Alan Cork was ahead of his time

[since59owe]

In East London, even the women have beards

[Guest Nilsson_is_God]

This thread is quite possibly the most confusing ever.

[dan140177]

There's a lot of bearded women living around the stain area

[@owlstalk]

Wasn't Trevor Hockey the first:

 

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He looks like a beaver

[PeteG_1984]

Just looked him up, he was only 34 then. Jesus Christ

[Guest lenbayger]

Am I right in thinking he grew the beard due to the cup run?

[dunsbyowl]

Am I right in thinking he grew the beard due to the cup run?

Yes it was !

 

From an article in the Guardian

 

" 4) Alan Cork's beard, Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 Sheffield United, Wembley, 3 April 1993

In the modern world, there are so many ways to build team spirit, most of them as pointless as they are expensive. They usually involve something active – some ludicrous scavenger hunt that even a foetus would find childish, but for Sheffield United in 1992-93 it was an entirely passive enterprise. An old man grew a beard. That was it. Alan Cork, 33, pledged not to shave until Sheffield United went out of the FA Cup, and despite all the razors in the world giving him those come-to-the-sink eyes, he resisted.

The upshot was that, when United played Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final at Wembley, they had a man up front who made Captain Birdseye look like he was sporting designer stubble. His beard was an astonishing thing, its visual impact exacerbated by his almost entirely bald head. The beard was a black, white and primarily grey behemoth that probably housed enough scraps to feed the five thousand.

Yet he was far from a joke figure. He scored United's goal in their 2-1 defeat. As he wheezed through on goal, Chris Waddle of all people ran all the way back, just failing to clear the ball off the line. He had sniffed danger – or Cork's beard – and charged back to help his defence. In truth this semi-final belonged to Waddle, who scored a glorious opening goal and was on a mission to win the FA Cup (remember his tears when Wednesday lost the final). Yet for many the abiding memory was Cork.

In the early 90s, beards weren't at all fashionable in the snooker clubs and brawling houses of England. Also, this was 1992-93, the first season of Premier League, a fresh, clean-shaven new world of English football. And, for a short time, all anyone wanted to talk about was a man who looked like a tramp. If that won't build team spirit, then not much will."