ON THIS DAY

In his time at Manchester United George Best became one of the best and most famous footballers in the world. At Old Trafford the 'Fifth Beatle' won League titles and the European Cup as well as being named European Footballer of the Year but by 1974 his love for Manchester United - and Manchester United's love for him - had come to an end and he was on the move. You might think that his next club would have been Real Madrid or Juventus but in fact it was......Dunstable Town! The Southern League club were managed by a friend from his Man U youth days - Barry Fry - who had already signed another star name for Dunstable in Jeff Astle. On Monday 5th August 1974 Best made his debut for Dunstable in a 3-2 home friendly victory over Manchester United Reserves. He only played twice more for the non-leaguers, home friendlies against Cork Celtic and Luton Town, before his career took him to clubs in various parts of the globe including Stockport County, Fulham and Bournemouth. 6 th August

The penalty shoot-out arrived in English football. The Hull City v Manchester United pre-season Watney Cup semi-final ended 1-1 at the end of extra time and so for the first time it was the turn of penalties. George Best became the first player to score in a penalty shoot-out and Denis Law the first to miss one – but Manchester United won 4-3.