1986-87 Season - January
Summary
United's disastrous League form continued as they succumbed to three more defeats making it six defeats in a row. Once more we were marooned in bottom place.
Progress was made to the 5th Round of the FA Cup with us seeing off Fourth Division promotion chasers Northampton and Preston.
Twenty five year old Albert Craig arrived from Hamilton in a £100,000 deal.
Diary
| 1986/87 | 1st Jan | Div 1 | Man U [A] | Lost | 1-4 [1-2] | 43,334 |
- Thomas M
- McDonald
- Wharton
- McCreery
- Jackson P
- Roeder
- Stephenson [s]
- Thomas A
- Goddard
- Beardsley
- Jackson D [1]
- Stewart [s7]
It was a pretty medicore season for Man Utd (they finished almost exactly half way) but they were far too good for McFaul's struggling side.
| 1986/87 | 3rd Jan | Div 1 | Coventry [H] | Lost | 1-2 [0-1] | 21,544 |
- Thomas M
- Davies
- Wharton
- McCreery
- Jackson P
- Roeder
- McDonald [1]
- Thomas A
- Goddard
- Jackson D [1]
- Wrightson
The New Year continued in a bad vein when United slumped to another home defeat; this time 1-2 against a Coventry side who were having one of their better seasons.
Jeff Wrightson had been brought in to help stiffen up the midfield; it proved to be his last senior game
| 1986/87 | 21st Jan | FAC 3 | North'ton [H] | Won | 2-1 [1-0] | 24,686 |
- Thomas M
- McDonald
- Wharton
- McCreery
- Jackson P
- Roeder
- Stephenson
- Thomas A [1]
- Goddard [1] [s]
- Beardsley
- Jackson D
- Stewart [s9]
Fourth Division Northampton finished as champions of their League in 1986/87 and they gave United a tough match
Andy Thomas gave United a narrow lead in the First Half and Paul Goddard got the second in the second period.
| 1986/87 | 24th Jan | Div 1 | Liverpool [A] | Lost | 0-2 [0-0] | 38,054 |
- Thomas M
- McDonald
- Wharton
- Anderson
- Jackson P
- Roeder
- Jackson D
- Thomas A
- Goddard
- Beardsley
- Stewart
Newcastle were under the cosh for most of the First Half at Anfield as they missed the combative midfield skills of the injured McCreery
Liverpool's Paul Walsh finally broke the deadlock [53] and Ian Rush made sure with the second [78] .
Alleged Liverpool target Beardsley was playing in a more deep lying role and it was he who was behind United's best moments but though Grobbelar had to make a couple of saves The Magpies were never really in it.
Beardsley was applauded by both sets of supporters at the end and some of the travelling Geordies were none too impressed with Beardsley's acknowledgement of the scousers.
| 1986/87 | 31st Dec | FAC 4 | Preston [H] | Won | 2-0 [0-0] | 30,495 |
- Thomas M
- McDonald
- Wharton
- McCreery
- Jackson P
- Roeder [1]
- Thomas A
- Anderson
- Goddard [1]
- Cunningham
- Stewart
Beardsley aggravated his knee injury against Liverpool so Tony Cunningam got a rare chance to impress against Middlesbrough's conquerors Fourth Division Preston (who would be promoted at the end of the season)
As with Northampton in the previous round it proved to be tough going for United who took over an hour to make the breakthrough.
Goals from Roeder [62] and Goddard [77] secured our passage into the 5th Round for the first time in six years.