I think it was 1956 on my 7th birthday .City were at home to Blackpool and Stanley Mathews was on the wing for Blackpool.The memory of him teasing people inches from the line and only feet from me sat on the wall infront of the Kippax stand will stay with me for ever.

The weather was warm and I was 10 years old. City played in a maroon striped kit. We had barely seetled in our seats when City scored (Joe Hayes I think) Everyone jumped into the air and hugged each other. It was so exciting for a young lad. I had missed the final the previous year as I went down with tonsillitis in our London hotel.
My other memories were of my (then ) favourite player Bert Trautmann being injured (no subs then) and Dave Ewing protecting him , kicking the ball all overthe place.
At the final whistle I was hoarse but so pleased. It was a long wait till the league win (I saw every home match and most away games too,) But nothing was quite so exciting as that May day at Wembley back in 1956

I experienced my first City Game at the age of 4 when my dad, who was left to babysit me, instead took me along to watch City beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-1. I obviously don’t remember much except that it was mid-week at night and I do remember the floodlights and crowd cheering and my dad giving me a piggyback ride on his shoulders to the ground. A few years later my dad could take me to the matches under more legitimate circumstances and I used to idolize Bert Trautmann. Dad used to take car loads of his mates from Bury just to watch Trautmann play. Have supported them through thick and thin ever since. Even from Canada we get most of their games.
Keith Sharp
Toronto Canada

My parents came down to Manchester from Scotland in the early 1930’s and the first thing they did was to seek out Maine Road to start the Hamilton dynasty of City supporters. I was 5 when they took me to my first game, Easter Saturday 31 March 1956 1-1 draw with Birmingham City, Hayes the scorer. It was an early 6th Birthday present as I had been nagging to go with them for sometime. The excitement was intense as I prepared for that first visit, get out the scarf and new bobble hat, off to catch the bus at Minsterley Parade, Woodhouse Park to see this great team play in the largest stadium in England. The bus arrived at Princess Road Depot, off we got and took my first of many trips down Bowes Street towards the ground. On arriving, I couldn’t get over how large the outside was and on entering the Main Stand Block H my first view of the pitch took my breath away, by this time in the season the green turf had been worn away the surface was mainly brown but that didn’t matter I was here. This was the pitch my brother had played on with Dennis Violet and Eddie Lewis when they all played for Manchester Boys. They of course went on to become Busby Babes whilst Ian joined City but didn’t reach the heights of his friends, he earned more money working in a bank than playing for City, changed times. I can’t remember much of the match, but the team was the one that was to play in the Cup Final against the same team, except that Spurdle played in place of Johnstone. I can remember looking around the crowd of 44,777 and thinking this was amazing, looking across at the Kippax which was about to get its roof and thinking how vast the terrace was. My hero was Big Bert and I still rate him as the best goalkeeper I have ever seen, some of those saves he made were unbelievable. Dave Ewing was a rock in defence and Ken Barnes using his guile to prompt each City attack. I was hooked but was most upset to be left at home come May when off to Wembley they went. I was left at home in my sky blue kit watching on the small black and white tv. I have since seen all the highs and lows which followed and the dynasty continues, with my son, daughter, nephews, son in law, grand daughters all blues. I just wish my parents had still been here to witness our current stadium and new found riches.

My first match City match was the derby at OT in September 1956. We were cup winners, and they were League champions. Not a good day City got beat 2-0. I remember the great Bert Trautmann was still recovering from his cup final broken neck injury, and John Savage was in goal. In fact on the day we did not miss Bert since Savage had a stormer and was my man of the match.

My first game at City was in the mid fifties. My dad took me to see a reserve game v Barnsley. Up to this time, I had been a United supporter like all my mates, but after this game, I was a true Blue though and through. The game remains vivid, as it was a game in which Jack Dyson was making a comback after his broken leg, when right in front of me, a heard an enormous crack, and his leg was broken again. Fond memories but very sad ones also.

I remember watching the cup final in 55 and again in 56 on a little 7inch TV behind a large magnifying glass. We lost the first one but won the second, but my first memory of going to Maine Road was, I think in the September. We played Blackpool and it was the tangerine shirts of Blackpool I remember most. We were in the main stand at the back and the seats, I think, were like the pews in a church, long and brown. I suspect all the regulars from the Cup Final played, and possibly Stan Matthews. I know we won 2-0. So, three matches, won two, lost one and in the three matches, TWO cup finals. Great days!

My first game was City v Leeds United, Sept. 5th 1956. It was an early evening K.O. and I went with a pal from school, we were 9 years old at the time. We caught the 53 from Longsight to Claremont Road and walked the rest of the way.

THE most abiding memory is of the crowd. I’d never experienced anything like it before, the noise deafened me. The repartee struck me straight away. I didn’t realise that there were so many “club footed sken eyed” footballers. It took more visits to cotton on to the fact that if you scored or played a great pass you were a genius, on the otherhand a blatant miss put you in the afore mentioned category. I was drawn to the crowd so much I let parts of the match pass me by. There was one particular thing that struck me and that was the men who walked amongst the crowd selling cigarettes (singles), chewing gum and I think, soft drinks. One of these men walked by me shouting what I heard as “Gitchy Gum, penny a stick” Never having seen or tasted “Gitchy Gum” I coughed up a penny and to my utter disappointment was given a piece of good old Wrigley’s. It was only quite some time later that I realised that he was actually saying “Get your gum”. He probably had a Saturday night job selling the Empire News. The seller on our corner used to bellow “Empiyaaa !” They were probably brothers. The match ended with a 1-0 win for City (Billy McAdams) and we went home happy. One remaining question remains unanswered. Why did Leeds give up the great Blue and Gold strip and end up looking like a poor man’s Real Madrid ?

I watched my city game @ 6 years old with my father I was very young but still remember the excitement & joy of every one around us I been a true blue ever since through thick & thin

My dad took me to my first match on 14th April 1956. We played Burnley and lost 3-1. Even so, I was smitten at the age of 11 and have been a blue ever since. If I remember rightly, my forever hero, Bert Trautmann received his Footballer of the Year award at that match.