When Shorts Were Short S3 E11 - Mike Keegan (Mail Sport) on Oldham Athletic 1989-91

When Shorts Were Short

When Shorts Were Short concerns itself solely with what was actually a very narrow window in football history when teams wore, well, short shorts. The podcast takes 1954 as its starting point, when Umbro made their first England kit with shorter shorts, to 1992, when short shorts were all but finished as Umbro's baggy shorts for Tottenham's new kit, ahead of the '91 FA Cup Final, quickly caught on.

If the shorts weren't short, we don't talk about it.

Unfortunate not to go up to the First Division in 1987 when they finished third but instead had to go through the inaugural play offs where they fell to Leeds on away goals, it would be another couple of seasons before the Oldham Athletic side most closely identified with Joe Royle’s 12 and a half years at Boundary Park emerged. And what a team it was.

A twin assault in the halcyon season of 1989-90, a time of significant change in this country, both culturally and politically, arguably cost a brilliant team promotion. Along the way in the cups, champions Arsenal were downed in the Littlewoods Cup, before Southampton were brushed aside in the last eight over two legs. The Valentine’s Day massacre of West Ham in the first leg of the semi final at Boundary Park saw Royle’s man switch off for the second leg, as we’ll hear, but they progressed to meet Brian Clough’s resurgent young Forest side at Wembley.

Meantime, in the FA Cup, Everton, who would finish in the top 6 that season, were knocked out after a second replay, Villa, runners up that season were then dismantled 3-0 in the Quarter Finals.

This was no giant killing, as we’ll hear. You’d have thought Oldham were the top flight club that day. That performance set them up for two epic tussles in the last four with Alex Ferguson’s finally emerging Manchester United, two games that I have personally never forgotten, which along with Palace’s perhaps better known 4-3 triumph over Liverpool were the first ever FA Cup semis to be televised live and which I think perhaps helped English football take the first small steps, post Hillsborough, to getting itself together. Turin in June 1990 was bigger, of course, but I do feel those televised semi-finals in April made some fall back in love with the game.

Oldham would finish trophyless that season and still in the second division but they had captured the hearts of the country.

Mike Keegan, the Daily Mail’s sports editor has written a brilliant book on the Joe Royle years, This is How it feels, an English Football Miracle, and was kind enough to give me his time to discuss that wonderful ride the club enjoyed. Find Mike's book here or any bookshop or online stockist.

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