As a wide eyed 10 year old, I was taken to the game by my dad’s mate, Frank Boardman.

Instant memeories…the scale of the ground…instant aromas for ever associate with maine Road and particularly the Platt Lane…pipe tobacco(Frank smoked a pipe)..so many of the fans smoked, the pies, bovril….a heady mix.

And what a game to start….City ran out winners 8-1….and the only reason Scunthorpe scored wa sbecause Harry Dowd 9who always wanted to be a plumber ) tried to head a goalbound shot around the post.
I think Murray and kevan both scored hat tricks….I was hooked.
Followed them now for 45 years and my Dad still follows them with me at the ripe old age of 98 (99 in August)…as does my son now 17.

Supporting City …pure passion.

Now had scunthorpe won….where would I be now!

City had won the second division title the year before and were promoted. My dad (united fan) said if city got promoted i could go to watch them at home if i went to Old Trafford with him, In the end i went with friends to city only and the season after we won the league. The Burnley game was a my 5th birthday treat. we won 3-2 Photo is of Me,Ian Bunting(brother in law) and Phil Bunting Nephew

I was born into an opposition family – Grandad having been a native of Newton Heath – and started supporting City as a 10 year old as an act of rebellion and becuase my best mate at the time was a City fan and we reached an age where we started going to City home games. My first one was around 1962 or 63 and we were at home to Grimsby town. I remember being admonished by my friend as I cheered the wrong team on to the pitch as Grimsby’s strip was reminiscent of City’s 1956 cup final strip. City won I think on the day and I think Derek Kevan was on the team.

We moved to Manchester in 1964 from Wigan, but I didn’t bother with football much until the 1966 World Cup, after which I was a football daft 10 year old.

My Dad decided to let me choose who we would go and watch and we went to Maine Road courtesy of a Maynes bus leaving from the Quality Shop in Droylsden.

My first impression of the stadium was just its sheer size, and when we finally squeezed through the turnstile and walked up what seemed like 1000’s of steps to reach our seats – those great long benches – in the Platt Lane Stand I was in awe of the place. The smell of fag smoke, burgers and horse manure mingled with the cacophany of sound and I just stared, wide-eyed.
Alan Oakes – what a plyer ! – scored the only goal and City had beaten my home-town team 1-0.

On the bus home the noise was almost as great as the stadium as everyone talked about the great win. Everyone was so friendly and whilst most of my friends were Blues I agreed to go to Old Trafford the folloiwng week.

Same bus, same departure point – totally different atmosphere. United beat Newcastle
3-1 but all I recall is everyone moaning – some things never change. As the sworn rivals of my home town team I should have been delighted that Newcastle got stuffed, but all the carping mystified me. My Dad could not answer the question why.

When he asked me who I wanted to go and support there was no hesitation -”City”. He hadn’t tried to influence me at all, but I remember he said “Good lad” as he was an admirer of the great Joe Mercer.

Never regretted it for a minute and I know nor did my Dad and, like another supporter whose first game was in this era, I too would give the world just to attend another City game with my beloved Dad.

He was City till he died. So will I be.

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

As a kid with a brother and several sisters who all were man u fans (sorry for bad language), my dad who had come over from Tiparary to Manchester to work was always trying to get us to follow our local team, City, it was a thing with him, he thought one should always support your local things, shops, sports etc., he had a mate at work who was a true blue, and his mate offered to take me to a game, it was City v Rotheram, we got the train from Central Station at the back of the Midland hotel, now G MEX. What a great day it was, we won 1.0 and that got City promoted, hence the song (in 1963 we fell in division 2 etc ). It was the seed sewn that day that made it a must for me to become a fan of my real local team, CITY, it certainly made my dad happy when I declared I was a blue. On the day Colin Bell scorded the winner but the whole team was fantastic as were the fans, they made me feel so at home what a great bunch of people City fans were and still are. the following season was even better as were the next few. Love to see those glory days again with my local team.

I was one of the orginal glory hunters!!!! and am prepared to admit it as I went to see MCFC play against my home team Hull City in the Cup and MCFC won Colin Bell scoring. We went as a gang of 8 year oldfs and had a great time supporting the blues. I have supported them every since and I have even managed to get Hulls Youth Enterprise Programme named after City its Making Changes For Careers now thats great combining work and City. City Fan at work – The Girl must be a Red!!

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!

28-9-68
LEEDS AT HOME … Bremner, Charlton, Grey, Giles, Reaney, Lorimer etc – top of the league, unbeaten, invincible.

CITY 3 LEEDS 1.
Been a blue ever since!

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