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Frank Stapleton joined Manchester United in the summer of 1981 for a fee
of £900, 000 from Arsenal. He was Ron Atkinson's first major signing
and made his debut in the opening fixture of the 1981/82 season, a 2-1
defeat to Coventry City at Highfield Road. His first goal for the Red
Devils came in his third appearance, a 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich Town
on 5th September. The Irishman then scored in 4 of his next 6 games as
the side went on an unbeaten run in the league lasting 12 matches. A
further purple patch of goals came Frank's way around the turn of the
year, however, occasional defeats cost the team dear and they had to
settle for third place.
Stapleton finished the campaign as leading
scorer with 13 goals from his 41 league appearances. Having partnered
Gary Birtles in his first season, Frank found himself an altogether
different ally for his second season, Norman Whiteside. The combination
worked immediately with Stapleton scoring on the opening day in a 3-0
victory over Birmingham City at Old Trafford. Again, sporadic defeats in
the league put pay to hopes of a long awaited title, however, the
domestic cup competitions provided plenty of excitement for the fans.
United reached both finals, beating Arsenal at the semi-final stage on
each occasion, but lost the first of those, the League Cup Final, 2-1 to
Liverpool.
Stapleton and co returned to Wembley within two months to
face Brighton in the FA Cup Final (see photo above) and fought
out a 2-2 draw, with Stapleton scoring United's second. In doing so,
Frank became the first player to score for two teams in an FA Cup Final,
having scored for Arsenal, against United, some four years earlier. The
replay was a one-sided affair with United strolling to a 4-0 victory.
During the 1982/83 season Stapleton played in 59 of the side's 60 games
and once again finished the season as top scorer, this time with 19
goals. (Steve Drabble)
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