The match that stood out mostly for me was actually watching City resoundingly beaten by West Ham when a young Joe Corrigan turned to walk back to his goal line as the ball flew over his head. He went on to be one of City’s top keepers, My dad carried a stool to matches and stood on it at the back of the Kipax as I would stand on the spiked railings at the back for a perfect view

my first game was a 2-0 home win over Wolves, with Neil young scoringthe first with an unstoppable volley & mick Doyle adding the second. I was in the old scoreboard end (no roof!) as Nellie screamer hit the net at our end. Totally hooked from then on, especially as we won championship that year. Farthest I’ve travelled for a City game? From Tokyo for 3 days to watch the nerve- jangling play-off against Gilingham at the old Wembley. Worth every penny!

I was 9 years old (I’m now…older, work it out yourself!) but I have many memories of my first ever match, against Spurs at Maine road in 1967 (THE season for most living City fans) First of all the snow. We came out of our gate on Yew tree Rd and the puppy we’d just got ran out into the ice and snow(and crowds massing down the road) we managed to get him back inside and I walked with my dad to the ground. I have to admit I don’t remember entering the ground but I do remember the smell, the smoke! My overiding memory – and what’s stayed with me ever since – was the excitement, the sound of the crowd and watching what was – and obviously I didn’t realise it at the time – probably the greatest football match I’ve ever seen, City one down at half time and winning 4-1, that on a sheet of snow that footballer’s these days wouldn’t even walk out on! Summerbee, Bell and Franny Lee – amazing isn’t it how spoilt we were! Of course I was hooked and have been a lifelong fan.

Steve

My Earlest memory of seeing city was at Maine Road in about 1967 against Burnley. Tony Coleman had been felled by a Burnley palyer and had hit him a coupemof times on te floor in retaliation The ref cam over just as Tc was heping the other guy to his feet and dusting him down….the ref booked the Burnley guy.
Second recollection was at Old Trafford when taken by uncle avid red uncle to watch the derby from the Stretford End. I was passed over the heads of the supporters and sat on the touchline. That was the day Glynn Pardoe broke his leg. We moved to Salford in ‘69 and under the influence of school friends and to fit in I watched the Unite dofr a coupe of seasons. On the day the north stand opened (no seats in the first year) my brother asked if I fancied going to the match. We lost 1-0 to Leeds and I realised where nt heart lay and the error of my ways for the previus couple of years.

One year after the world cup triumph and I was going to my first game with my best friend John Anderson and his Dad. I can remember the excitement of going up the steps leading to the crescent of the scoreboard end, and the anticipation of what was then a 9 year olds dream.
Not wanting to be rude and run up the steps I slowly mounted the top and there my breath was taken away by the green of the pitch ( no colour television It had never occurred to me that a pitch would of course be green) , something my son was to copy some 30 years later. I don’t remember the game at all except that Mike Doyle got two or maybe all three goals on that evening. I don’t really want to check if my memory of who scored is correct. Like longer and warmer summers that’s how I like to remember that result. And at the beginning of the season he turned out to be a defender, if that’s what a defender can do what our attack must be like.
I was and still am hooked

my grandad was a postie from hyde and a true blue all his life. my dad the same from stockport and they took me and my twin brother to see our first city game at maine road against spurs in 1967, as far as i can remember we won 1-0. i can remember the noise was intense but everyone seemed safe, the kids were passed forward to the front and at the end of the game they were passed back again.ive been a blue all my life (48yrs)have been up and down and high(wembley finals) and low (beaten at home when kinky crashed his car), but once a blue always a blue, city till i die.

I grew up in Manchester where most of my family were reds but i hated that colour as a young boy so i decided at 8yrs old I was a Blue. An uncle took me to my first game – I was 10. It was away against Everton at Goodison Park and I don’t even recall the score! but left 3 distinct memories: 1) We weren’t playing in blue!! 2) the shaking of the wooden floor in the stand as people stamped their feet and clapped their hands. 3) The best of all – Seeing Colin Bell in the No. 8 shirt and the roar from our fans every time he had the ball and crossed the half way line in a break forward.

From a faraway sun drenched land I listened to a radio commentary. The commentator described how Mercer’s men purred along like one of those olden day Rolls Royces that never went wrong. He said they would be promoted and then I realized that my boyhood dream was coming alive. I knew that I had to be there ………….
……..In amongst a sea of faces on the vast bank of the Kippax stand, the snow on the field glistened as it reflected the pale sunlight that seeped through a slate gray sky and the snow continued to fall. The only blue sky to be seen was in the colour of the shirts as Allison’s men passed a ball around with slide-rule precision while the men in white stumbled and floundered helplessly.
The outstanding feature of this game was the combination between Mike Summerbee and Neil Young. Their interplay resulted in: first, a rasping shot by Young on the volley from a long cross by Summerbee which the goalkeeper saved, then another powerful effort by Young which hit the crossbar and finally, at last, Summerbee scoring from Young’s diagonal left wing cross for City’s second goal.
Before that, Jimmy Greaves opened the scoring for Spurs when he drifted to the right as a free kick was being taken and latched on to the ball after it deflected off the wall. City equalized through Colin Bell after the ball had ricocheted off several legs in the penalty area as Spurs failed to clear. Half time 1-1.
Then came Summerbee’s piece of controlled inspiration, 2-1. Tony Coleman scored the third goal when the ball rebounded off the post after interplay between Summerbee and Lee. Finally, after a sweeping move by City, the goalkeeper failed to hold on to the ball amidst a goal mouth scramble and Young tapped the ball in.
Final score 4-1, and a memorable game of football was over.

Philip van Gass
Cape Town
South Africa

I’ve just got to tell this story – I’ve got to come clean, after all these years….’Mike, it was ME!!!!’
It was 1967, I was in the first year at West Hill Boys School in Stalybridge, just after attending my first ever Man City game at Maine road – and I was City mad!
Mike Summerbee was my absolute hero and he was engaged to a lovely lady called Tina Schofield – who’s family, I seem to recall, owned a sports shop in the town. At the time he lived in Mottram Road in Stalybridge, and one of my school chums – Paul Chadwick – lived close by and used to wash Mike’s shiney, dark blue, Jaguar MK 10! I badgered Paul to let me go with him the next time he washed the car – anything, just to be close to my hero!
I arrived, and there he was, Mike Summerbee, in the flesh! You could keep your ‘Roy of the Rovers’ and your Georgie Best, this man, to this scrawny little 11 year old, was a GOD – and I was actually washing his car! So excited was I that I just couldn’t resist scraping off some paint from under the front wheel arch and keeping it in a match box…..!!! Mike, forgive me! It’s taken me 41 years but I’ve owned up at last. You were my hero, you WERE Manchester City, that scraped off smidging of paint was my little piece of belonging to what was – and what still is – the most magical, evocative and awe-inspiring football team in the whole country. I loved the team then, I’ll love the team forever – City ’til I die. Frank Chorley (aged 52 and 3/4’s!!)

I can’t even tell you who City played but, I went to Maine Road for the first time in ‘67; Mike Summerbee, Colin Bell, Franny Lee, Tony Coleman, Mike Doyle, Tony Book (Captain), Harry Dowd…..I was eleven and in heaven! Sttod in the Kippax and shouted my head off for Franny Lee, only to realise it was actually Tony Coleman – who cares, they were magic then and they remain magic today – let’s just hope that all that oil momney can give us a side to win the premiership , maybe next season. CITY – I LOVE YOU!!!!!