BUSBY BABES

THE LAST MATCH PLAYED IN ENGLAND BY THE BUSBY BABES was played at Highbury, London against Arsenal on February 1st 1958.

The youthful team assembled by Matt Busby was expected to sweep all comers before them, but fate was soon to intervene. Before the fateful aeroplane journey to Belgrade, Manchester United played at the Arsenal Stadium before a crowd of 63,578. It was thrilling end to end stuff.

Duncan Edwards put the Babes ahead after ten minutes as Jack Kelsey, the Gunners international goalkeeper, was unable to stop a powerful shot from the youthful "Babe". Bobby Charlton scored the second, after half an hour and then Tommy Taylor made it 0-3, by half time.

Arsenal refused to "lie down" and David Herd scored a first inspiring Jimmy Bloomfield to notch twice, bringing parity. United's Dennis Viollet headed a fourth and Taylor made it 3-5 in the second half. 

Derek Tapscott (below, ever heard of him?) then scored what was to be his last goal for Arsenal to make it 4-5. Tapscott moved to Division Two, Cardiff City in September 1958 for £10,000. He commented that "I was the last "fella" to score against the "Busby Babes" in England, but I wish to God I wasn't".

Manchester United February 5th 1958: Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, Kenny Morgans, Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, Tommy Taylor, Foulkes, Harry Gregg  (gk), Albert Scanlon, Roger Byrne.  

On 6 February 1958, a charter plane, Flight 609, from British European Airways, Flight BEA 609, crashed after refuelling in Munich, during terrible snowy and icy, weather.  The plane tried three attempts to take off on the slush covered runway of Munich-Riem Airport, in Germany. The accident claimed the lives of 23 people, including eight Manchester United players and three officials. 

Eager not to miss Football League fixtures, and not to have a difficult trip again, the club had chartered a British European Airways  (BEA), plane from Manchester to Belgrade for the away leg against Red Star. The match was drawn 3–3 but it was enough to send United to the semi-finals. The takeoff from Belgrade was delayed for an hour after outside right, Johnny Berry, lost his passport, and the plane landed in Munich, West Germany for refuelling at 13:15 GMT.