It was 26 Oct 1968 and I went to Maine Road to watch what I thought was the greatest team – Notts Forest. It was the first time I had been allowed to go to a big match. I was in the scoreboard end. The game ended 3 each. I then started to watch MANCHESTER CITY on a regular basis, it was the start of a very long relationship – I was hooked. Come on you Blues ( I still keep an eye out for Notts Forest but that is where it ends). I became a true blue from that day forward.

I was a nipper of 5 in Aug 1965 when my Dad took me on an adventure.It was my first visit to Maine Road and it was under the floodlights that fascinated me every time we drove past them. I dont remember too much about the game,but remember Wolves Golden shirts and the noise of the crowd,and sitting on the tunnel wall in the kippax holding on to my dad,and thinking this is the most exciting place in the world. It still is !

My dad woke me up in what seemed like the middle of the night, it was very early Saturday morning, and we were “off to Wembley”. We arrived at the Stadium at 8am and my excitement was nearly overwhelming. As the morning progressed more and more fans arrived from both City and Leicester City, the atmosphere was really building. We must have walked up and down Wembley way 3 or 4 times waiting for the gates to open. The City fans were at the tunnel end and as the stadium filled the atmosphere was electric, made the hairs on the back of your neck stand out. The game itself was a blur but I can remember the goal as if it was in slow motion. I was hooked and have been a City fan eversince. My son attends all the home games with me now and when they show the goal on the big screens in the stadium I proudly tell him “I was there and thats where my love affair with City really started”

As schoolboys my pals and I were at Maine Road autograph hunting, in those days the players trained at the stadium. Mike Simerbee came out, signed our books, we asked if any ball boys were needed, “go and ask Malcom, tell him I sent you” was the reply. So we marched up to reception, asked to see Mr Alison, we only got into his office to see the man himself! That just would not happen today, great memories.

I can’t remember who we played that day, and I couldn’t tell you who was in the team without ‘Googling’ it! I couldn’t even see much of it, as I was only small so my view was blocked for most of the match. I do remember the atmosphere, the boos, the cheers, smell of food and cigarette smoke, But most of all what made my first City match special was that I had my dad all to myself! It was a warm feeling that I forever associate with City…thanks Dad (you have the best view of all now)….thanks City

in the late sixties me and my dad getting the bus to maine road and parking up in a massive line of buses on great western street.then going to watch the likes of oakes,dowd,pardoe,coleman and all the usual great names.what great memories.many thanks

I was given 2 tickets from a mate at the local butchers but at 12 was too young to go on my own. My elder brother took me and i remember it was Alex Stepney’s it was the first game where banners were banned, we lost 1-0 and Dennis Law and Alan Oakes had a fight on the edge of the box, the report in the pink said that oakes was the more sluggish of the 2 punchers – and that was all that was said! We were in the old score board end which had a white picket fence and if you were at the bottom your head was level with players feet. Can’t remember who scored but the city fans mercilessly chanted about Alex Stepney having big ears, something like, ‘come fly with me Alex Stepeny’ and Charltons a skinhead was another chant. I remember the cup final too when the supporters were asked to curb the bad language and the City fans made some creative adjustments, like he’s here he’s there, we’re not aloud to swear Tommy Booth, and ‘the ref’s a naughty boy the ref’s a naughty boy. But i will never forget that first game… the ground was horrid and I have loved the kippax ever since!!

I suppose it is quite unusual for a fan’s first City match to be away from home. However, for me, that was the case. As it happened I witnessed, what I believe to be, the greatest individual performance ever by any City player.
It was January 1961 and City had drawn Luton Town in the 4th round of the FA Cup. Luton were a decent team in those days and had made it through to the final a couple of years earlier where they were beaten by Nottingham Forest. In those days the FA Cup was really special, and my Dad, a lifelong City fan, asked if I would like to go with him on the train. I didn’t need asking twice.
Earlier that season??? City had signed a skinny 20 year old inside forward from Huddersfield Town for what was then a British record transfer fee of £55,000. His name was Denis Law.
When the day of the game came we set off from our shop on City Road, Hulme to walk to Central Station (now G-Mex). I don’t remember when it started raining but I do remember incessant rain when we arrived in Luton. I recall queuing for ages to get into the ground (this was still in the days when you simply turned up and paid at the turnstile). We had to wait that long that when we eventually got into the ground we were just in time to see Luton score their second goal to take an early 2-0 lead. I remember some of the locals “taking the mickey” and asking us where this Denis Law was.
The rain continued throughout the game, that is until approximately twenty minutes from time when the referee decided to call it off. No, the ref didn’t do us a favour, far from it, because by that time Denis had scored all City’s six goals to leave us cruising at 6-2. I clearly recall Bill Leivers City’s tough tackling full back of that era picking up a handful of mud and hurling it at the ref, so disgusted was he that the match had been abandoned.
Nearly 50 years later it doesn’t matter that the result didn’t stand or even that City went on to lose the replayed match 3-1, with Denis of course scoring our goal. What did matter was that I had seen one of our greatest ever players and from that day on what there was only one team for me.
I live in Perth, Scotland now and cannot get down to as many matches as I would like. I have a son, Calum, who was born and brought up in Scotland. I distinctly recall Calum’s first match – it was the Alan Ball relegation match against Liverpool in May 1996. Calum was just 6 then. He is now 20 and we go to matches whenever we can, we watch live matches in the pub together and chat about the blues every day.
Bill Shankly’s oft quoted comment about football “not being a matter of life and death – but much more important than that” is, of course complete nonsense. Allegiance to a club is however something that transcends generations and helps to form lifelong bonds.

My first City game was at Maine Road and it involved a Bury youngster playing I think his first senior game for Bury ie. Colin Bell and yes he scored to make it 1-0 to Bury. However if my memory serves me well Harry Dowd took a knock and had to play upfield in the second half ie. no substitutes in those days, and yes the City goalie scored the equaliser. Definitely one to remember!

My first city game was on the 28/01/1967 it was the third round of the fa cup at home to leicester city.
I was six and how proud my dad must have been taking his only son to his first city game.
i remember he sat me on the wall in the platt lane near the main stand, i dont remember too much not even the score although my dad tells me it was 2-1. Im sure George Heslop was centre half, he was a favourite of mine.
Thanks Dad for baptising me BLUE, a ritual i gladly passed on to my three sons and daughter.
Brendan Edge CTID