Ernie Taylor, the little midfield genius that helped Manchester United reach Wembley after the Munich tragedy in 1958. Thisn is his abridged story. At 5’ 4” and barely ten stones Sunderland born Ernie Taylor is one of the smallest professional footballers ever Wearing only size 4 boots, Taylor, known as ‘Tom Thumb’, had great skill on the ball, exemplary dribbling abilities, marvellous vision and an eye for a goal. Playing in midfield he performed with distinction for four giants of the post-war football world in Newcastle United (1942-1951), Blackpool (1951-1958), Manchester United (Feb – December 1958) and Sunderland (Dec 58– 1961). Taylor played at Wembley on four occasions – winning with Newcastle United at the 1951 FA Cup final and Blackpool two years later, and then losing 6-3 with England against Hungary in 1953 and 2-0 with Manchester United in the 1958 FA Cup final. However, the very fact that the latter made it to Wembley was a remarkable feat as it was only months after the Munich air tragedy. This book examines the critical role Ernie Taylor played in making this possible.
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