Joe Corrigan

[Mancity1980]

He was a big hero to me growing up (in every sense, 6 foot 4 and 1/2 was his height on my treasured top trump card!) I remember in later years being told in no uncertain terms how rubbish he was by an older rag, I was god smacked. He told me the West Ham
Incident but I still remember him as the Man City legend I watched behind his nets in the north stand during my first Maine Road experience in 1980.

 

[Centurions]

I know it was his fault, because he should have kept his eye on the ball, but it was a freak goal. I wonder how many times out of a hundred that would have happened.



Incident is around 1 minute 45 seconds.

He was crap, but he really turned it around. Not sure he would have had the time today.

Christ, although I wasn't at that particular match the pitch certainly took me back. Full kudos for both teams for still managing to play football on it.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

There had been torrential rain all day. I was in the scoreboard end where that goal went in. The only shelter was under the place they used to put the half time scores up. A fair few of us were huddled in there including a big black West Ham fan with one of those Tam o shanter hats in their colours who was pretty happy as you can imagine. It was also Jimmy Greaves debut for West Ham. The rain eased off slightly in the second half and I was right behind Corrigan's goal as that ball sailed over his head. Myself and others were screaming and waving at him to get his attention but he was totally in his own world as if he was having a stroll on the beach. He noticed us at the last few seconds, I never forget the look of panic on his face as the ball sailed over his head into the goal.

That end of the ground was where I viewed it from. It seems, as my failing memory recalls, pissing down every other game. There were days when we were wringing wet before kick off!

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

That's probably because as you know in those days all the pitches were terrible by that stage of the season ! One mud bath often followed another. I only remember grassy pitches being in August & September.

The only difference between the league pitches and the park pitches was that the former were flat!

 

[paulchapo]

That end of the ground was where I viewed it from. It seems, as my failing memory recalls, pissing down every other game. There were days when we were wringing wet before kick off!

Yes it always seemed to be lashing it down. I am sure I went to that game on my own as my mates were convinced it would be called off the weather was that bad. The scoreboard was the cheapest end 2/6d I seem to recall for kids, as I was back then. You could pay an extra 6d to transfer into the kippax through the transfer gate. We often used to get there as soon as the gates opened, pay into the scoreboard then hop over the wall and run along the pitch and jump into the kippax so saving 6d lol!

 

[crazyg]

Amazing when you consider that we won the away match 4 - 0 earlier in the season. I think I went to every League match that season, home and away.

As for being a dickhead, my late wife used to live round the corner from him in Sale Moor - in fact, their gardens were back to back, and his sister was was of her best friends. She said he was a gentle giant and a nice lad - but she was only 5 feet tall!

 

[cyberblue]

Remember Joe getting booked at Derby .the pitch was crap and a lot of the markings were covered in mud .they got a penalty and as the penalty spot had disapered Joe paced out where it should be and promptly got booked .game was delayed while a groundsman got some white stuff and made a new penalty spot

 

[petrusha]

There's an old thread about Keith MacRae here: http://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/threads/keith-macrae.230225/page-4#post-8711822

@trevorcitytilidie posted this from an old interview by Gary James, speaking to Corrigan in 2004. Thought it worth adding here:

You remained first choice for most of the period up to the signing of Keith MacRae in October 1973, did his arrival feel like the end for you? ---------- Definitely! They paid an incredible amount, I think it was a world record fee for a ‘keeper, so you know that he has to be first choice. You don’t pay that and leave him in the reserves. Plus he was a great ‘keeper. No question. I was on my way out and this was a very difficult time. The Club was also going through a few managerial changes, so it wasn’t easy. Then in 1975 Keith was injured. shortly before the transfer deadline. I thought I’d get back in, but I bought the Evening News and saw photos and names of a whole host of ‘keepers City were supposed to be interested in. It seemed to me at the time anybody but Corrigan would do. It was a tormenting time. I couldn’t bear it. Every night it was the same. Fortunately for me transfer day came and went and no one was bought. I don’t know if time ran out or what, but I know I was relieved.

You got back into the side and retained your place when MacRae was fit. What was the turning point? ---------- l’d been working hard when I was in the Reserves. I’d tried to develop and I was determined not to lose whatever opportunity came my way. Having said that, we had mixed results and I was worried. Then we played at Wolves and they were all over us. I remember Derek Dougan and John Richards both came up for a cross and I was whacked. The ball ended up in the net and I felt awful. Then the ref blew for a foul on me and from that moment the luck was on my side. I truly believe a lot of football is about luck and opportunity and that day everything switched in my favour. We beat Chelsea and Burnley in the weeks that followed and I only missed one League game in the following five seasons.​

I started going as a kid in 1975/6, when Joe was putting in top performances pretty well every week. It was a big surprise to learn later on that everyone had thought he was crap for quite a few years until not long before then. A couple of memories I have of him. One is winning MotM in both the original game and replay of the 1981 FA Cup final - really didn't deserve to be on the losing side. And he used to crouch down and turn his back every time we got a penalty - would never watch.

Not sure he was quite as pre-eminent in his day as Frank and Bert were, respectively, in theirs (they were rated as undisputed number one in the country while Joe was one of a few outstanding goalkeepers). But a top keeper for us for several years and definitely worthy of featuring in our line of greats in that position.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Remember Joe getting booked at Derby .the pitch was crap and a lot of the markings were covered in mud .they got a penalty and as the penalty spot had disapered Joe paced out where it should be and promptly got booked .game was delayed while a groundsman got some white stuff and made a new penalty spot

The new spot was exactly where Joe had walked too as well.

 

[BlueNirvana]

Wow calm down its all there in his autobiography in black and white i loved joe when i was a kid but read his book its all there