Champions! - Season 1926/27 matches - part 1 [August - September]
Introduction
In the reports below the prose within quotations is lifted from reports in the Sunday Sun.
In this period teams line up with a keeper, two backs [2 - 3] a middle-line [4 - 6] - although United innovatively started using one as a third defender to combat the change in the offside rule introduced in the previous season - and a five man forward line [7 - 11].
28/08/26 - Aston Villa [H] Won 4-0 [Gallagher 4] - 36,000
Line Up: 1 - Wilson, 2 - Chandler, 3 - Hudspeth 4 - McKenzie, 5 - Mooney, 6- Gibson, 7 - Urwin, 8 - Clark, 9 - Gallagher, 10 - McDonald, 11 - Seymour.
On a hot summers day United opened with a comprehensive victory in which Gallagher was untouchable . He notched four brilliant goals and dominated the match with "fascinating footwork, dainty dribbling, and shooting which was equalled in it's accuracy by it's power". The adoring Tyneside public "acclaiming him to the skies".
The mercurial maestro was well supported by an excellent all round team performance against a Villa side that just could not cope. Spiers in the Villa goal prevented an even more emphatic victory.
Hughie opened the scoring after 18 minutes, blasting in from an Urwin centre. United had to wait until the 54th for the second, Mooney put Gallagher in with a low through ball and he held off Mort before scoring with a deadly accurate low drive. The scot completed his hat-trick with a shot into the top left corner from an impossibly acute angle.
The final flourish came when he scored a goal which Stan Seymour would later call the greatest he had ever seen. Mort was favourite to gather a long cross from the left, but Gallagher flicked it away from him on the touchline before dribbling the ball towards the centre of goal. He calmly waited while the 'keeper and two backs took up position on the goal line before shooting past them.
01/09/26 - Burnley [H] Lost 1-5 [Hudspeth pen] - 35,000 [10th]
Line Up: 1 - Wilson, 2 - Chandler, 3 - Hudspeth 4 - McKenzie, 5 - Mooney, 6- Gibson, 7 - Urwin, 8 - Clark, 9 - Gallagher, 10 - McDonald, 11 - Seymour.
United crashed to their heaviest home defeat since the record defeat against Sunderland in 1908/09 (strangely enough the last season in which they had won the Championship).
The side that had vanquished the Valiants was crushed by the Clarets and by the end they were "utterly demoralised by the superior pace and more effective competition of the Lancastrians".
The sides were evenly matched in the First Half; Burnley took the lead before Hudspeth equalised from the spot. Burnley scored again with a goal of the "gift variety".
In the second period Burnley "decisively outmanoeuvred their rivals" as the United defensive line just could not handle the speedy, elusive Turfmen.
Despite the scoreline the most influential Burnley player was defender Jack Hill whose "robust dealings with Gallagher aroused a feverish temperament. And, after both had been penalised for the illegitimate practice of physical force they were personally addressed by the referee who administered a significant caution."
04/09/26 - Bolton [A] Lost 1-2 [Seymour] - 25,000 [15th]
Line Up: 1 - Wilson, 2 - Chandler, 3 - Hudspeth 4 - McKenzie, 5 - Mooney, 6 - Curry, 7 - Urwin, 8 - Clark, 9 - Loughlin, 10 - McDonald, 11 - Seymour.
Curry replaced the unwell Gibson and Loughlin deputised for Gallagher who was playing for Scotland.
It was another poor performance in a disappointing game littered with errors. The scoreline flattered United with the Lancastrians the far more lively team. A late rally almost brought a point but it would have been ill-deserved.
Bolton opened the scoring five minutes before the interval with a header from Jack just after he had "shot over the bar with all the netted haven to aim at".
They added a second just after the restart when Curry "clean missed his kick" allowing Smith to score.
Defensively United played better than against Burnley, but the half-backs struggled again and the forward line (minus Gallagher) didn't play until the last twenty minutes. Loughlin battled pluckily against the "big fellow Seddon" but his "greatest fault was want of control".
United got a goal back ten minutes from time when Seymour headed in from an Urwin cross.
06/09/26 - Burnley [A] Drew 3-3 [Gallagher, McDonald, Seymour] - 28,000 [14th]
Line Up: 1 - Wilson, 2 - Hudspeth, 3 - Maitland, 4 - McKenzie, 5 - Spencer, 6 - Gibson, 7 - Urwin, 8 - Clark, 9 - Gallagher, 10 - McDonald, 11 - Seymour.
The Magpies restored some lost pride with a battling draw at Turf Moor. There was an explosive start to the match with Gallagher scoring after only three minutes and within the half hour Newcastle led 3-1
The score remained the same until the last 15 minutes when Burnley scored twice to take a share of the spoils.
11/09/26 - Man Utd [H] Won 4-2 [Gallagher, McDonald [2], Seymour] - 29,000 [11th]
Line Up: 1 - Wilson, 2 - Hudspeth, 3 - Maitland, 4 - McKenzie, 5 - Spencer, 6 - Gibson, 7 - Urwin, 8 - Clark, 9 - Gallagher, 10 - McDonald, 11 - Seymour.
Newcastle got back to winning ways in an excellent game played at high pace despite the heat. The defence struggled again and were often in a state of "disorder". As a result, custodian Wilson had to be at his best "even if some of his clearances were of the flukey order".
The middle line did well and Gallagher (who played a part in all four goals and had another disallowed) Seymour and McDonald were all excellent, but Clark's "waywardness" meant the right flank was less effective.
United opened the scoring when McDonald shot ("at tremendous pace") in on the run following a Seymour cross (14). The other United replied within four minutes through the medium of a controversial penalty when Spencer was adjudged to have handled and McPherson scored.
It was the Mancunians who played the better football after that but at the start of the second period the Magpies took control. Seymour scored (47) after Stewart had saved magnificently from Gallagher and then McDonald benefited from a similar scenario five minutes later (52).
Gallagher scored the fourth himself (61) before Spence pulled one back (71). Both sides continued to make changes but good work from the two custodians prevented further scoring.
18/09/26 - Derby [A] Drew 1-1 [Crilly og] - 30,000 [12th]
Line Up: 1 - Wilson, 2 - Chandler, 3 - Hudspeth, 4 - McKenzie, 5 - Spencer, 6 - Gibson, 7 - Urwin, 8 - Clark, 9 - Gallagher, 10 - McDonald, 11 - Seymour.
A draw was a fair result as the two sides played out a "fast and thrilling game" despite the fact that the game was played under a "boiling sun" and on a "cement-like ground"
The defence was more solid with Hudspeth continuing his impressive form, Chandler improving and Wilson keeping a "splendid goal". The half-back line was the strongest department with McKenzie - "a wizard in ball control" - the star man. Upfront the left-side was again the strongest especially as Clark injured his knee.
United took the lead when Crilly misheaded the ball into his own net (39) under pressure from Clark. Derby had to wait until ten minutes from time to regain equality; the goal coming at a time when Unite had only nine fit players. Seymour was lying prostrate over the touchline suffering from the intense heat.
20/09/26 - Cardiff [A] Drew 1-1 [Urwin] - 14,000 [13th]
Line Up: 1 - Wilson, 2 - Maitland, 3 - Hudspeth, 4 - McKenzie, 5 - Spencer, 6 - Gibson, 7 - Boyd, 8 - Urwin, 9 - Gallagher, 10 - McDonald, 11 - Seymour.
Boyd replaced the injured Clark with The Magpies still searching for that elusive away victory.
However despite the fact that they were clearly superior at times, especially during the first half - they came up against a well drilled Welsh rearguard.
Urwin grabbed a breakthrough goal in the 65th minute; but United conceded an equaliser direct from the kick-off. The Bluebirds had a late surge but United held out for the draw.
25/09/26 - Sheffield United [H] Won 2-0 [Gallagher] - 30,000 [10th]
Line Up: 1 - Wilson, 2 - Maitland, 3 - Hudspeth, 4 - McKenzie, 5 - Spencer, 6 - Gibson, 7 - Urwin, 8 - Loughlin, 9 - Gallagher, 10 - McDonald, 11 - Seymour.
United came out on top in "the most spirited game .. this season" involving two well matched sides playing "better football than ...could scarcely have been desired." The points staying on Tyneside because Newcastle possessed "that extra little bit of finish."
The Magpies started well, but the Yorkshire defence stood firm and it was Sheffield who created the better chances. Then against the run of play Gallagher ran on to a McDonald pass and flashed a shot into the net past former Toonster Alderson.
After the break United's forward line "was almost irresistible" and they were rewarded with "a gem of a goal" by Gallagher (59) who "drove the ball hard and true into the net a fraction of a second before he was clashed to the ground".