Shield pedigree

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Manchester United v Portsmouth
The FA Community Shield sponsored by McDonald's 2008
3pm, Sunday 10 August 2008
Wembley Stadium
Live on Setanta, highlights on ITV

Manchester United, Premier League Champions, clash with Portsmouth, FA Cup Winners, in this season's FA Community Shield fixture. The curtain-raiser will be played at Wembley on Sunday, 10 August, at 3.00 pm.

The two competing clubs have very different records in The Shield, first played for a hundred years ago this year. Portsmouth have played just one Shield match, drawing with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1949. But Manchester United have featured in TWENTY-FOUR Shields. They've enjoyed a record 12 outright wins, shared it four times and lost eight times. United are both the first and the last winners of The Shield.

The FA "Charity Shield", as it was known until 2002, first took place in April 1908 when United, Football League Champions (by nine points from Aston Villa), met Queens Park Rangers, Southern League Champions, at Stamford Bridge. A 12,000 crowd saw a 1-1 draw, United winning the replay 4-0 at the same ground four months later. Sandy Turnbull scored a hat-trick.

It was the only replay that The Shield has ever had.

United also won in 1911 (8-4 against Swindon!), 1952, 1956, 1957, 1983, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003 and 2007. Last year they drew 1-1 with Chelsea before clinching The Shield on kicks from the penalty mark.

In 1949 Portsmouth won the League Championship and Wolverhampton won The FA Cup. Their Shield match finished 1-1, Reid scoring for Pompey and Hancocks (penalty) for Wolves. The clubs shared The Shield for six months each. Pompey, of course, had lifted The Cup in 1939 - but there was no Shield fixture in that year with World War II imminent.