As the funerals took place in Manchester, so the city continued its long and painful period of mourning. On Edwards’ passing, former City captain Roy Paul said: “It is one of the greatest tragedies of soccer. Here was a boy who was by far the greatest half-back I've ever seen and he was not yet at his peak. His death is a blow that English football will feel for years to come.”
One week on from the Munich Air Disaster, hundreds of people attended the funeral of Frank Swift at St Margaret’s Church in Whalley Range, just a couple of miles away from Maine Road where he had been such a popular figure.
And just as many City fans, players and officials attended the funerals of Manchester United players, so United supporters and officials attended the service held for Frank, a gentle giant of a man, at the Manchester Crematorium.
Former City team-mates Les McDowall, Laurie Barnett, Fred Tilson, Eric Brook and Eric Westwood were the pall-bearers as Frank made his final journey that day, watched on by huge crowds of mourners.
Eight United players had been killed in Munich and Johnny Berry and Jackie Blanchflower would never play again. Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes, Harry Gregg, Kenny Morgans, Albert Scanlon, Dennis Viollet and Ray Wood incredibly would all go on to continue their careers.
After recovering from his injuries, manager Matt Busby then started to rebuild his squad and, against all odds, guided United to victory in the FA Cup final barely five years later in what would be the start of a glorious period for the Reds. An emotional homecoming saw many City fans acknowledge our neighbours’ success in the thousands that stood shoulder to shoulder on the streets of Manchester.
City and United have always been rivals and always will be, but when it matters most, Blues and Reds have always stood by each other’s side. It’s not always been a smooth ride and when the Manchester derby fell on 6 February, 2008, the football world held its collective breath as the two tribes met on what was the 50thanniversary of the Munich Air Disaster. As the referee blew his whistle for the one minute silence to remember all those who had died in the tragedy, the 3,000 City fans in the corner of the former Scoreboard End raised their blue and white scarves in unison with the United supporters as Old Trafford fell completely silent. That was how it was always going to be.
Manchester has suffered over the years.
The Second World War saw the city hit hard, and in years to come there was the 1996 IRA bomb that ripped the city centre apart and the unspeakable atrocity committed at the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. The people of Manchester have always stood together when tragedy strikes, supporting each other and defiantly emerging prouder and more resilient than before.
It was no different after the Munich Air Disaster.
Manchester: a city united, indeed