The Seasons - 1955/56 - 1959/60

1955/56 [D1: 11th - FAC: 6th]

An inconsistent season in the League where United threatened neither top nor bottom and ended with a disappointing run of only one win in the last ten games and a final position of 11th.

The highlight of the season was a Xmas double over Sunderland with The Magpies beating Sunderland 6-1 at Roker Park on Boxing Day and following up with a 3-1 victory the following day.

The Makems would gain their revenge in the FA Cup where they shocked the SJP crowd by winning 2-0 in the 6th Round.

The most exciting Cup match was the Third Round tie at Craven Cottage. United were winning 3-0 before The Cottagers romped into a 4-3 lead only for United to bounce back and snatch a memorable 5-4 victory.

Two United stars professional careers ended in widely different circumstances. Bobby Cowell never recovered from an injury sustained during United's pre-season tour and was forced to retire. In a rare show of generosity he was paid full wages until the end of the season and was awarded a testimonial.

In contrast Frank Brennan was relegated to the Third Team and "offered" a wage cut from his £15pw max to £8 p/w. He initially refused, then relented and then moved on to South Shields. His plight was unsuccessfully championed by the Players Union

Behind the scenes "manager" Duggie Livingstone got the message that he was not wanted and resigned and coach Joe Harvey also moved on to take over as manager of Barrow

As the season drifted away so did the fans and the average attendance fell below 40,000 (39,740) for the first time since before the War.

1956/57 [Div1: 17th - FAC: 4th]

United's performance dipped again and they finished in a poor 17th place. They started with three wins out of four, but the next fourteen games only brought one more win and they slumped to 19th. Then after clambering back up to mid-table they again had a disastrous end to the season with only one win in eight.

They were capable of winning well (Sunderland H: 6-2, WBA H: 5-2, Bolton H: 4-0), but away from home they were just as likely to get hammered themselves (Birmingham A: 1-6, Man Utd A: 1-6, Chelsea A: 2-6). It was our poor away record (14 defeats) that really cost us.

In the FA Cup Third Round United played out a classic in a replay at Maine Road when they came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Manchester City 5-4 after extra-time. Unfortunately they followed it up by losing 1-2 against Millwall (Division 3 South) at The Den.

Two youngsters had arrived from Ireland; inside-forward George Eastham and right-back Dick Keith.

At the season's close Wor Jackie went in the opposite direction to become player-coach at Linfield. To the supporters disgust the club refused to grant him a testimonial and demanded a £10,000 transfer fee.

The fans were also mourning the tragic loss of another Toon great - Hughie Gallagher - who tragically committed suicide in June 1957.

1957/58 [Div1: 19th - FAC: 4th]

In The summer of 1957 William McKeag replaced Wilf Taylor as Chairman the club; a move which was to tear the club apart. McKeag believed that a full-time manager was required but was convinced no one would come whilst Seymour was still around.

During the season he branded Seymour as a "traitor" for refusing to step down and put a "gagging" order on all the other directors.

Turmoil in the boardroom was mirrored on the pitch where United spent the season battling against the drop.

They eventually finished in 19th on the same points as Sunderland , avoiding relegation on goal average only. In contrast to the previous year it was a disastrous home record (only 6 wins) that threatened their top flight status.

The team was regularly chopped and changed and many of the players became increasingly incensed by the directors' team selection policies.

For the third season running they suffered an end of season collapse; winning only one of their last eight. They became heavily reliant on Len White's goalscoring prowess although Arthur Bottom also assisted admirably with seven goals in only eight games after he was signed from York.

A 6-1 thrashing of Plymouth in the FA Cup Third Round was followed by a disastrous home defeat by Scunthorpe United of the Third Division North.

At the end of the season McKeag got his way and appointed controversial Mansfield manager Charlie Mitten on a twelve month contract. Seymour was not happy and publicly stated his objections whenever possible.

1958/59 [Div1: 11th - FAC: 3rd]

No new signings during the summer but Mitten made an immediate impact with his "revolutionary" training techniques (gymnastics and highland dancing) and his idea for a new "continental" strip.

Mitten's first game in charge was a disaster - a 1-5 reverse at home to Blackburn - but things thankfully improved and the 11th place finish was a welcome relief from previous campaigns.

It was far from mid-table mediocrity with many high-scoring games including a 5-6 defeat at Stamford Bridge and a 4-4 draw at Old Trafford.

The fans liked what they were seeing and the average crowd rose to 40,280 (the best for four years)

Interest in the Fa Cup was short-lived as United were beaten 4-1 at SJP by Chelsea. Seymour took the opportunity to publicly blame Mitten's tactics for the defeat with McKeag blasting back ; again via the media. McKeag offered to resign if Seymour followed suit; they both stayed. Incensed by the internal bickering a group of shareholders established a pressure group to try and get representation on the board.

Wales' golden boy Ivor Allchurch was signed but Mitten was often frustrated in the transfer market because any purchase had to be sanctioned by the whole board. As a result they missed out on Mel Charles; the first of many deals scuppered by the infighting.

The media talked of "Mittens Marvels" and McKeag wanted to reward him with a four year contract. But Seymour and his allies only wanted to give him 12 months. It took an interjection from Leeds, who wanted him to takeover at Elland Road, to force the directors to sanction a three-year contract.

1959/60 [Div1: 8th - FAC: 3rd]

United once again opened with a 5-1 defeat at home; this time Spurs were their vanquishers and by the end of October they had slumped into 18th. But in the next game they beat Everton 8-2 and they went off on a goal blitz, scoring 33 goals in only ten games (including a 7-3 victory over Man Utd.

Eastham, Allchurch and White had formed a devastating inside forward combination which was as good as any in the country. By the end of March they had climbed to 5th, but one win in the last seven meant they settled in 8th.

In the FA Cup 3rd Round they played out a couple of classics against Wolves but lost the replay at Molineux 4-2.