«The only thing I have in common with George Best is that we come from the same place, play for the same club and were discovered by the same man.»
Norman Whiteside
When people hear the mention of the Shankill Road in Belfast, they would in all likelihood think of a place where angels fear to thread. All The Same, being located close to the city centre the Shankill has now been turned into a busy shopping community. As there are over 100 smaller retail merchants on the road in Shankill, even tourists are a common sight these days.
Brought up on the Shankill Road in Belfast, Norman Whiteside was discovered by none other than Bob Bishop, who previously recommended George Best and Sammy McIlroy to the Old Trafford club. Whiteside achieved legendary status when he became the youngest player ever to score in a FA Cup final as Manchester United beat Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 in the 1983 replay.
Despite being converted into a midfield player, he also scored the winning goal in the 1985 FA Cup final to give Manchester United victory over Everton. Referee Peter Willis also managed to hit the headlines on this warm London afternoon as Kevin Moran became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup final following his rather clumsy challenge on Everton midfielder Peter Reid.
Even though they were down to ten players, Manchester United nonetheless fancied their opportunities as the game entered extra time. Furthermore, the Manchester United players just went on fighting even harder as they became progressively determined to present the Evertonians the coup de grace.
With 110 minutes on the clock, Norman Whiteside suddenly cut in from the right wing and hit a sensational curling shot past a fully stretched Neville Southall from 25 yards. It was a moment of pure and simple magic from Whiteside as he scored the only goal of the match bringing FA Cup glory to the Old Trafford club once again.
Norman Whiteside went on to make 273 appearances for Manchester United scoring a total of 66goals in the process. Tormented by a knee injury, he was finally sold to Everton in 1989 for £600,000. A regular member of the vastly talented Northern Ireland team that went to the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, Whiteside gained 38 full caps for his country.
When injury ended his playing career at the comparatively young age of 26, Whiteside went to become a foot doctor and he now works at the Professional Footballers’ Association.
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