My 1st game was City v Notts Forest we had traveled from Carlisle on the train arrived in Manchester only to find out the buses were on strike so had to walk there and back from maine road the match was a dreadful 0-0 so that was me hooked to City saying it can only get better

I was 14-years old, a boy from Salford in United territory, but thanks to my best mate a blue through and through. On my first match at Maine Road, the pitch was full of snow and an orange ball flew around the players heads and feet. The smell of cigars in the main stand, the blue scarfs and flags and the Kippax swaying stuck in my mind! The atmosphere was electric and the big named stars, and my idols that I had only seen pictures of, were in touching distance. Bell, Doyle, Summerbee, Corrigan, Watson to name but a few, and City won 2-1. I kept a scarp book of City’s games from that day, win or lose, until I could afford a season ticket, which I have now held for 27-years.

i was 7 years old when i was taken to my first manchester city match by my best friends grandad,the match against nottingham forrest was dubbed as the war of the keepers and i didnt have a clue with only being 7 what in the world was going on of course the war was between citys mighty joe corrigan. and englands peter shilton on the way to the match we were bought a bag of plumbs from the grocerers on platt lane. i was enthralled by all the singing and wave of blue and white as we approached the kippax. we were ushered through the turnstiles and down the steps pushing through the crowd down to the front. and there they were the team i was to support for the rest of my life warming up on the pitch. we were sat on the fence legs dangling through eating our bag of plumbs.

It would have been 1978 when I attended my first City game, I had just turned 8. I can’t tell you who it was against, but I think we lost – but that was not the point.
Mr Davies, an elderly neighbour who had been watching City since the 1930s offered to take me to my first game. I learned he knew a lot of the staff and some of the past and current players and was given complimentary tickets for home matches. He told my mum to get me ready for the Saturday afternoon early as a special person would be coming to pick us up. Embarrassingly, she made me dress up in my best trousers, shoes and a shirt and tie.
Who should turn up, but Big Joe Corrigan. He was a giant and I hardly said a word to him, being a shy 8 year old, as he drove us to the ground. He was mobbed by fans when he got out of the car and he told us he would see us after the game and he went in the main entrance signing autographs whilst we got our complimentary tickets for the Main Stand.
The thing that struck me about the actual game was the atmosphere and the noise, especially from the Kippax opposite, as it was just a sea of humanity ebbing back and forwards with the game. The other thing that stood out were the smells – huge clouds of cigar smoke drifted across the Main Stand with it’s bitter aroma, accompanied by the smell of alcohol and farts.
After the game we went down the stairs and then back through the Main entrance and up into the players lounge – which was only a relatively small wood panelled room with a bar in the corner. Both home and away players eventually arrived and I stood quietly in the corner just staring at the likes of Paul Power, Willie Donarchie, Peter Barnes, Asa Heartford, Dennis Tueart, Gary Owen and Eddie Large!? whilst I pinched some of the butties and cans of coke that were freely available. Then Big Joe took us home – amazing.
I was sworn to secrecy, so I could tell no one at the time, as my mum said Mr Davies would be badgered for tickets all the time.
I went to at least 10 matches a season like this for the next 5 years, until Joe went off to America. I remember he was a little worse for wear and emotional after his last game.
The infamous Luton game was the last time we had free tickets and access to the players lounge – dodging bottles and bricks going back in the main entrance after the game.
The following season I joined the ranks of the Kippax and have been going ever since and have some amazing memories of following my team!
At the time I didn’t realize how lucky I was! Not bad for some kid from Northern Moor, Wythenshawe!
CTID

I was at the EUFA cup game between city and milan it was the 2nd leg game and we absolutely destroyed them 3-0 after a 2-2 draw in milan in the 1st leg. I’ve supported city for over 40 years and so what if kaka does’nt want to play for us i’ll remember it for ever

My dad took me to my first City game in 1978 when I was 5. Dont remember the game much, although my fave at the time Mick Channon grabbed two, in a 2-2 draw. Colin Bell was also playing post injury. Didnt see much as I forgot my (national health obviously) specs so the pitch was just a blur. Remember the amazing flood lights and the roar of the kippax. Remember the flask of bovril and munching away wagon wheels (I think my dad had a pint). Remember feeling miffed that the maine stand had lovely looking blue seats and we were sat on Benches in the Platt Lane end. Think it was foggy too but that may have been down to my poor eyesight. Remember for ever trying to drive away from the ground along with seemingly 400000 other people. We parked near the toastrack building near plattfields (we dropped my mam off, so she could cut an old dears hair near there)

Loved it and went twice more before the end of the season. It would be 2 years before the next game and first game I saw us win. Southampton at home 3:0. My dad took me because Keegan was playing for them and there was a lot of build up to the game (I think hed just come back from Hamburg)

Maine Road has loads of memories but have neither time nor talent to portray them in an interesting fashion!!

Gary
..ex Reddish, now Munich Germany

My first trip to Maine Road was for a match v. Nottingham Forest with Peter Shilton in goal for Forest. I was 16 years old and loved City. Three older friends offered to take me along to Maine Road and as Im from Northern Ireland we took the Larne / Stranraer ferry across and drove down all Friday night until we got to Manchester. We reached Manchester at about 4.30 a.m. on Saturday morning. I was awestruck. Even in the dark I just wandered around the ground and my heart was pumping. I couldnt believe I had finally made a trip to Maine Road. We slept for a few hours in the car outside the old souvenir shop and when it was light we sat until the souvenir shop opened and I was buying loads of merchandise. I was like a kid in a toy shop. I wanted everything they had. Decided there and then I would come back many times and make many purchases! Even started collecting City badges and have approx. 300 at the moment and still collect them. The match itself ended 0-0 but I’ll never forget the atmosphere or the feeling. From that day it was something I would repeat many, many times (sleeping outside the ground in a freezing car). I went to a couple more the following season when I got a job, bought a season ticket for the Kippax for two seasons after that for £15 and saved and spent every penny I could to go and watch City. Im 46 now and I still love City as much now as I did then and I still travel over several times a season to watch my beloved Blues. The feeling going to the ground never leaves you.

In an attempt to lure me into supporting Arsenal, my Dad took me and my brother, (who had already decided on City), to Maine Road. I was only 3 at the time and I didn’t realise there were two halves to a game of football. So when City were 1-0 up at half-time I was heading for the exit, satisfied that we’d won and that they were the team for me. Unfortunately Arsenal equalised in the second half and the game finished 1-1. Even so, once a Blue always a Blue, even if it initially was for only 45 minutes.

As a pre-Xmas treat, not telling me where we were going, my dad took me to Maine Rd for the first time to watch The Blues against Notts Forest. I wore my first City kit (under 10 other layers)and I remember being sick (with excitement?) all over the pavement on Platt Lane on the way. Sitting in Platt Lane I remember the constant flashes all around the ground of cigarettes being lit in the gloom. The game finished 0-0 and I thought that it was the best thing I’d ever seen although my dad assures me it was dreadful. Anyway the dream started there. I’ve also just bought the programme again on e-bay as I wore the original into oblivion.

iwent to the city liverpool game & stood at the front of the kippax…. we lost 4-1 with a dalglish het-trick if i remember rightly…. but that was it… i was hooked on the sky blues

CITY TIL I DIE
IM CITY TIL I DIE
I KNOW I AM
IM SURE I AM
IM CITY TIL I DIE