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As part of The Art Of Salford's annual exhibition at the Cornerstone, Langworthy Road, the organiser Tony Easom decided to include a tribute to the players who lost their lives in Munich Feb 1958. In 1958, I was only seven so have very little memory of the crash or it's effects. I have followed United since I can remember and decided to honour these players by selecting memorable events in the club's history.
From standing in the Stretford end, for every game, my first heroes were Dennis Law and George Best. At one game. I was on the sideline, when George's boot came off ! For ordinary players this would have meant stopping and putting the boot back on, but not George! He continued playing, holding the boot in his hands. It's memories like this that make you realise just how good he was! I love watching TV clips from this period. It's amazing watching him going past players, as they tried to kick him. He would ride their challenges and carry on, not thinking at all of going down! These clips should be shown to Neymar to show him a real genius! I was fortunate enough to be at Wembley in 1968, for the European Cup Final and that memory will always be one I treasure. The King, otherwise known as Dennis Law, didn't play in that game but his goals earlier on in the tournament certainly helped the team to the final. The excitement in extra time as United scored and collected the cup was unbelievable! Sue recently bought me a commemorate T-shirt of this match. The next couple of paintings show the iconic ground which is Old Trafford. The ground has been continually improved and as you go to a game, the nearer you get, you can feel the excitement building up until you are inside. The atmosphere inside the ground is electric and when the fans erupt when a goal is scored! Absolute magic! The next highlight, was in 1999- you've guessed it- when United won the treble! Watching the team progress in each cup competition, as well being the leader of the Premiership, was nerve wracking for all supporters. As they achieved each one, the pressure increased until the European cup final, where they were losing until added time. Then scoring the two goals, in two minutes! What a fantastic achievement! Sue and I were in Manchester, with thousands of supporters, to greet the team as they toured the city. The crowds were unbelievable! The last picture shows a memorial for the Munich Disaster, with the crowd at the ground remembering the people who tragically lost their lives on that fateful day, 60 years ago. Hopefully this selection of paintings of mine will be a small but fitting tribute! Until the end of August, the paintings are on sale at the Cornerstone, Langworthy Road, Salford.
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