Sheffield United vs Millwall

UTB 37
of a fetish on the stuff, because she used to
buy me liquorice root to chew telling me how
good it was for me. She lied, it was like gnawing
on Long John Silver’s wooden leg and still
tasted awful.
Anyway, there were loads of publicity shots
down at the ground with a giant Bertie Bassett
and Harry down at the Lane for the programme
and other old school media outlets. I have a
feeling that we must have also sold them in the
shop for a time as well. When the famous BBC2
United documentary went on air in 1990, lovely
old Winnie Royston, who lived opposite the
back of the Kop on the Shoreham, was seen
taking one from home to the game, and without
any payment from the manufacturers I would
imagine! Either way, for some reason (and
I certainly didn’t buy one!) we seem to have two
of them in our house, although Mrs. G is only
holding her hands up to one of them!
Now, back to the title of the piece, and why
TC is a big knit.
TC is, without a doubt, one of the greatest
players to pull on the famous shirt of the
Blades, and I doubt very much that statement
would get too many arguments. His plaudits
around the Steel City and in football generally
over the years are legion, a suite named after
him in the ground first that he presides over
pretty well every home game. Then the famous
South Stand that was under construction in the
background when he scored the fabled “quality
goal from a quality player” goal against West
Ham was unveiled as the Tony Currie Stand in
his honour. There is much more, many forget
he was runner up in BBC1’s legendary series
Superstars (I bet he was beaten by Brian Jacks,
as everyone was) and also the famous shot of
he and Birch kissing won loads of accolades
in leading gay mags of the time. I bet you
didn’t know that!
Anyhow, the subject of a biography to be
released just in time for Christmas this year
got an accolade in his United prime and my
childhood that, until a short while ago I had
forgotten completely about. It is a figure lovingly
knitted from wool by the old lady that used to
come in our newsagent shop and sell us her
own orange marmalade that was so bitter it
could suck your cheeks into your head in one
mouthful. Mrs. L was a formidable octogenarian
entrepreneur where Mum was concerned,
and I recall her crocheted tribute to our very
greatest being foisted on Mum for me at a
‘bargain price’. It survived all the westies much
better than the gonk! It used to give me a few
sleepless nights as a kid and got stuffed at the
back of a cupboard for good measure, which
I guess is why its surfaced again when we
moved a few years ago!
I wouldn’t say it was a lifelike offering, far from
it, but I bet TC never knew an old dear from
Frecheville was making knitted models of him
as he tapped the ball past Mervyn Day.
I wonder if he would have got the ‘needle’
or if he would have been in ‘stiches’ over
the thought!
R The knitted model of TC still survives
SHEFFIELD UNITED vs MILLWALL