26 August 1972: Falkirk FC strike

On this day, 26 August 1972, Falkirk FC was due to play against Montrose in a Scottish League Cup football match, but Falkirk players had gone on strike and stated they would refuse to play unless a financial penalty imposed by their manager was rescinded.
Players, led by later Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, walked out during a prior training session, after manager Willie Cunningham withdrew food and travel expense payments from players to penalise them for losing a match, 6-1, against St Johnstone. Ferguson had previously been a union shop steward and taken part in wildcat strikes while working in the Glasgow shipyards.
Following the walkout, the club owners sided with players against the manager, rescinded the penalty and ultimately the incident led to Cunningham leaving his post as manager. The match went ahead and resulted in a 3-0 win for Falkirk.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7913/falkirk-fc-strike
Books and more on the radical history of football: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/football

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