13 Years Ago Today City 1 Rags 0 FA Cup Semi Final Wembley

[leithblue]

I was living in Helsinki at the time and flying back for home games so ended up knowing a lot of the Finnair gate and check in staff as I was a regular on weekend mornings on the flight to Manchester.

That morning I was on BA to Heathrow and was cancelled, so was able to get on standby on the one Finnair flight to London that morning. Sat at the gate with a boarding pass but no seat…silently swearing at every prick that arrived for the flight as each one reduced my chance of getting on board.

Gate closing…more turn up. Until eventually I got the nod - not just the nod but seat 1B. The best seat going.

Got a bus at Heathrow to Windsor to meet my dad and some American tourist got on with no cash. So thinking I’d need all the karma that day and had probably used all my luck already that morning I paid his fare. We had a bit of a chat and he promised to support us.

So thanks whoever you are from somewhere in the States.

 

[bluwes]

And arguably the best day of them all, the sheer unexpectedness of it, the euphoria of victory.

Yaya’s goal, the Poznan, Mario’s wink, what a day

And it was my Birthday

 

[threespires]

Just when you are thinking it does not get any better than this Mario put the icing on the cake.
Despite everything that happened since this is the moment for me.

Watching that moment back on the tele the next day was indeed the icing on the cake. I hindsight, Wio losing his shit that badly was so so telling; he knew this was an important moment. After years of entitlement he could see that we wouldn't be bullied or cowed and that sent him into a rage as he realised that the easy street they had lived on for so long was melting before his eyes.

This is why Bobby is so loved by many of us and so important to our history. We needed to believe in ourselves and not be bullied and here was a bit of an arsey bastard and someone who as a player had the self-belief/swagger to score with a backheeled volley from a corner. His mate/wayward son Mario, daft as he was, was the embodiment of that confidence and belief as anyone who ever saw him take a penalty will know; one of his top 3 moments in a city shirt!

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

It was my first visit to the 'new' Wembers. I paid a tidy sum for the ticket but I was on the front row right by the very corner flag Yaya ran to and I've got a superb piccy of the team piling in on top of him.

(No, I'm not posting it 'cos you bastards won't respect the law of copyright!)

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

And it was my Birthday

Ah well, b, when it's my birthday tomorrow you will have to wait a whole fuckin' year for yer next one! Unless, of course, you also have an official birthday!

 

[mancityvstoke]

I was on Wembley way getting called a manc/northern ****. ..funniest thing I've ever seen or heard.

Delicious day.

 

[flapjack]

It's mad to think that the gap in time between now and that, is the same gap in time from 1994 when Franny took over to the 1981 Spurs final....and to me as a 16 year old in 94 the Spurs final felt like ancient history of a completely different era, so interesting to think that any 16 year olds at Wembley on Saturday will probably view Yayas goal in a similar way, even though it still feels fairly recent to me

 

[Blue Til Death]

I was in corporate for it, got a ticket from work, it was awash with rags, when Yaya scored I jumped up as did two other Blues in front of me, we bounced until full time, the rags were seething but we didn’t give a flying fuck ..

That day for me was the start of a glorious 13 years..

 

[r.soleofsalford]

I watched that game in the sports bar of the Bellagio with 4 City fans, 4 rags and a Bolton fan. We did take the piss that night.

 

[Bluearmy]

The Roundabout.

Unreal on there… never forget the 2 rags in a convertible bmw (roof down) got stuck in traffic when all hell broke loose and what seemed like a hundred blues drenched them with skol.