the first match I attended was a night game at Maine road in the autumn 09 1958 City 1 Luton 2FROM THIS MAGICAL MOMENT I WAS HOOKED Every home game i paid my tanner for school boys yes 21/2 pence. I saw stars like HAYES,BARLOW, SAMBROOKE, HANNA,BETTS LEVIER AND OF COURSE MY GREAT HERO BERT TRAUTMAN AND EVER SINCE MY HEART STILL MISSES ABEAT AT THE START OF EVERY GAME

I was complaining about being bored over tea so my father took me to Maine Road, where from a good vantage point on a Kippax crush barrier I saw City trounce Sheffield United 5 0 (or 5 1!) on a warm September evening.I was only 11 and I’d been to Oldham Athletic several times but Maine Road was something else! There was something magically original about that sky blue strip.

I was 10 years old and probably saw earlier games but this is the first one I actually recall. My dad got tickets from work on the Friday before the match and we travelled to Villa Park by coach. The weather was awful; it rained all day. I remember queuing in the rain to get in the ground and dad buying me a rosette. The opponents were Sunderland who were a good side with the great Len Shackleton and a big centre forward, ‘Cannonball’ Fleming. The pitch was a mudbath and we went through 1-0 thanks to a goal from Nobby Clarke. By winning we prevented a Tyne & Wear derby in the final as we were to face Newcastle at Wembley. Of course, as all City fans know, we lost that game 3-1 with ‘Wor Jackie’ Milburn scoring after just 54 seconds and Jimmy Meadows being carried off after about 20 minutes. No subs in those days so we played with 10 men for well over an hour. George Hannah, who was to later play for City, also scored and so did Bobby Mitchell. Bobby Johnstone scored for City just as he did 12 months later when we beat Birmingham in the 1956 final. My dad died yesterday (22 December 2008) and this memory is dedicated to his memory.

The first City match I recall attending was the 1955 FA Cup Semi-Final against Sunderland(I might have been at earlier matches, but I don’t remember them). I was just 10 years old at the time; my dad got tickets from someone at work on the eve of the game and we travelled to Villa Park by coach. The weather was horrendous, it poured with rain all day and the pitch was a mudbath. I remember queuing to get in the ground and dad buying me a rosette in City colours. As every City fan knows, we won 1-0 with Nobby Clark scoring the goal. Sunderland were a good side; I think the great Len Shackleton played and a big centre forward called ‘Cannonball Fleming. In winning the match we prevented a Tyne-Tees derby in the final, as we were to find out that Newcastle won the other semi. They beat us 3-1 in the Final with ‘Wor Jackie’ Milburn scoring after just 54 seconds but thanks largely to the terrible injury to Jimmy Meadows’s after just 20 minutes or so. My dad died today (22 December 2008) aged 88 and this City memory is dedicated to his memory.

on the kippax street side,no cover in those days, rain lashed and very wet but it didn’t matter we were winning 3-1 with 10 mins to go but then we lost 3-4.Suddenly I felt very wet again

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

The hero Royston Clarke-horizontal,covered in mud,heading the ball into the net.Me ringing my bell for all it was worth-were going to Wembley.By the bye I never did find the clanger out of the bell,I do hope it didnt hit any blues supporter??

My grandad after finding out I’d been to O.T.just after Munich,(wasn’t I stupid), besides being furious,quite rightly insisted on taking me to Maine Rd at the first opportunity. Alas, it was a filthy day, and I recall sheltering under his coat dripping wet, stood up at uncovered Scoreboard End. The only other thing I remember was that the visitors were Aston Villa, and the result was scoreless. Many years later I discovered a photo of a very muddy Colin Barlow,on the wing, in a book looking back at City’s old games.Putting two and two together, I was very gateful therefore to finally establish that my first match at the great old stadium was April 1959. Fantastic!. I was fortunate to be at Newcastle in ‘68, but missed the ‘69 Cup Final, as the touts were charging £6 for standing tickets.

The game was against Leicester and the last one of season.City needed to win to stay up.I was only 8 so don’t remember much of the game.My mum took me and afriend,we lived near Maine rd at the time.My dad had died in 1954 and was a fan of City.We went in the main stand even though full,someone let my mum sit down and me and my friend sat on the steps next to her.City won 3-1 and avoided relegation(more to come over the yrs!).The main thing is it can’t have been easy for my mum to take us.I didn’t start watching regularly though till the 61/62 season when Bert Trautmann became my first of along line of City heroes.

In April 1959, I guess it was normal end-of season fare. Not the most memorable of matches for my two brothers and I [subscribers 142-144 to the Centenary City A Complete Record book of 1987)to endure…….but you just have to go back for more don’t you ! I can remember the ground, the big cigarette advert on the side of the stand and some sky blue stripey socks but not much else. I think we finished 20th that year and Villa 21st so they got relegated.

I am now living 230 miles away in the south but my elder brother has been a fanatic ALL this time and really WAS there with the other 8,014 for the game with Swindon in January 1965. Please hang onto that season ticket bro, it WILL get even better.