Sheffield United v Middlesbrough programme sells to become one of most expensive Bramall Lane booklets ever

It must be one of the most expensive Sheffield United programmes ever!

Printed in black and white, with drawings but not photos, it dates back to the period before World War One when Sheffield United were one of the biggest clubs in the country - just four years later they would lift the FA Cup.

And now, the rare early football programme from a match between Sheffield United and Middlesbrough in the old Division One from 1911, has been sold for over £200.

It represents more than 20,000 the cover price on the publication. for a match which the Blades won 2-1.

The very well-preserved pamphlet cost just one penny when it was offered to supporters who went to see the game at Bramall Lane.

But it made £220 when it went under the hammer yesterday (Thurs).

A spokesperson for Vectis Auctions, which put the programme on sale, said it was unusual to find sporting material of this kind without any writing on it.

They also said that while the front and back pages had become detached, these could be restored by the buyer.

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It may have been expensive - but it is far from the most expensive Blades programme ever. An original copy of the 1901 FA Cup final match between the Blades and Tottenham was sold for £21,000 in 2006. That historic match, played at Crystal Palace, ended 2-2, Spurs winning the replay 3-1 while still a non-league side.

Matchday programmes were first introduced in English football in the 1880s and became a staple for the game-going fan.

Early versions were a simple scorecard, which would have been a single card or sheet, with a dateline, team names, player positions and advertising.

One of the earliest matchday programmes recorded, from an 1873 match between alumni representatives of Eton College and Yale College sold in 2016 for £15,000.