My Dad took me along from Blackburn to Maine Rd in August 1970 during the close season to see if I could get any of the teams autographs who may be reporting for training or treatment. Willie Donachie arrived in an old mini……then Joe Mercer who invited us into the stadium & showed us around the changing rooms where we met Glynn Pardoe, Tony Book & Mike Doyle then onto the pitch……How many managers would do that in todays game?? what a gent!
That is my first memory of City & Ive been hooked ever since

Mine was the semi final of the european cup winners cup 1970, think it was 4-1 (and think we lost the first leg 1-0).

My dad took all four of us, it was mine and my brother Anthony’s first game. I was nine, Anthony was seven.

I don’t remember much about the match, we were right at the front of the Kippax and couldn’t see much of the game, although i do remember Colin Bell coming over to take a throw in. My first glimpse of a hero who’s picture was on my bedroom wall.

I remember getting a soft clip round the earhole off my dad because we joined in with a chant against O’Farrell who was Uniteds manager at the time, but i did see my dad smirking as he did it, so no harm done.

Fantastic night, two special buses to get there and two more to get home, loved every minute of it and couldn’t wait to go to school next day in my black and red striped City shirt, as did over half the school.

Might be hard for youngsters now to imagine but City had more fans in those days than Utd. Even most of the teachers were City fans and the head master mentioned the win at assembly in the morning, to cheers from the kids.

Great times.

Mark Whelan Canada.

It was wed 22nd April, a cold rainy night match. I had supported city from 8 years old albeit from a distance. My older bother also supported the blues. Out of the blue my dad told us he was taking us to watch this mid week match. I remember catching buses from Barnsley to Sheffield. I was really excited to be going to my first ever football game. I don’t have many memories of the game itself and cant remember the first two goals. However I am nearly certain it was Tony Coleman who got the winner for City and sent Wednesday down to Division 2. Don’t remember much of the journey home neither other than being in a taxi rank in Barnsley watching football on TV while waiting for a taxi back to Royston. I have been a City supporter ever since although seldom an active one. However I have been to many games over the years with many ups and downs. (all part of being a City fan) Although my memories of this game are limited it is still there in my mind. My younger brother followed in our footsteps, eventually becoming a long term season ticket holder. City till I die.

My Gran lived on horton Road and I used to sneak into the Platt Lane end as soon as the gates were opened in the second hald. It was fantastic! I sat right behind the goals and was completed overawed by the noise and the excitement as City would dominate the last 15 minutes and always attack the Platt Lane end in wave after wave. Penalties were always fantastic as all the children my age would surge to the front to stand behind the goal. waiting for the net to bulge as Franny Lee exploded one of his specials. I was hooked and soon started paying my 5p to watch from the start – always right behind the goal!!

I was a City supporting Essex boy (still don’t remember making the decision to support City even now) and so first saw them against West Ham at Upton Park in about 1970. Clyde Best was playing for West Ham in those days. It cemented my love of the Club and launched a near forty year affair.

I’d wanted to go to a City match long before my first but my Mum wouldn’t let me! Then came a fixture that she couldn’t resist herself – City v Schalke in the European Cup Winners Cup. My Mum, Rosemarie, who was from Gelsenkirchen in Germany, found out that my Uncle Karl, who worked in a travel agency, was escorting a group of Schalke fans to the game, so even she wanted to go – just to be with him.

I was 10 years old but it seems like yesterday to me. I can still remember being overwhelmed by the smells, the noise and the colours of being at a game. I’d only seen football on a black and white TV until that day! When I walked into the stadium my emotions went into overdrive – there were my heroes in blue and white, the grass was green (it was grey on my tele!)and I could actually smell it, along with bovril, hot food and the embrocation rubbed onto the players legs.

When City scored the crowd noise was deafening – and they scored five times! When Schalke got a late goal, my Mum was the only person, near me, who jumped out of her seat and cheered. Since that day – 15th April 1970 – I’ve been to, well over, 2000 games and I’ve never lost my enthusiasm for the beautiful game. These days I’m also a big fan of Schalke – I go to see them regularly. My Mum died when I was just 17 years old and that was the only game she went with me to. It was my first game and will always be my favourite.

Ian Cheeseman – lifelong City fan and City reporter BBC Radio Manchester

The moment I became a City fan. I can remember it like it happened just a heartbeat ago, I was 14 years old and peering over the wall behind the goal at the Platt Lane End of Maine Road when the god like figure of The King, Colin Bell majestically headed home City’s second goal of the evening against Atletico Bilbao, Time did indeed stand still, and my head and my heart took a picture that makes me forever bound
to my beloved City.

I remember some of this game. I’m not sure but it might have been against the mighty QPR, Colin Bell was a sub after “recovering” from his terrible knee injury, the game was poor but in the 2nd half early on Colin came on, it was so emotional and the atmosphere was electric, we all thought he wouldn’t play again and to see him back was fantastic. I’m sure the QPR players froze because we just battered them and went onto win the match, sadly Colin broke down shortly after this and that was the end of his career, I will never forget that atmosphere, I have been to cup 1/4 finals at Maine Rd, Semi’s and Finals, but this was something else. Trevor Taylor City throgh and through, and for what it matters age 51. 1st game 1967

My first game was in Feb 1970. My grandad took me and our kid (aged 10 and to the away derby, where we were able to buy tickets at the box office on the day.
Sat in the middle of the “enemy”, we excitedly celebrated Mike Doyle’s opening goal at the Stretford End,and City went on to win 2-1. Hooked from that day on!