19 February 1910 - Back When It Was Just "Trafford"

On 19 February 1910, Liverpool spoiled the debut of Manchester United's new stadium, winning there 3-4.

Originally named United Football Ground, the stadium was designed by architect Archibald Leitch and cost approximately £60,000 to complete. It opened with a capacity of 80,000--substantially higher than the 50,000 of their previous Bank Street ground--but only 45,000 people turned out for that opening match.

United's opponents were Liverpool, who had already beaten them at Anfield earlier in the season. They completed their sweep of the Red Devils with a 3-4 win thanks to a brace each from Arthur Goddard and James Stewart (United's scorers were Tom Homer, Sandy Turnbull, and George Wall).

Renamed Old Trafford in 1936, it has remained United's home ever since, except for a brief spell after World War II when bombing damage rendered it temporarily unusable. Its highest attendance, however, did not involve United; that was set at 76,962 for a 1939 FA Cup match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town when Old Trafford was still a terraced stadium. The record after conversion to an all-seater is 76,098, set during a league game between United and Blackburn Rovers in 2007.

24 August 1949 - Welcome Back, United

On 24 August 1949, Manchester United returned to Old Trafford, playing a League fixture there for the first time in over ten years.

Old Trafford, nicknamed the "Theatre of Dreams," has served as United's home ground since 1910. But after the 1938-39 season, the FA suspended League play for the duration of World War II, with United's last match before the break being a 2-0 win over Liverpool.

During the war, German bombing runs twice hit Old Trafford, rendering it unusable. As described by a report in the Telegraph, "The spectacular main grandstand lay in ruins, what was left of the vast, sweeping terracing was overgrown with weeds, a thorny 6ft high bush had sprouted in the middle of the scorched pitch, a couple of threadbare Nissen huts served as dressing rooms and offices, and the 'training pitch' was a levelled-off area of rubble behind the Stretford End; the 'Theatre of Dreams' was a landscape of nightmares."

When League play resumed in 1946, United were still in the process of rebuilding the stadium (see photo). For the next three seasons, they played their home matches at Maine Road, the home of rivals Manchester City (£5,000 a year plus a take of the gate). By the start of the 1949-50 season, the stadium was not fully rebuilt, but was ready for play and 41,748 people showed up to watch United defeat Bolton 3-0.

19 February 1910 - Back When It Was Just "Trafford"

On 19 February 1910, Liverpool spoiled the debut of Manchester United's new stadium, winning there 3-4.

Originally named United Football Ground, the stadium was designed by architect Archibald Leitch and cost approximately £60,000 to complete. It opened with a capacity of 80,000--substantially higher than the 50,000 of their previous Bank Street ground--but only 45,000 people turned out for that opening match.

United's opponents were Liverpool, who had already beaten them at Anfield earlier in the season. They completed their sweep of the Red Devils with a 3-4 win thanks to a brace each from Arthur Goddard and James Stewart (United's scorers were Tom Homer, Sandy Turnbull, and George Wall).

Renamed Old Trafford in 1936, it has remained United's home ever since, except for a brief spell after World War II when bombing damage rendered it temporarily unusable. Its highest attendance, however, did not involve United; that was set at 76,962 for a 1939 FA Cup match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town when Old Trafford was still a terraced stadium. The record after conversion to an all-seater is 76,098, set during a league game between United and Blackburn Rovers in 2007.

25 March 1939 - Not The Teams You'd Expect For The Record, Are They?

On 25 March 1939, Manchester United's Old Trafford ground held its largest-ever crowd. And Manchester United weren't playing.

Designed by famed architect Archibald Leitch and completed in 1909, the stadium was originally named United Football Ground, but was renamed to Old Trafford in 1936. With an original terraced capacity of just under 80,000, it was one of England's largest grounds and hosted some prominent matches, including English internationals and FA Cup Finals.

In 1939, it served as the venue for one of the FA Cup semi-finals. A stadium-record crowd of 76,962 people turned out to watch Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Grimsby Town 5-0. The victory sent Wanderers to the Final at Wembley, where they lost to Portsmouth.

In the early 1990s, the club converted the stadium to an all-seater, following the recommendation of the Taylor Report following the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster. The capacity dropped at that point to around 44,000. Subsequent additions, however, have increased the stadium close to its pre-Taylor Report levels and it currently boasts a capacity of 75,957.

24 August 1949 - Welcome Back, United

On 24 August 1949, Manchester United returned to Old Trafford, playing a League fixture there for the first time in over ten years.

Old Trafford, nicknamed the "Theatre of Dreams," has served as United's home ground since 1910. But after the 1938-39 season, the FA suspended League play for the duration of World War II, with United's last match before the break being a 2-0 win over Liverpool.

During the war, German bombing runs twice hit Old Trafford, rendering it unusable. As described by a report in the Telegraph, "The spectacular main grandstand lay in ruins, what was left of the vast, sweeping terracing was overgrown with weeds, a thorny 6ft high bush had sprouted in the middle of the scorched pitch, a couple of threadbare Nissen huts served as dressing rooms and offices, and the 'training pitch' was a levelled-off area of rubble behind the Stretford End; the 'Theatre of Dreams' was a landscape of nightmares."

When League play resumed in 1946, United were still in the process of rebuilding the stadium (see photo). For the next three seasons, they played their home matches at Maine Road, the home of rivals Manchester City (£5,000 a year plus a take of the gate). By the start of the 1949-50 season, the stadium was not fully rebuilt, but was ready for play and 41,748 people showed up to watch United defeat Bolton 3-0.