Goalkeeping Museum

1979-1989

In 1979 Manchester United’s league campaign had been its typically inconsistent self, however the one bright spot was the appearance in the FA Cup final against Arsenal. This game marked the climax to a first season for a young man signed from University in South Africa, one Gary Bailey. Standing six feet one and possesing an athletic frame, Gary Bailey had some heritage of note; his father had been a goalkeeper for Ipswich Town and retired to South Africa.

This game marked a watershed in Bailey’s career; he was considered to be at fault for Arsenal’s winning goal, letting a cross drift over his head where Alan Sunderland calmly headed in at the far post. This would have shattered a lesser individual, at only twenty one years of age Bailey would not have been blamed had he sought refuge and decided to return to South Africa.

It was a blessing for both himself and Manchester United that he stayed for the next few years, and played with such consistency and application that at certain points during the 1980’s he was considered to be putting even the great Peter Shilton under pressure in the national team. From the jaws of humiliation in 1979 Bailey emerged as the natural sucessor to Peter Shilton in 1985. Bailey was playing with such confidence and flair that Manchester United had made a record-breaking start to the 1985/86 campaign and Bailey had restricted summer signing Chris Turner from Sunderland to reserve team football. However, in early 1986, tragedy struck, Gary Bailey sustained what appeared to be a career threatening injury whilst training with England, he caught a foot in a divot and his knee twisted causing him immiediate pain. It looked as though he would miss the 1986 World Cup Finals in Mexico. However, he regained his fitness temporarily toward the end of April and was able to travel with the squad to Mexico, by which time he had lost his Manchester United place to the in-form Chris Turner. Immiediately after the tournament Bailey had surgery to repair the damage; it proved friutles and Bailey was forced into a premature retirement at the age of twenty nine.