Former Wigan Athletic man secures Manchester United medals - half a century later!

Orrell-born Dave ‘Pop’ Gaskell - who went to Lamberhead Green School, and also played for Wigan Athletic - is one of 18 former players due to receive missing medals.

Under English Football League rules t the time, Gaskell, now 82, did not qualify for medals for the 1964/65 and 1966/67 title-winning seasons, after falling short of the minimum 14 appearances then required.

Happily, the EFL has since lowered its criteria so that all players with five or more appearances for league-winning teams are entitled to recognition – and these new rules have been applied retrospectively to historic championships.

The process of awarding these began at Gaskell’s home in Wrexham, with United legends Alex Stepney - a team-mate from 1966-69 - and Mickey Thomas - who joined Wrexham as an apprentice when Gaskell was a senior professional at the Welsh club - also present.

“We’re delighted to have awarded these medals to David in honour of his important contribution to two great title-winning teams, and we’re looking forward to presenting more in the coming weeks," said United CEO Richard Arnold.

"It’s fantastic to see these players, who missed out on medals all those years ago, getting the recognition they deserve, and we appreciate the support of the EFL in making this possible.”

Stepney, who made 539 appearances over 12 years at United, said: “It was a real privilege to be here with David when he received his medals.

"Any team that wins a title, especially in those days when we played 42 League matches, requires a strong squad.

"Players like David, who provided great cover for me during his later years at the club, were crucial to our success.”

Thomas added: “I owe David so much. He was a mentor to me at Wrexham, where I actually cleaned his boots as an apprentice.

"David provided me with the knowledge required to succeed in football.

"It means a lot to me to be here with him today and help present his medals.”

Gaskell became United’s youngest-ever player when he made his debut in the 1956 Charity Shield against Manchester City at the age of 16 years and 19 days.

He had been spotted playing for his local youth team Orrell St Luke's.

Thankfully, Gaskell was not with the United squad when their airplane crashed at Munich on the way home from a European Cup tie on February 6, 1958, killing eight of his team-mates.

His passport had been stamped with a visa for the trip just weeks earlier, but the signing of Harry Gregg meant the 17-year-old stayed behind.

By the early 1960s, Gaskell had become a regular in the United first team, mostly covering for Gregg, but he was in goal for the 1963 FA Cup final win against Leicester.

He made a total of 119 first-team appearances during his 13 years at Old Trafford, and went on to play for Latics - with whom he spent the 1968-69 season on loan - and Wrexham.

Gaskell worked for the company now known as BT before moving to South Africa, where he played for Arcadia Shepherds until his retirement.