Season 1980/81
original illustrations of the kits worn during the season
Home kit 1
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P4 W1 D0 L3 F3 A3
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
16/8 | Middlesbrough (h) | 19/8 | Wolves (a) |
27/8 | Coventry C (h) | 2/9 | Coventry C (a) |
Kit Notes:
adidas kit with Admiral socks
Variant home kit
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P1 W0 D1 L0 F0 A0
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
23/8 | Birmingham (a) |
Home kit 2
Shirt numbers
Playing Record in this kit: P7 W2 D5 L0 F11 A4
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
30/8 | Sunderland (h) | 6/9 | Spurs (a) |
13/9 | Leicester C (h) | 1/10 | Widzew Lodz (a) |
8/10 | Aston Villa (h) | 11/10 | Arsenal (h) |
25/10 | Everton (h) |
Playing Record in this kit: P10 W5 D5 L0 F18 A9
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
12/11 | Wolves (h) | 22/11 | Brighton (a) |
29/11 | Southampton (h) | 6/12 | Norwich C (a) |
13/12 | Stoke C (h) | 3/1 | Brighton (h) |
7/1 | Brighton (a) | 11/4 | Coventry C (a) |
18/4 | West Brom (h) | 25/4 | Norwich C (h) |
Variant home kit
Shirt numbers
Playing Record in this kit: P1 W0 D1 L0 F2 A2
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
27/9 | Man City (h) |
Playing Record in this kit: P1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A1
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
28/2 | Leeds U (h) |
Variant home kit
Shirt numbers
Playing Record in this kit:P4 W0 D2 L2 F2 A3
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
17/9 | Widzew Lodz (h) | 20/9; | Leeds U (a) |
18/10 | Ipswich T (a) | 1/11 | C Palace (a); |
Playing Record in this kit: P1 W0 D0 L1 F1 A3
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
21/12 | West Brom (a) |
Variant home kit
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P1 W1 D0 L0 F1 A0
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
28/3 | Everton (a) |
Home kit 3
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P8 W4 D3 L1 F8 A4
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
26/12 | Liverpool (h) | 10/1 | Brighton (h) |
31/1 | Birmingham (h) | 17/2 | Spurs (h) |
21/2 | Man City (a) | 18/3 | Nott'm F (h) |
21/3 | Ipswich T (h) | 4/4 | C Palace (h) |
This kit was also worn in the post season games
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition | 7/5 | Israel Select XI | 7/6 | Malaysia XI |
---|---|---|---|
10/6 | Sabah Selection |
Post season kits identified by Sean Moran & Daniel Gellatley
Home kit (long-sleeved)
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P1 W0 D1 L0 F0 A0
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
8/11 | Coventry (h) |
Pre-season home kit
Shirt number
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
4/8 | Celtic (a) | 8/8 | Gefle IF/Brynas (a) |
Many thanks to Sean Moran for identifying that this kit was worn against Gefle IF/Brynas
Home kit (Friendlies)
Shirt number
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
10/2 | Linfield |
Kit identified by Sean Moran
Standard change kit
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P6 W3 D2 L1 F10 A8
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
4/10 | Nott'm F (a) | 22/10 | Stoke C (a) |
15/11 | Middlesbrough (a) | 20/12 | Arsenal (a) |
14/3 | Aston Villa (a) | 14/4 | Liverpool (a) |
Variant change kit
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A1
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
24/1 | Nott'm F (a) |
Variant change kit
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P1 W0 D0 L2 F0 A2
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
28/1 | Sunderland (a) |
Pre-season change kit
Shirt number
This kit was worn in the following matches:
We have been unable to identify any games in which this kit was worn.
Standard third kit
Shirt number
Playing Record in this kit:
P1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A1
This kit was worn in the following matches:
Date | Opposition | Date | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|
7/3 | Southampton (a) |
Home Kit
Home Kit a
Home Kit 2
Home Kit 2a
Change Kit
Change Kit a
Pre-season Home Kit
Pre-season Change Kit
Worn against Celtic on 4/8/1980
Post Season Change Kit
Post Season Change Kit
Worn against Sabah Select on 10/6/1981
The Season in brief
United struggled to maintain a top six place for most of the season. Garry Birtles, a new club record signing for £1.25 million, failed to score in twenty five League appearances. The club drew eighteen of their League games, a new club record, and although they ended with seven consecutive wins Sexton was dismissed less than a week after the end of the season.
United were beaten at Coventry in the League Cup, at Forest in the FA Cup, and in the first round of the UEFA Cup by Widzew Lodz on the away goals rule.
The collapse of Admiral forced United to hurriedly negiotiate a new kit supply contract with adidas, although they continued to wear Admiral socks until early September. At the Dell in March 1981, United wore the blue Umbro third shirt from 1974/75.
The shirts featured two distinct style of numbers. The original outline number was worn on the home shirts until early November 1980 when it was replaced with a more traditional solid number, although we believe it was retained on the change shirts throughout the season. A solid black number was used on the change kit on just one occasion, for the FA Cup tie at Nott'm. Forest.
The adidas replica shirts had printed club crests and manufacturers logos. The change shirt featured the same crest as the home shirt, unlike the players versions which had crests in different colours. Modern reproduction versions are mostly made in the far-east and usually have over-sized embroidered crests and logos.
Can you help identify the kits worn by United in the following games: Leicester (a) 7/2/1981; and Nott'm Forest (h) 18/3/1981.