COLIN ALLAN RECALLS WHEN MANCHESTER UNITED LED THE WAY FOR ENGLISH FOOTBALL IN 1956-57...

SUNNY Spain it wasn’t. Manchester United were playing Atletico Bilbao in the first leg of their European Cup quarter-final. It was January 14, 1957 and snow, slush and mud covered the capacity-packed Bilbao stadium’s pitch. Yet the weather hadn’t deterred 65,000 fervent Basque supporters from seeing the Spanish champions challenge Matt Busby’s young team. United had taken on the mantle of England’s first representatives in the prestigious European Cup. Chel...