The Bert Trautmann Testimonial

Update. The photos in my Dad's scrapbook are not from Bert's testimonial.
They are from when City beat Leicester City in April 1959 and thus avoiding being relegated to Division Two.
And there was a pitch invasion ( nothing new there then) and the police had to save Bert from being mobbed by delirious City fans.
 
Leveblue said:
Just thought I’d share a few distant memories of this game before they get forgotten forever.

The game was between a Manchester City and United combined 11, versus an England 11 at Maine Road (in 1964 I think).

Quite a novelty combining the two teams even then but a nice idea at the time all the same. I suppose the intention was to get some United fans to attend to swell the numbers.

Obviously Bert played in goal for Manchester and the only England player I can recall was Ron Springett, who I think played for Sheffield Wednesday at the time. I can remember Ron making a really good save and thinking I wish it was Bert who had done the save,

I think the score ended at 5 – 4 to England but I stand to be corrected on this.

If any of our other older fans can recall any further details of this game I’d be interested to read them.
Click to expand...
Get this and other members recorded for posterity as part of my new project ‘City Voices’. I’m trying to capture fans’ memories. Full details here:
Leveblue said:
Just thought I’d share a few distant memories of this game before they get forgotten forever.

The game was between a Manchester City and United combined 11, versus an England 11 at Maine Road (in 1964 I think).

Quite a novelty combining the two teams even then but a nice idea at the time all the same. I suppose the intention was to get some United fans to attend to swell the numbers.

Obviously Bert played in goal for Manchester and the only England player I can recall was Ron Springett, who I think played for Sheffield Wednesday at the time. I can remember Ron making a really good save and thinking I wish it was Bert who had done the save,

I think the score ended at 5 – 4 to England but I stand to be corrected on this.

If any of our other older fans can recall any further details of this game I’d be interested to read them.
Click to expand...
Get these and other memories recorded for posterity as part of my City Voices project. I’m trying to capture fans’ memories from every era of the club’s existence. Details here: https://gjfootballarchive.com/2021/02/06/city-voices-project/
 
Gary James said:
Get this and other members recorded for posterity as part of my new project ‘City Voices’. I’m trying to capture fans’ memories. Full details here:

Get these and other memories recorded for posterity as part of my City Voices project. I’m trying to capture fans’ memories from every era of the club’s existence. Details here: https://gjfootballarchive.com/2021/02/06/city-voices-project/
Click to expand...

I can still remember everything about Newcastle away. From the night before when we decorated my dads van with whitewash, until breaking down on the way home, but we didn't care.
 
Noel Cantwell played Left Back for the Cobined X1.
Stanley Matthews was right Winger for the Rest.
Not sure what age Stan was then but must have been near Pension age.
Cantwell couldn't get the ball off him and ended up being booed by The Kippax as he kept fouling Stan.
 
I was there at 9 years old it was my birthday treat. Only thing that sticks out was asking my cousin who took me to the game with his mates was who was A.N Other playing at No 4
 
Heres my Bert story..

Bert moved to Bramhall in the 50s and became very good friends with a bloke called Stan Wilson, who was a Bramhall local amateur football legend.
stan was married to a woman called Audrey who was a kind of an adopted (unofficially) sister of my Nanna (on my dads side), who were a massive family of Blues.
my dad , born in 1949 and lived in woodhouse park, used to often visit stan and audrey in bramhall with my nanna and also spend time with bert too.

As a boy i kinda thought it was a bit of a ‘story’ until Stans 80th birthday in the mid 90s at the Deanwater Hotel in Woodford and the man himself , Bert, made the trip over from spain to surprise stan.
I was in my 20s then and gobsmacked isnt the word as all the family were there and Bert recalled my dad as a boy

sorry if that made no sense but thought id stick my Bert story in
 
manclad said:
Update. The photos in my Dad's scrapbook are not from Bert's testimonial.
They are from when City beat Leicester City in April 1959 and thus avoiding being relegated to Division Two.
And there was a pitch invasion ( nothing new there then) and the police had to save Bert from being mobbed by delirious City fans.
Click to expand...

That Leicester game was my first match.
Hayes, MacAdams & Sambrook scored for City. I also think it was Bobby Johnstone's final game for us.
Little did I know then that it was a door opening on a lifetime of ups & downs following the Blues.
 
Spurs quarter 69 said:
If you go to Bolton you never hear a bad word about NAT Lofthouse, in Preston nobody has a bad word about Tom Finney, in Burnley no one has a bad word for Jimmy Mc Ilroy. Living on the Fylde Coast I never hear a good word about Stanley Matthews and the majority of my friends are Blackpool fans. All say the same great footballer horrible man and that includes team mates from 1953.
Also a lovely lady I used to know who worked at OT and was United barmy said Bobby Charlton was the most ignorant man on earth. Today people look back at old players like they where saints, ain't always the case.
Click to expand...
Heard the same about good old sir bobby. A thoroughly miserable man
 
BillCarlisle said:
That Leicester game was my first match.
Hayes, MacAdams & Sambrook scored for City. I also think it was Bobby Johnstone's final game for us.
Little did I know then that it was a door opening on a lifetime of ups & downs following the Blues.
Click to expand...
I will have read up of the article tomorrow morning and let you know any more information.
I took a photo of it but it wouldn't load up onto Bluemoon.
 
One of my early regrets, missing this game.

My big brother wasn't going, my mate's big brother wasn't going, and my dad was working. I don't think our mam's would have been too happy with two nine year olds walking to and from Maine Road on their own at night.

At least I got to see Bert play a few times before he packed it in.
 
BillCarlisle said:
That Leicester game was my first match.
Hayes, MacAdams & Sambrook scored for City. I also think it was Bobby Johnstone's final game for us.
Little did I know then that it was a door opening on a lifetime of ups & downs following the Blues.
Click to expand...
Bobby Johnstone played in the first 3 games of the following season,his last for us.
 
BillCarlisle said:
That Leicester game was my first match.
Hayes, MacAdams & Sambrook scored for City. I also think it was Bobby Johnstone's final game for us.
Little did I know then that it was a door opening on a lifetime of ups & downs following the Blues.
Click to expand...
Just had another look at the Daily Mirror article dated 30/5/59 and no mention of Bobby Johnstone at all.
However what it does say is that City were in a relegation battle that season with fellow strugglers Aston Villa.
Villa needed a win against WBA and were winning until 2 minutes from the end of the game,when West Brom forward Ron Allen equalized,thus relegating Villa to Division 2.
Had Villa actually won, City would have been relegated by .0008 of a goal.
And people say that goal difference/goal average is not important.
Typical City, leaving thinks almost to the last kick of the season , something that occurred quite often in City's history.
And some morons claim that City have no 'istree La !!!!!
 
Last edited:
My memories of the game were
It pissed down and I went with my dad on the pitch at the end of the game , first and last time.
Did I mention it pissed down.
 
manclad said:
Just had another look at the Daily Mirror article dated 30/5/59 and no mention of Bobby Johnstone at all.
However what it does say is that City were in a relegation battle that season with fellow strugglers Aston Villa.
Villa needed a win against WBA and were winning until 2 minutes from the end of the game,when West Brom forward Ron Allen equalized,thus relegating Villa to Division 2.
Had Villa actually won, City would have been relegated by .0008 of a goal.
And people say that goal difference/goal average is not important.
Typical City, leaving thinks almost to the last kick of the season , something that occurred quite often in City's history.
And some morons claim that City have no 'istree La !!!!!
Click to expand...

Yes I remember very late in the game Bert was on his haunches well outside his penalty area shouting at the team as they attacked the Leicester goal. Whether news of the Baggies equaliser had reached him from the crowd or not we'll never know.
As a fellow Blue (xgorton) has pointed out, it wasn't in fact Bobby's last game for us. He played 3 games at the start of the following season before leaving for Hibs.
 
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