VINTAGE UNITED

Archive footage of Manchester United shows a world far removed from today's millionaire players and international fan base.

It was taken in 1902 by pioneering film-makers Sagar Mitchell and James
Kenyon during a match at Burnley.

The film is part of an archive discovered in a derelict shop basement in
Blackburn, Lancashire. The film is being screened tonight on BBC2 as part of the TV series The Lost World of Mitchell and Kenyon.

The series provides a unique insight into life in late Victorian and early Edwardian Britain. Mitchell and Kenyon lived in Blackburn and their footage was shot in northern England. They made the Manchester United film shortly after the club was set up.

The football film was part of a set of 800 reels in all, containing more than 26
hours of footage, which was very nearly lost forever.

Workmen clearing out a shop in Blackburn found a stash of sealed barrels, which were destined for the skip.