John Fitzpatrick: Man Utd’s first-ever substitute in a league match

John Fitzpatrick won the FA Youth Cup and made well over 100 appearances for Manchester United, but there’s another completely separate reason the wing-back forever belongs in the history books.

Sir Matt Busby built his teams with Manchester United’s best academy players. The nickname “Busby Babes” originated in the newspapers in the early 1950s, and it stuck as Busby, along with his assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, continued to show faith in young players for over a decade.

This shaped United as a club, and developing young players has proven to be a beneficial tradition. John Fitzpatrick is one of the many examples, even if his name isn’t recognised, as are some of the players he came through the youth ranks with, such as George Best, David Sadler, and John Aston.

Fitzpatrick, who joined United as ground staff, aged 15, in September 1961, went on to sign professional terms two years later. He made his debut in the First Division in a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in February 1965, standing in for the absent Nobby Stiles. Thankfully, it wasn’t enough to stop the Reds from winning the league title that season.

John Fitzpatrick became Man Utd’s first league substitute in 1965

Although short, standing at 5 ft 6 in, Fitzpatrick was formidably strong as a wing-back. He earned his chance in Busby’s after winning the FA Youth Cup in 1964.

Months after his debut in 1965, Fitzpatrick made history by becoming United’s first-ever substitute. He replaced legendary striker Denis Law in a 5-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Today marks the 61st anniversary.

Substitutes were introduced to the English Football League for the 1965/66 season. Teams could name only one substitute, and a change of personnel was allowed only when an injury occurred. Compare that to 2026 – managers can now use five substitutions.

United’s first-ever substitute, Fitzpatrick, made 147 appearances. He scored 10 goals for the club before being forced to retire at 26 due to chronic knee injuries.

That said, you can’t tell Fitzpatrick’s story without mentioning United’s 1964 FA Youth Cup triumph, especially as a competition held in such high regard by Busby. United were crowned champions for the first five years of its existence between 1953 and 1957.

Man Utd win FA Youth Cup for the sixth time in 1964

The FA Youth Cup final traditionally took place over two legs. That format changed in 2019. It now takes place over the course of one match, with the possibility of extra time and penalties.

Fitpatrick won the FA Youth Cup with United in 1964 against Swindon Town, one of football’s perennially less fashionable clubs. While taking a brief holiday in Ireland ahead of the match, Busby sounded confident. He told the Manchester Evening News: “Obviously it will be hard.

“We know we have got to hit top form because Swindon have knocked out a string of southern First Division clubs. But we feel after Manchester City we should be capable of going all the way.”

Swindon enjoyed a memorable route to their first and only FA Youth Cup final after beating Portsmouth, Brighton, and Plymouth. United’s line-up for the first leg of the final was as follows: Jimmy Rimmer, Alan Duff, Bobby Noble, Peter McBride, David Farrar, John Fitzpatrick, Willie Anderson, George Best, David Sadler, Albert Kinsley, John Aston.

While Noble was United’s best player in defence, Fitzpatrick was seen as one of the team’s most improved players at the time. The first leg ended 1-1, with United missing a flurry of opportunities to take advantage going into the second leg.

Legendary Manchester United correspondent David Meek wrote the following in his post-match assessment: “It’s odds on Manchester United having a trophy to put on show at Old Trafford next season. A team that misses chances in front of goal cannot expect to win, of course – and United missed a bagful in last night’s first leg of the Youth Cup final at Swindon.”

There were just three days between the two legs, and to make matters worse for United, they squeezed an extra game in during that period. The young Reds – with the same line-up – went on to win the match as Sadler netted a hat-trick and Aston scored the other goal, securing a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.

• 🏆 Manchester United’s FA Youth Cup triumphs
• 1953: Manchester United 9-3 Wolves (over two legs)
• 1954: Manchester United 5-4 Wolves (over two legs)
• 1955: Manchester United 7-1 West Brom (over two legs)
• 1956: Manchester United 4-3 Chesterfield (over two legs)
• 1957: Manchester United 8-2 West Ham (over two legs)
• 1964: Manchester United 5-2 Swindon Town (over two legs)
• 1992: Manchester United 6-3 Crystal Palace (over two legs)
• 1995: Manchester United 2-2 Tottenham (over two legs, United win 4-3 on penalties)
• 2003: Manchester United 3-1 Middlesbrough (over two legs)
• 2011: Manchester United 6-3 Sheffield United (over two legs)
• 2022: Manchester United 3-1 Nottingham Forest

Ironically, the United team were not tipped to go all the way in the FA Youth Cup at the beginning of the season. That didn’t stop them from beating Swindon in front of a 25,563 crowd in the rain.