25 years ago today we dropped into division 3

We had nine tickets in the Stoke side stand on the half way line. It was very hot in the sun.
 
Long after the final whistle I was still sat in the away end refusing to move. The stewards couldn't shift me no one could. It was only my 2 lads, who were 13 and 14 yrs old pleading with me that I moved. If it wasnt for them I think I'd still be there !

Mind you it was safer, went out to the coach park to be met with a hail of bricks.
 
Arrived back home in South Manchester and reports coming through that the fighting was still going on this was about 90 minutes after the game had ended. Managed to dodge the missiles after the game thankfully.
 
2 of us sat in the Stoke End keeping a low profile. At kick off the violence spread around the stadium like a mexican wave. there was a brief time when we were winning when we thought we were safe but then you could just tell by this gloom that settled over the stadium that the result didn't matter. Are you watching Macclesfield? rang out.

At full time we sang the most heart-wrenching of songs - "We'll Support you Ever More". As well as that day, I have a strong memory of that song ringing around Maine Road a few minutes after the final whistle.

We drove home to south Manchester and didn't say a word to each other. Not a word. I genuinely couldn't believe it. If you'd told me where we'd be in 25 years I would have laughed in your face because at that moment I thought we were finished as a top club forever.
 
Got over it quick and cheered on Arsenal winning the league.

Whenever there is a realistic chance on the last day of either going down, going up or winning the league, it happens. Since 1983 anyway.
 
humour from City fans that day was amazing "are you watching Macclesfield" "we'll see you all next year" "we'll buy your tickets again" all rang out but the one that sticks with me was the heroes reception they got leaving the pitch and wanting the team to come back out "we want City", stopped on way home at the Swan in Knutsford and it was full of blues on way home, remember Rosler , Dickov and Tommy Wright being in there but it was Kit Symonds who impressed me the abuse he got from a few blues and he stood there and had a discussion with them
 
Psychedelic Casual said:
I always think the rebirth was Stoke at home the following season. Something happened that day that’s hard to put my finger on, but it all changed.

Thanks to Gareth Taylor!
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Absolutely this, I was on shift at the airport listening on Radio Manchester and have always thought that half time team talk changed the history of our club
 
Corky said:
Got over it quick and cheered on Arsenal winning the league.

Whenever there is a realistic chance on the last day of either going down, going up or winning the league, it happens. Since 1983 anyway.
Click to expand...
That's true, City certainly like to take it to the bitter end most of the time. 4 Premier League titles on the last day (QPR, West Ham, BHA, Villa)
4 promotions (Charlton, Bradford, Blackburn, Gillingham) 4 relegations (Luton, West Ham, Liverpool and Stoke). We even managed to miss out on a Europa League place on the last day when Fowler missed that last minute penalty.
Even though we were about to go (literally)into the lowest point in our history after the Stoke ,the Luton game still sends more chills down by spine!
With Luton , looking back it was really the start of a downward spiral, or at least a further massive push down one that had started a few years before.
With Stoke, a year later we would win the most important game in our history that would ultimately be the catalyst for what we are so privileged to witness now.
This is easy to say in retrospect now though as ofcourse we didn't know what lay ahead in either case. In 1983 I'm sure after feeling incredibly gutted I probably thought that we'd soon be back amongst the big boys after our 'one and only ' (!!)season outside the top flight, didn't quite work out like that did it!
Like many blues in 1998, I was no doubt thinking where the fuck would we be going now? Were we to be doomed to years of trips to the likes Macclesfield, Lincoln, Chesterfield etc...for ever! Fortunately that didn't work out like that either did it!
 
Zapcity said:
That's true, City certainly like to take it to the bitter end most of the time. 4 Premier League titles on the last day (QPR, West Ham, BHA, Villa)
4 promotions (Charlton, Bradford, Blackburn, Gillingham) 4 relegations (Luton, West Ham, Liverpool and Stoke). We even managed to miss out on a Europa League place on the last day when Fowler missed that last minute penalty.
Even though we were about to go (literally)into the lowest point in our history after the Stoke ,the Luton game still sends more chills down by spine!
With Luton , looking back it was really the start of a downward spiral, or at least a further massive push down one that had started a few years before.
With Stoke, a year later we would win the most important game in our history that would ultimately be the catalyst for what we are so privileged to witness now.
This is easy to say in retrospect now though as ofcourse we didn't know what lay ahead in either case. In 1983 I'm sure after feeling incredibly gutted I probably thought that we'd soon be back amongst the big boys after our 'one and only ' (!!)season outside the top flight, didn't quite work out like that did it!
Like many blues in 1998, I was no doubt thinking where the fuck would we be going now? Were we to be doomed to years of trips to the likes Macclesfield, Lincoln, Chesterfield etc...for ever! Fortunately that didn't work out like that either did it!
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Obviously as City had been out of the top flight prior to this, I should say ,our one and only season out of the top flight in my City supporting 'career' from my 'debut' 10 years previously.
 
Remember that Sunday so well, in truth relegation had been on the cards all season, certainly post Christmas so when it happened it was no surprise, we were a calamity of a club and had been for the previous 3-years after the debacle of the Lee-Ball era, Coppell, Clarke, us signing enough mediocre players to run 3 very mediocre teams! I do remember having a conversation with a mate who thought we'd probably sink into Div 3! 25-years, wow, you couldn't make up the things that have happened since...
 
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