Season 1923/24
original illustrations of the kits worn during the season
Home Kit
Change Kit
Home Kit
Change Kit
The Season in brief
Chapman bought David Ellis, a right winger who had played for him at Airdrieonians, for £1,250 from Maidstone. United now had thirty seven professionals at the club. United's first defeat came at arch rivals Bury on September 8th. Jack Mew, as combative a personality as Barson, clashed repeatedly with Bullock, Bury's centre forward, and was given a one week suspension by the Board. After the defeat at lowly Oldham on October 6th Mew was one of five players that lost their places.
Barson was plagued by injuries throughout the season and made just seventeen appearances. Without their captain United struggled and were never in contention for a promotion place. They eventually finished a lowly 14th.
The undoubted highlight of the season was the visit of Herbert Chapman's Huddersfield Town for an F.A. Cup second round tie on February 2nd. A new record crowd of 66,673 saw the Terriers, on their way to a second successive League Championship, triumph 3-0.
Average attendances were down however and United recorded their first loss of the inter war years, some £1,500. The Board responded with an immediate embargo on buying new players.
United's home and change kits remained largely unchanged for the 1923/24 season. We know from a photograph sent to us by Charbel Boujaoude and taken in November/December 1923, that the side wore a new style home shirt with a rolled neck. We believe the change kit was unchanged.
We have been able to determine that United's goalkeepers wore a heavy woolen green jersey. Although we have been unable to discover any evidence from this season of United's goalkeeper change shirt, we believe, from later photographic evidence and given the limited colour options available under League regulations, it was probably royal blue.