All Together Boys!

Charlie Roberts, Alex Downie and George Wall have a trot round Old Trafford, The Crewe skipper still has a love for his old clubmates and their new quarters.

Dundee Evening Telegraph 14.02.12

Glaswegian Alex Downie played for Third Lanark, Bristol City and Swindon Town before joining Newton Heath in 1902. The following year the Heathens underwent a change of name  and became Manchester United.  The half back played 191 games for the club before moving on to Oldham Athletic, United were still playing at Bank Street when he left the club.
At the time Downie was at Crewe Alexandra (1911-12) they were playing in the new Central League. They had been a League club between 1892 and 1896 and rejoined with the expansion in 1921-22.

Old Trafford 1910

The Manchester Courier, 21.02.10

Its not just teams and individual players that make up the rich fabric of football history, but places too, iconic venues.

Manchester United's Old Trafford ground is one of the great venues in World Football. 

Opened in 1910, Old Trafford was Manchester United / Newton Heath's 3rd home. 

From 1878  to 1893 Newton Heath played at North Road. The highest attendance recorded at this ground was approximately 15,000 for a Division 1 game against Sunderland (04.03.93).

The second ground was Bank Street. The capacity was 50,000. In the last match United played there, however, the attendance was just 5,000 (22.01.10).

The opening match at Old Trafford (19.02.10) drew a crowd in excess of 50,000.

In 1911 58,000 watched the replayed FA Cup Final between Bradford City and Newcastle United. Old Trafford's 2nd FA Cup Final, the Khaki Final of 1915 (Sheffield United v Chelsea) had an attendance of 49,557. 

70,504 saw United lose 3-1 to Aston Villa (27.12.20) and the ground's first international (England 0 Scotland 1, 17.04.26) was attended by a crowd of 49,429.

Sandy Turnbull scored the first ever goal at Old Trafford, for United in a 4-3 loss to Liverpool.