Blackmore did score, to open the scoring just before half-time, only for a controversial penalty to be awarded by referee George Courtney, when Barnes tumbled over a Pallister challenge. Within six minutes of the restart, Barnes dusted himself down to beat Les Sealey from the spot and the sense of injustice burned brightly in the United end.
it finished 1-1 and, although it may seem strange now, the Charity Shield was shared. Both sides paraded it around the pitch together and would keep it for six months each. There was no penalty shootout which, in retrospect, is a shame because I would have bet my mortgage on Irwin finding the net with his effort, which could have endeared himself even quicker to the Reds faithful.
No bother, though, he would quickly establish himself as a certainty for most all-time United XIs and pick up far more silverware than half of a Charity Shield. We didn’t know it then but Liverpool’s period of dominance was coming to an end, and we were primed to take over.
And getting to know Den in his capacity as a legend when he does ambassadorial work for the club has been a real joy. I was with my father when meeting him at Old Trafford once and he commented that the fans’ favourite was “exactly as I imagined he would be”. You can’t really put it any more succinctly than that. Denis Irwin was dependable on the field and remains totally likeable off it.
The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.