 Scanlon in 1957 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Albert Joseph Scanlon | ||
| Date of birth | (1935-10-10)10 October 1935 | ||
| Place of birth | Hulme,Manchester, England | ||
| Date of death | 22 December 2009(2009-12-22) (aged 74) | ||
| Place of death | Pendleton,Salford, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Outside left | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Manchester United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954–1960 | Manchester United | 115 | (34) |
| 1960–1962 | Newcastle United | 22 | (5) |
| 1962–1963 | Lincoln City | 47 | (11) |
| 1963–1966 | Mansfield Town | 108 | (21) |
| 1966 | Belper Town | ||
| Total | 292 | (71) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Albert Joseph Scanlon (10 October 1935 – 22 December 2009) was an Englishfootballer who played as anoutside left. He began his career withManchester United and was one of the "Busby Babes" who survived theMunich air disaster of 1958. Although he sustained severe injuries, he recovered and continued to play league football forNewcastle United,Lincoln City andMansfield Town. He then went on to play non-league football until his retirement.
Born inHulme,Manchester, Scanlon was a nephew of formerManchester United wingerCharlie Mitten.[1] He attended St Wilfred's School in Hulme.[2] His talent for football was noticed early on, and he was selected to play for the Manchester Boys side. He joined the Manchester United groundstaff in 1950, before signing a professional contract in December 1952.[2]
Scanlon made his way through the Manchester United youth system, winning twoFA Youth Cups in 1953 and 1954 before making his first-team debut againstArsenal on 20 November 1954.[2] Scanlon was involved in two league title wins – in 1956 and 1957 – but he failed to make enough appearances to earn a winners' medal on either occasion, withDavid Pegg being United's regular left winger during this time. Scanlon was occasionally used as a right winger, which was the regular position ofJohnny Berry.[2]
On 5 February 1958, Scanlon started on the left wing in United's European Cup quarter-final second leg away toRed Star Belgrade; for five of the players who started the game, it was to be their last match for the club. The next day, on the return journey to Manchester, the team's plane crashed while attempting to take off from Munich airport, in an incident that later became known as theMunich air disaster. The crash killed 23 of the plane's 44 passengers and crew, and Scanlon suffered a fractured skull, a broken leg and kidney damage. He did not play again that season.
He made a full recovery and was back in action at the start of thefollowing season, going on to appear in every game that season, scoring 16 goals in the process.[2]
Scanlon was sold toNewcastle United for £18,000 in November 1960,[1] but his time onTyneside was not a success and he then dropped down to a lower level to play forLincoln City in February 1962.[2] He was on the move again just over a year later, joiningMansfield Town in April 1963, just in time to participate in the club's celebrations at being promoted to theThird Division.[2] Mansfield narrowly missed out on promotion to theSecond Division two years later, finishing third in Division Three, but they dropped to 19th the following season and Scanlon dropped out of league football. He joinedBelper Town in 1966,[1] and retired shortly afterwards.
Following his retirement, Scanlon returned to the Manchester area and worked in a succession of jobs outside football, including working as a security guard at aColgate-Palmolive factory nearOld Trafford,[2] and being adocker inSalford.[3]
In 2006, Scanlon complained about several "inaccuracies" in an episode ofSurviving Disaster focussing on the Munich air disaster, despite being consulted by the production company.[4]
On 13 May 2007, Scanlon presented thePremier League trophy to Manchester United along with former teammateBill Foulkes.[citation needed]
He attended United's victoriousChampions League final appearance inMay 2008 inMoscow, being flown to the game in Russia on a private jet hired by United, along with fellow Munich survivorsBobby Charlton andHarry Gregg. Bill Foulkes, the other remaining survivor, attended the game as well.[5]
Scanlon was admitted to theSalford Royal Hospital with kidney problems and pneumonia on 21 October 2009. He was in intensive care for more than a month, and died on 22 December 2009, aged 74.[6][7] His funeral was held on 13 January 2010, and more than 300 people attended the service at All Souls' Church inWeaste, including fellow Munich survivors Bobby Charlton, Harry Gregg and Bill Foulkes, and former Manchester United playersDenis Law andNobby Stiles.[8]