, while in the Premier League they finished fourth behind champions Chelsea, second-placed Manchester City and third-placed Arsenal.

The 2014-15 season was a disaster for Yeovil Town as they finished bottom of the League One table and suffered a second straight relegation following on from the relegation from The Championship the previous campaign.

Gary Johnson left his role as Yeovil manager soon after the United game and was replaced by Terry Skiverton who in turn was then replaced by Paul Sturrock before the end of the sorry season.

The earlier rounds of the cup had seen Yeovil beat Crawley 1-0 in the First Round, draw 1-1 at Accrington Stanley in the Second Round before defeating them 2-0 at Huish Park in the replay.

YEOVIL Town coverage is sponsored on this website by the Glovers Trust.  The Yeovil Town Supporters’ Society Ltd – known as the Glovers Trust – is a democratic, not for profit organisation, committed to giving supporters a strong unified voice in the decision making process at Yeovil Town FC and strengthening the links between the club and the community that it serves.

Adult membership to join the Glovers Trust is just £10 per year, while it is just £1 per year for those aged Under-16; and £100 per year for a corporate membership.

For more details – go to the Glovers’ Trust website at http://www.glovers-trust.co.uk/ .

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