The Greatest Football Story Ever Told - Part 6

As part of the build-up to Tour 2015, presented by Aon, we’ll be reflecting on some of the most important and unforgettable times in the Reds’ history - something we believe to be the greatest football story ever told. We'll also be hearing from some of the key personalities who have helped create that story. In chapter six of our series, former goalkeeper Alex Stepney recalls a famous night for the club in May 1968 when the Reds reached the peak of European football...

The outlook for Manchester United had never seemed bleaker than in the aftermath of the Munich air disaster, but the night is always darkest just before the dawn and, having previously battled back from near-bankruptcy and the wartime bombing of Old Trafford, this was a club already imbued with indefatigable spirit.


That mindset was embodied by the staff members who worked around the clock to keep the club running and, incredibly, able to return to playing action just 13 days after the tragedy. An assortment of crash survivors, youngsters and emergency signings took to the field for an FA Cup fifth round meeting with Sheffield Wednesday, and rode a wave of raw feeling to post a scarcely believable 3-0 victory on the most emotional night in Old Trafford’s history.

Heroically helmed by assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, the makeshift side captivated a nation. ‘Murphy’s Marvels’, as they were dubbed, astonishingly advanced to the final of the FA Cup. Although the Reds ultimately lost out to Bolton Wanderers at Wembley, the sight of a sufficiently-convalesced Matt Busby in the United dugout provided an even greater victory.

The Scot retook charge from Murphy and set about rebuilding his club. He publicly reckoned that it would take five years to have his side competing for honours again, a prophecy which helped the club through half a decade of struggles until the 1962/63 season. The squad refit had included the capture of Scottish centre forward Denis Law, whose stunning debut campaign played a major part in United’s 1963 FA Cup final victory over Leicester City. True to Busby’s word, the Reds were back.

The manager’s knack for nurturing young talent shone through once again the following season, as a shy teenager by the name of George Best made his first team bow. Joining Law and Bobby Charlton, Best would go on to form a third of the United Trinity, a trio of players who would each win the Ballon d’Or, European football’s leading individual award, in the space of five years.

During that time, Busby’s thrilling side regained the First Division title in 1964/65 and won it again in 1966/67, the latter triumph providing the platform for one of the most important chapters in the Reds’ history: the 1968 European Cup triumph. The mighty Real Madrid had finally been vanquished in the semi-finals, and Portuguese giants Benfica, complete with star turn Eusebio, awaited in the final at Wembley.

Charlton’s opening goal was cancelled out by Jaime Graca late on, but the Reds ran riot in extra-time, scoring thrice through Best, Brian Kidd and Charlton again to secure the silverware which had so enraptured Busby and his club. ”For an infinitesimal blank in time I did not realise what had happened,” the Scot recalled. “Then the blast in what seemed millions of decibels hit me.”

"We all knew how much it meant to Matt. It was his special moment," recalls goalkeeper on the night, Alex Stepney. "Not just to Matt, but to Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes who had survived the crash ten years earlier and we all ran to them at the final whistle.

"Winning the cup changed the whole scope of the club. We knew then that we could go on to achieve even more and that's what United did."

A decade on from the tragedy of Munich, the catharsis had come. United had resumed their journey to the peak of European football.

Credit: manutd.com