Debut: 0-0 draw vs Birmingham City (as sub), August 23rd 1980
League Record: 274 games (+25 as sub), 6 goals
Sold to: Blackburn Rovers (free transfer), August 1990
The player on this list who made his debut first, due to Kevin Moran being given a free transfer in the summer of 1988 meaning the Irishman doesn't make it here. This makes Duxbury the only player I’ll be writing about who played under the unfortunate managerial reign of Dave Sexton, which ended in the summer of 1981.
Like Clayton Blackmore, Duxbury never really nailed down a particular position on the pitch - he could do a decent job anywhere across the back four as well as centre midfield. His one real lengthy spell as a regular choice was from 1982-1985, when right back John Gidman went through numerous injury problems and Duxbury made the #2 shirt his own, playing in the 1983 FA Cup final victory. He also had a 12 month spell as England’s right back after Phil Neal got too old and rubbish: sadly, it wasn’t the best time for Bobby Robson (defeats to Wales, France and the USSR) and Gary Stevens eventually took over the role. Duxbury also lost his place in the United team at the start of 1985, Gidman coming back to form to play in that year’s cup final victory over Everton.
The second game of the ten-game winning run at the start of 85/86 saw Gidman break his leg and allowed Duxbury back in the team, though by the end of the season he had returned to his utility role, with the Dane John Sivebaek signed to replace Gidman.
Under Ferguson, Duxbury initially got plenty of games across both defence and midfield – only Brian McClair played more games in 1987/88. By 1990, however, he was very much on the fringes as Clayton Blackmore took over the Jack-of-all-Trades role. With a new team being built, there wasn’t too much call for the 30-year-old veteran, especially after the then-recent expensive influx of new talent. His last significant action was to captain the side in a FA Cup fifth round tie at Hereford United. Mike set up Blackmore’s winner, and thus we dodged a potential Ronnie Radford-evoked banana skin.
I was surprised when he rocked up in a Hong Kong XI when England did a mini-tour over there in the summer of 1996: a trip remembered for the scenes of players getting a bit merry on “The Dentist’s Chair” causing tedious tabloid outrage. More recently, I read an article in the Manchester Evening News saying he was working for some school in Bolton, teaching PE.
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