May 2 – Oldham (and United) Win | On This Football Day

May 2 – Oldham (and United) Win

TODAY in 1993 Oldham Athletic pulled off an unexpected 1-0 win away at title chasing Aston Villa. The win helped the Latics with their unlikely, but ultimately successful, quest to stay in the top flight, but perhaps rather more significantly, it also meant Manchester United were League champions for the first time in 26 long years.

The Red Devils had been waiting for the top prize since the days of Matt Busby and for some time it looked like Sir Alex Ferguson was just another in a long line of managers who would fail to live up to Sir Matt’s legacy. Since the great man vacated the dug-out Wilf McGuinness, Frank O’Farrell, Tommy Docherty, Dave Sexton and Big Ron Atkinson had all come and gone without delivering the title.

Fergie was meant to be the man to end that run, but he endured some tough times at Old Trafford in his early years there as his side failed to impress. As impatient then as Liverpool fans are now, the Old Trafford faithful were losing faith in the Scot: “Three years of excuses and it’s still crap. Ta ra Fergie,” read one famous banner.

But he got there, thanks in no small part to the signing of Eric Cantona from Leeds in November 1992. The Frenchman provided the “extra dimension” that Fergie had said his side needed to take the title.

With Oldham’s victory at Villa Park, Aston Villa, United’s closest challengers, could no longer catch Fergie’s side and the wait was over.

Alex Ferguson was playing golf at the time. “A man I didn’t know came over the hill and said ‘excuse me Mr Ferguson, but you are champions. Oldham have beaten Villa’. It was a great feeling.”

Fittingly, it was the first season of the Premiership, and United started as they meant to go on in the newly rebranded top-flight by dominating. Since then the club have won the Prem nine more times like some kind of playground ball hogs.

Also on this day, another famous old name in football was finally winning his first trophy. More tomorrow folks, so see you on the other side.