Roy Cavanagh is a British sports historian and author whose work includes Manchester United biography, club history, and cricket. Born in the Salford docks area, he grew up close to Old Trafford and watched the Busby Babes as a child. His long attachment to the club later informed books about individual players, particular eras, and the people whose reporting preserved United’s history.
Cavanagh’s working life also included more than fifty years with construction company Seddon. His work promoting apprenticeships brought him an MBE, connecting a professional career outside publishing with opportunities for young people. He has written numerous soccer and cricket books, and his collaborations with Carl Abbott include Gentleman John, The Day Two Teams Died, and United in the Sixties.
Roy Cavanagh Books
| Book | Year | Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton Town Cricket | 1987 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| Gentleman John | 2018 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| The Day Two Teams Died | 2018 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
| United in the Sixties | 2019 | Description / Buy at Amazon |
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His cricket bibliography includes the 1987 local history Cotton Town Cricket. More recent work has continued across both sports: Red Rose Books published his study of Joe Blackledge and Lancashire’s troubled 1962 season in 2025. His soccer writing also includes ghostwriting the autobiography of Manchester United academy official Dave Bushell, Dreams Do Come True, released in 2025.
Bushell’s memoir draws attention to work behind the first team. His roles at United began in 1995 after experience with England Schoolboys, and he later received the Eamonn Dolan Award for academy service. Cavanagh discussed their collaboration on the Talking Devils podcast. That project extends an interest visible elsewhere in his bibliography: preserving the experiences of people whose influence on a club is not always fully represented by its most famous results.
Soccer Books
Gentleman John: The Biography of Johnny Carey, Manchester United and Ireland Legend: Cavanagh and Carl Abbott trace Johnny Carey’s life from Ireland to Manchester United, wartime service, and management. Contemporary reports, family archives, and Carey’s own recollections document a versatile player who captained United to major honors. The biography follows his international career as well as his club work, examining the achievements and personal reputation behind the description of him as a gentleman. Published in 2018.
Carey’s versatility extended to appearances in nine different playing positions, including goalkeeper. The account also follows his recognition as Footballer of the Year and his later responsibility for top-flight clubs. These stages allow the authors to connect an accomplished playing career with leadership, both as captain and manager, while keeping the documentary evidence and personal recollections close to the individual life.
The Day Two Teams Died: A Tribute to the Journalists Who Died at Munich: Cavanagh and Carl Abbott commemorate the eight sports journalists killed in the Munich air disaster alongside members of Manchester United’s team. Biographical accounts introduce the writers, while selections from their reporting retell the development of the Busby Babes. The book restores attention to the people who helped make that team known, allowing contemporary journalism to preserve the perspective of supporters before the tragedy. Published in 2018.
Each journalist receives a separate chapter. The collection includes writers who worked for both Manchester newspapers and national titles, among them former England goalkeeper Frank Swift. Their lives and articles show the relationship between a celebrated young team and the press that followed it. The project also supported the Journalists’ Charity, with the authors committing part of the sales profit to its work.
United in the Sixties: The Story of the Greatest Team in Their Greatest Decade: This year-by-year history follows Manchester United through the 1960s, combining interviews and firsthand recollections with accounts of changing supporter experiences. FA Cup, league, and European achievements accompany the less successful periods surrounding them. Cavanagh and Carl Abbott connect players and managers with the social setting of the decade, describing a club whose recovery and success did not eliminate uncertainty about its future. Published in 2019.