12/15/2023 0 Comments Navy captain o'connell world war 2![]() On 2 April 1915 Liverpool, comfortably mid-table, hosted United with the visitors needing a win to escape relegation. That was the context for the most controversial Liverpool-Manchester United match of all time. As the carnage dragged on and sucked in more and more people, the prospects of the football season continuing uninterrupted grew dimmer. Blundering into murderous conflict was one thing but there seemed no need to do anything so rash as to cancel the football season. Three months later the first world war broke out. A month later Manchester United paid £1,000 to buy O’Connell from Hull. And not just any old broken arm, but one of his own. Ireland beat Wales 2-1 in Wrexham and then gained their first away victory over England – a 3-0 trouncing at Ayresome Park – before claiming the title with a 1-1 home draw with Scotland, a match in which O’Connell excelled despite a broken arm. He played more consistently there but it was his performances for a not-yet independent Ireland that really attracted the attention of bigger clubs, especially when they won the British Home Championship outright for the first time in 1914.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |