NUFC Season Summaries

NUFC Season 1955/56

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.