Re: 15 Years tomorrow
From todays MEN.
December 19, 1998: York City 2 Manchester City 1... it was the blackest day in City’s history – a moment when a famous football club had sunk to an all-time low.
The Blues were the laughing stock of English football after changing managers and chairman so often that Maine Road had become a by-word for a soap opera.
This compelling saga took a new twist when cash-strapped City lost 2-1 that day to York City at Bootham Crescent, a defeat that plunged the famous club down into 12th position in the Second Division, the third tier of English football.
Joe Royle had taken over as manager earlier that year but had been unable to prevent a slide that threatened to take a once-proud club into oblivion.
A staggering 11 home defeats told its own sorry story.
Relegation to the Nationwide League Division Two had been confirmed in May 1998, despite a resounding 5-2 win at Stoke on the final day of the season when Georgi Kinkladze made his farewell appearance for the club.
The rapid decline of one of the biggest names in English football was complete.
It was arguably the saddest day in the club’s history though worse was to follow at York, seven months after the £5m sale of Kinkladze to Ajax had virtually saved the club from bankruptcy.
The forward line at York was on a different financial football planet to today’s multi-millionaire stars such as Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo.
The attack at Bootham Crescent that night was led by Gareth Taylor, a £400,000 buy from Sheffield United, and goalscorer Craig Russell, a striker signed by previous boss Frank Clark as part of a swap deal with Nicky Summerbee from Sunderland.
Australian Danny Allsopp, a £10,000 buy from Port Melbourne Sharks, came on as substitute and missed an easy chance at 1-1 before York grabbed an embarrassing winner.
It was the era of Lee Bradbury, a misfit striker bought for an outrageous £3.25m from Portsmouth.
Seven days later on Boxing Day, Dutch defender Gerard Wiekens scored in a scrappy 1-0 win at Wrexham and that was to prove the turning point, a seminal moment in the club’s colourful history.
A rousing second half to the season saw the Blues beat Gillingham in that epic play-off final at Wembley to secure promotion, saving them from another spell in the doldrums.
The month City lost at York they were also dumped out of the Auto Windscreens Shield, losing 2-1 at home to Mansfield Town in front of 3,007 fans, of the lowest crowd in their history.
The following evening United played Bayern Munich in front of a full house at Old Trafford in the Champions League.
It was that season the club revealed plans to move into a plush new stadium in east Manchester after the Commonwealth Games in 2002.
The rest, as they say, is history!
From todays MEN.
December 19, 1998: York City 2 Manchester City 1... it was the blackest day in City’s history – a moment when a famous football club had sunk to an all-time low.
The Blues were the laughing stock of English football after changing managers and chairman so often that Maine Road had become a by-word for a soap opera.
This compelling saga took a new twist when cash-strapped City lost 2-1 that day to York City at Bootham Crescent, a defeat that plunged the famous club down into 12th position in the Second Division, the third tier of English football.
Joe Royle had taken over as manager earlier that year but had been unable to prevent a slide that threatened to take a once-proud club into oblivion.
A staggering 11 home defeats told its own sorry story.
Relegation to the Nationwide League Division Two had been confirmed in May 1998, despite a resounding 5-2 win at Stoke on the final day of the season when Georgi Kinkladze made his farewell appearance for the club.
The rapid decline of one of the biggest names in English football was complete.
It was arguably the saddest day in the club’s history though worse was to follow at York, seven months after the £5m sale of Kinkladze to Ajax had virtually saved the club from bankruptcy.
The forward line at York was on a different financial football planet to today’s multi-millionaire stars such as Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo.
The attack at Bootham Crescent that night was led by Gareth Taylor, a £400,000 buy from Sheffield United, and goalscorer Craig Russell, a striker signed by previous boss Frank Clark as part of a swap deal with Nicky Summerbee from Sunderland.
Australian Danny Allsopp, a £10,000 buy from Port Melbourne Sharks, came on as substitute and missed an easy chance at 1-1 before York grabbed an embarrassing winner.
It was the era of Lee Bradbury, a misfit striker bought for an outrageous £3.25m from Portsmouth.
Seven days later on Boxing Day, Dutch defender Gerard Wiekens scored in a scrappy 1-0 win at Wrexham and that was to prove the turning point, a seminal moment in the club’s colourful history.
A rousing second half to the season saw the Blues beat Gillingham in that epic play-off final at Wembley to secure promotion, saving them from another spell in the doldrums.
The month City lost at York they were also dumped out of the Auto Windscreens Shield, losing 2-1 at home to Mansfield Town in front of 3,007 fans, of the lowest crowd in their history.
The following evening United played Bayern Munich in front of a full house at Old Trafford in the Champions League.
It was that season the club revealed plans to move into a plush new stadium in east Manchester after the Commonwealth Games in 2002.
The rest, as they say, is history!