in 1963 my subbuteo City were world beaters, conquering real madrid, ac milan, estudiaties, river plate. City never lost in my fantasy world!!
I was eight, a school friend invited me on a birthday treat to see city vs burnley, a wet cold floodlit night match. City lost 5-2 and went on to get relegated that year! it was typical city in the real world but it was amazing and i was hooked!! 48 years on and reality and fantasy have merged into one!!!

I was just past my seventh birthdayin October when my dad took me to my first game. When leaving he put a box in the car. When I asked him what that was for he told me that when we gett in the Kippax Street stand I was going to get to the front and then stand on the box so I could see over the wall!!! I always remember outside walking around the ground, the enormaty of it. Also that all the houses backing on to the ground had there back gates open. I found out that this was so people could leave their bicycles and motor bikes while the match was on. If I remember rightly it was 1/6 in old money!!(7.5pence)To make my day complete we won 3-2 with Albert Harley scoring a hat-trick.The love afair was born. That season we were relagated on the3 last day of the season at West ham were we lost 6-1 and to rub it in United beat Leicester in the cup final, some things dont change or just may be? Always optermistic life long blue, best wishes leslie cox

My younger sister had been in Pendlebury Hospital for a couple of months and one saturday in February My dad said “Come on son, we are going to see Josephine” I couldn’t understand all this because I didn’t really want to visit my sister (being only 7 years of age at the time) but Dad insisted and then he explained to me on the bus into town that e were going to see CITY after the hospital. Excited or what I couldn’t believe it. When we arrived outside the ground I had to stand outside the pub opposite (King george iv, I think) while my dad had a swift half, then into the ground, main stand seats. I must have been an embarassment to my dad by asking him why they were playing with a plastic ball, because it was white and I had got for christmas a leather case ball which was brown, and at that time all plastic balls were white.
All I really remember about the afternoon was that the pie at half time was cold and horrible a CITY player had a clash of heads and had to carry on with his head bandaged, and CITY won 2-0. I was the first in my class to go to a match and 47 years later I am still going and still get emotional about certain games.

this was my first of many matches to which my uncle peter took me to. He always found a bar fro me to sit on at the scoreboard end while he went a few yards to cuss and swear with his mates. This day was not the best we lost heavily, I think 6-1, and Bert Trautmann was sent off. I remember him peeling off his green sweater and then big Bill Leivers taking over. I was hooked despite the loss and have been ever since. Joy and sadness in abundance. I would not have it any other way but to experience some of those great days has been a privilege.

In early 1962 I attended my first match which was a City Reserve game at Maine Road.

I was 11 years old and as I got off the bus and turned the corner of Maine Road. The sight that greeted me was awesome even though it was a reserve match.

I had trouble collecting the exact money for the entrance fee and had to go round the local shops trying to get half a crown changed into sixpence so that I could enter the ground.

It was brilliant and it was the first of many years following City.

It isn’t difficult to remember my first game, despite forty-six years of matches since. Jimmy Greaves scored twice, Spurs were the double-winners of 1961 (the previous year) and City scored SIX. I often think I’m fantasising but Ray Goble’s stats confirm it: 3rd March 1962, including a Peter Dobing hat-trick.

I had just turned six years old. It was the 15th September 1962. My dad came home from work on a building site with three tickets for the match at Old Trafford. Along with my brother and my dad I piled into his old van and off we went down to Old Trafford, arriving not long before kick off. We parked in a nearby car park and rushed to the ground. My dad managed to get me to the front and he and my brother watched from higher up the terracing. I had never seen so many people or heard so much noise. As the game wore on I was getting crushed, so the men in the crowd passed me back over their heads to where my dad was standing. I watched the rest of the game sat on the wall of one of the tunnels in the stand. Not long to go. The match was tense at 2-2. My dad wanted to get a quick getaway so we left the ground with a couple of minutes left. As soon as we got outside a roar went up. My heart stopped. Who had scored? A beaming City fan soon reassured us. Alex Harley had scored the winner with virtually the last kick of the game. United 2 City 3!
City were relegated at the end of the season, but I was hooked. Blue for ever.

I remember my first City game. It was on 1st December 1962. My Dad took me to the Platt lane stand to watch City play Arsenal. I think we travelled by bus from the city centre.The legendary Bert Trautmann was in goal and Alan Oakes (later to become my hero) was in the team. Unfortunately, City lost the game the scoreline was City 2 Arsenal 4. I thought Arsenal were a rough team!

September 1962, home to West Ham. I went with 3 of my uncles-Eddie, Bob and Len. True blues. Maybe 60,000 fans, noisy and frightening, but very exciting. Saw Bert Trautmann clearly as I was at the scoreboard end — carried down to the front by strong arms. What a shocker of a game to a new fan, only 10 years old! Trautmann sent off, I remember he kicked the ball at the ref when it happened. We got hammered 6-1. Last game of the season was the same score in London and we were relegated. My uncles couldn’t speak, took me back to my Gran’s then vanished to the pub.I was hooked, though. Watched every season. Moved to the South Coast in the 80s, formed the Sussex fan club. Now living in China for the last 4 years, but I see nearly every game on TV. Seen more ups and downs than my mates, and never regretted any of them. Up the blues!
- Alan