Manchester United squad picture 1907/08
The 1908 FA Charity Shield was the first Charity Shield, a football match contested by the winners of the previous season’s Football League and Southern League competitions. It was intended as a replacement for the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, after The Football Association declined to provide a professional club to the organisers of that event for the annual amateurs vs. professionals match. The new match was subsequently arranged to take place at Chelsea F.C.’s home ground, Stamford Bridge. Following the conclusion of the respective leagues, 1907–08 Football League winners Manchester United were scheduled to play against 1907–08 Southern League champions Queens Park Rangers.
The first match was played on a very damp pitch in poor weather and ended in a 1–1 draw between the two sides, with the QPR goalkeeper Charlie Shaw also saving a penalty struck by George Stacey. Following the match it was thought that the two sides would share the honours, but instead at the suggestion of Arthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird, the match was replayed in late August. It was once again played at Stamford Bridge and the two teams fielded most of the same players with only a few exceptions. On this occasion the weather was far improved and the attendance by spectators was far higher with 50,000 fans attending. Manchester United won the game by four goals, and between the two matches more than £1000 was raised for charity.
The 1907–08 season was Manchester United’s 16th season in the Football League and their second in the First Division. Remarkably, they won the Championship.
First Division
| Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 September 1907 | Aston Villa | A | 4 – 1 | Meredith (2), Bannister, Wall | 20,000 |
| 7 September 1907 | Liverpool | H | 4 – 0 | S. Turnbull (3), Wall | 24,000 |
| 9 September 1907 | Middlesbrough | H | 2 – 1 | S. Turnbull (2) | 20,000 |
| 14 September 1907 | Middlesbrough | A | 1 – 2 | Bannister | 18,000 |
| 21 September 1907 | Sheffield United | H | 2 – 1 | S. Turnbull (2) | 25,000 |
| 28 September 1907 | Chelsea | A | 4 – 1 | Meredith (2), S. Turnbull,Bannister | 40,000 |
| 5 October 1907 | Nottingham Forest | H | 4 – 0 | Bannister, J. Turnbull, Wall,Own goal | 20,000 |
| 12 October 1907 | Newcastle United | A | 6 – 1 | Wall (2), Meredith, Roberts,S. Turnbull, J. Turnbull | 25,000 |
| 19 October 1907 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 5 – 1 | S. Turnbull (3), J. Turnbull (2) | 30,000 |
| 26 October 1907 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2 – 1 | S. Turnbull, J. Turnbull | 35,000 |
| 2 November 1907 | Birmingham City | A | 4 – 3 | Meredith (2), J. Turnbull, Wall | 20,000 |
| 9 November 1907 | Everton | H | 4 – 3 | Wall (2), Meredith, Roberts | 6,000 |
| 16 November 1907 | Sunderland | A | 2 – 1 | S. Turnbull (2) | 30,000 |
| 23 November 1907 | Arsenal | H | 4 – 2 | S. Turnbull (4) | 10,000 |
| 30 November 1907 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0 – 2 | 40,000 | |
| 7 December 1907 | Bristol City | H | 2 – 1 | Wall (2) | 20,000 |
| 14 December 1907 | Notts County | A | 1 – 1 | Meredith | 11,000 |
| 21 December 1907 | Manchester City | H | 3 – 1 | S. Turnbull (2), Wall | 35,000 |
| 25 December 1907 | Bury | H | 2 – 1 | Meredith, J. Turnbull | 45,000 |
| 28 December 1907 | Preston North End | A | 0 – 0 | 12,000 | |
| 1 January 1908 | Bury | A | 1 – 0 | Wall | 29,500 |
| 18 January 1908 | Sheffield United | A | 0 – 2 | 17,000 | |
| 25 January 1908 | Chelsea | H | 1 – 0 | J. Turnbull | 20,000 |
| 8 February 1908 | Newcastle United | H | 1 – 1 | J. Turnbull | 50,000 |
| 15 February 1908 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1 – 2 | S. Turnbull | 15,000 |
| 29 February 1908 | Birmingham City | H | 1 – 0 | S. Turnbull | 12,000 |
| 14 March 1908 | Sunderland | H | 3 – 0 | Bell, Berry, Wall | 15,000 |
| 21 March 1908 | Arsenal | A | 0 – 1 | 20,000 | |
| 25 March 1908 | Liverpool | A | 4 – 7 | Wall (2), Bannister, J. Turnbull | 10,000 |
| 28 March 1908 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 4 – 1 | Wall (2), Halse, S. Turnbull | 30,000 |
| 4 April 1908 | Bristol City | A | 1 – 1 | Wall | 12,000 |
| 8 April 1908 | Everton | A | 3 – 1 | Halse, S. Turnbull, Wall | 17,000 |
| 11 April 1908 | Notts County | H | 0 – 1 | 20,000 | |
| 17 April 1908 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0 – 2 | 22,000 | |
| 18 April 1908 | Manchester City | A | 0 – 0 | 40,000 | |
| 20 April 1908 | Aston Villa | H | 1 – 2 | Picken | 10,000 |
| 22 April 1908 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2 – 2 | Halse, Stacey | 18,000 |
| 25 April 1908 | Preston North End | H | 2 – 1 | Halse, Own goal | 8,000 |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 23 | 6 | 9 | 81 | 48 | 52 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 77 | 59 | 43 |
| 3 | Manchester City | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 62 | 54 | 43 |
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points
FA Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 January 1908 | First Round | Blackpool | H | 3 – 1 | Wall (2), Bannister | 11,747 |
| 1 February 1908 | Second Round | Chelsea | H | 1 – 0 | S. Turnbull | 25,184 |
| 22 February 1908 | Third Round | Aston Villa | A | 2 – 0 | S. Turnbull, Wall | 12,777 |
| 7 March 1908 | Fourth Round | Fulham | A | 1 – 2 | J. Turnbull | 41,000 |
FA Charity Shield
| Date | Opponents | H / A | ResultF – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 April 1908 | Queens Park Rangers | N | 1 – 1 | Meredith | 6,000 |
| Replay | |||||
| 29 August 1908 | Queens Park Rangers | N | 4 – 0 | J. Turnbull (3), Wall | 6,000 |