Season 1987/88
original illustrations of the kits worn during the season


The Season in brief

In the summer Ferguson brought Viv Anderson and Brian McClair, the latter as replacement for Frank Stapleton at centre forward, to Old Trafford.

United lost just five games all season and were the only side that posed a threat to Liverpool's continued dominance of the Championship.<.

Despite an unbeaten run of ten games to end the season, eight of which were won, United finished as runners up, some nine points adrift of their rivals. However the resilience that was later to become a trademark of Ferguson's United sides was demonstrated at Anfield on April 4th. Losing 3-1 United fought back for a 3-3 draw, Gordon Strachan scoring the equaliser in front of the Kop.

The League or F.A. Cup seemed to represent the club's best chance for a trophy, but they were beaten in the fifth round of both competitions; 2-0 at Oxford in the League Cup and 2-1 at Highbury in the F.A. Cup.

As part of the Football League's Centenary United took part in the two day Mercantile Festival at Wembley. They were beaten in the semi-finals by Howard Wilkinson's Sheffield Wednesday.

All three of United's kits remained unchanged for the new season, with the exception of a white Red Devil rather than a club crest on the blue third shorts. All three shirts were available in both short and long sleeved versions.

To avoid colour clashes the change black shorts were worn with the home shirt, and the home white shorts with the change shirt, on occasion.

As was the case with the previous adidas replica kits, these were easily differentiated from the player shirts as they featured embossed (rather than embroidered) club crests and manufacturers logos.