Tributes paid to Busby Babes

The Manchester United family today gathered to pay tribute to the fallen Busby Babes 50 years after the tragedy which claimed their lives.

Half a century to the minute since BEA Flight 609 ZU crashed on take-off from Munich Airport, the club marked the anniversary of their passing with a memorial service at Old Trafford.

There was a solemn atmosphere inside the stadium's Manchester Suite as survivors, football and civic dignitaries and invited guests arrived to pay their respects.

Outside on Sir Matt Busby Way, where a clock stopped at 3.04pm commemorates the events of February 6, 1958, thousands gathered to add their support and lay flowers.

Many wore modern day shirts with the legend Munich 58 emblazoned on the back, while others sported the late Duncan Edwards' number six jersey.

The service was led by club chaplain the Reverend John Boyers and the order of service included a message from Prince Charles.

One of the early arrivals was former keeper Alex Stepney, a schoolboy of 15 at the time of the tragedy.

He said: "It's a sad day, but also a day to remember.

"I am very humble, I was 15 at the time and I remember how shocked everyone was.

"Little did I think or dream then that I would play for the team when they won the European Cup in 1968."

The tragedy happened as the United party returned to England from a 3-3 European Cup draw in Belgrade which had secured their passage to the semi-finals.

Eight United players died - Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam "Billy" Whelan and, 15 days later, Duncan Edwards - as a result of the injuries they suffered in the crash.

Three members of the club's staff, eight journalists, two of the flight crew and two other passengers also died.

Busby and Charlton were among the injured, but eventually returned to spearhead a remarkable recovery which saw the club claim the league title and the European Cup within a decade.

Current United manager Alex Ferguson hailed the achievement of Busby, who was twice read the last rites and kept in intensive care following the crash.

He told MUTV: “The hardest thing in management anyway is to manage change. When it’s forced upon you in these circumstances, you have to start from complete scratch.

“But he had faith in young people, so it meant that younger players were brought into the line-up much quicker than they would have been.

“He made a couple of shrewd buys, Albert Quixall (from Sheffield Wednesday) and Maurice Setters (from West Brom), but it wouldn’t have been easy.

“By the time they got to 1963 and they beat Leicester in that (FA Cup) final, you could see the threads starting to come together. After that, it just snowballed really, young players started coming through in their droves again.

“By the time he got to the (European Cup) final in 1968, I think there were only two players in the team that he had bought. The rest had come through the club which is a fantastic achievement, in 10 years.

“I’ve been here 21 years and only won it once.”