But this time United's 12 match tour took in the United States and Australia with two games penciled in for New Zealand, the first against Auckland. Back then Man U regularly took off-season tours but mostly stuck to Europe. Premiership Football is a different game now and the idea of any top team coming to New Zealand seems far-fetched. A young Bobby Charlton and manager Matt Busby survived the crash and were in the squad that arrived in Auckland in late May.
The club was near the end of a 10 year rebuilding period after the Munich Air Disaster which killed several of their players and support staff. In 1967, Manchester United were becoming the mega-brand we know today.
Jingle bells/Jingle bells/Jingle all the way/Oh what fun it is to see/United win away! - stadium chant. Billy recalls parking his truck at Auckland Domain before running to join a training session "then I'd run back to the truck to carry on the day's work."įrom the banks of the River Irwell to the shores of Sicily. The two would fit in training whenever work allowed. Billy was a tireless, tough defender, a fearless header of the ball and keen on a bit of “interaction” with opposing players. Mark had been named New Zealand Footballer of the Year in 1965 and played First Class cricket for Auckland. They’d just won the First Division championship (now the Premier league), two of their team were World Cup winners and in the following years, this tough professional team would dominate the European competitions.īy contrast, back then Mark Burgess was a young employee at a trading company and Billy Hunter had just started his own trucking business. The Red Devils, as they’re known, were probably the best football team in the world back then. In 1967, their David and Goliath moment occurred when their amateur Auckland XI took the field against First Division champions Man United - at a rugby league ground.
It’s been 50 years since Kiwi footballers Mark Burgess and Billy Hunter played against probably the best Manchester United team of all time.īut when they turn up at RNZ’s Auckland studios, both men look fit enough for another 90 minutes and are full of memories. "For the first 10 minutes out there I was so nervous I couldn't breathe."
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