After You've Gone: Sheffield United v Blackpool, Boxing Day 1961

Monday, 19 December 2022

Sheffield United v Blackpool, Boxing Day 1961

Welcome to my regular seasonal post of 'After You've Gone' my now very irregular blog. Apologies if you used to enjoy seeing these pop up on a regular basis. One of my distractions over the past few years has been Instagram, where it is has been so easy to upload images and connect with friends and followers, so inevitably that has meant less and less of 'After You've Gone'.

My Winter wishes this year are courtesy of a lovely football programme that was issued for a First Division match at Bramall Lane on 26th December 1961. Throughout the 1961/62 Season, Sheffield United produced a splendid looking publication with a crowd scene that evocatively captures football going in this era.

I really like the artist's angle of being in the crowd viewing both fellow spectators in the stand and the action on the pitch. I'm sure that L.S.Lowry would have recognised the imagery - though sadly like many football programme designers, the cover illustration is not credited.

The unknown artist would have certainly enjoyed this particular festive issue as the printers - Greenup & Thompson of Wellington Street, Sheffield - went for green ink instead of the regular black that was used to accompany the red print throughout the 1961/2 season. No expenses spared for Blades and Blackpool fans on this Boxing Day!

For the record, Sheffield United won the match 2-1, ending the season in 5th place, which was also one above their City rivals Sheffield Wednesday. The 1961/62 programme crowd scene cover was issued for only this one season, but it remains an enduringly popular design for fans of football programmes of this era.

For anyone stumbling upon this post for the first time, please do check out '1/- The Football Programme Design Revolution 1965-85' that I co-wrote with graphic designer Matt Caldwell. Further information is at the bottom of this page. Now let's savour these cracking images...