“Duncan was unstoppable,” he remembers. “I went up to Old Trafford to watch Spurs in 1957. I thought: ‘I’ve got to see the Busby Babes.’ Bobby Smith scored a hat-trick and Spurs were 4-1 up, but, in the second half, Duncan came through.
“Players bounced off him. I’d never seen anybody so powerful; he could pass the ball, he could bang shots. They got it to 4-3 and Edwards was through on goal and [defensive midfielder] Danny Blanchflower dived full length and knocked the ball off his foot with his hand! I was a great fan of Blanchflower and saw him a million times, and he never did that kind of thing. But he had to do it that day.
“Have I got a soft spot for Manchester United? I love Manchester United, and the reason is because they’ve always had the greatest players. They had [Cristiano] Ronaldo when he could really play; they had Paddy Crerand, who could pass the ball through the eye of a needle. I loved him to death.
For more information on Paul’s work with the Duncan Edwards Peace Field Project, visit duncanedwardsunited.com.
