I went to my first game at Maine Road in 1967, it was Everton, we won and I'm pretty sure I can remember that they wore blue shorts and yellow shirts. I went with my dad, my uncle Jim and his mate Ted, over the years I would go to hundreds of home games and it was almost always the same ritual, meet at Nana's in Fallowfield and walk to Maine Road, I can honestly remember every step from the house to the ground, season after season we'd walk, Ladybarn Lane. Wilbraham Road and the rest, past my favourite landmarks, the cycle track, Mr Alexander's sports shop, the 'toast rack'.
The closer we'd get the more blue and white we'd see, then it was into Platt Fields and the first time I'd let go of my dad's hand, not too far because I'd want to listen to my dad and my uncles Jim and Tom (Bryan's dad), Ted, my brilliant cousins and my big brother and their stories and the reassurance 'of course we'll win today son, it's only United'. As years went by the group shrunk, dad sopped going as often and sometimes it was just Uncle Jim and me but then it grew again, more cousins and mates and suddenly I was the one with the stories, same walk though even after Nana died and we started meeting at Auntie Margaret's house in Burnage, so Kingsway was added to Ladybarn and the rest.
Platt Fields was magical, paths worn in the grass leading to a proper path leading to the lake and before you knew it, the 'big gate' all the time the crowd growing, past the training ground, into the passages and the first sight of the ground, across the car park through a turnstlile and 'in' check we're all together, past 'COMMIT NO NUISANCE', down the tunnel and you could smell the pitch, I still remember craning my neck for the first sight of green and a quick look to the left to see how many 'they' had brought.
Kids on the wall 'don't move. I'll see you at half time'.
Then as kick off approaches it's the move back into the Kippax, same place every week, I could find my way blindfold, same faces, same sounds, same smells.
Once you've been lucky enough to be chosen by City it's a commitment for life, we didn't choose City, City was chosen for us and that's why the 25,000 blues at the game tomorrow are representing us, City are in our DNA.
We'll all be at Wembley tomorrow it's just that some of us wont be at the ground.
Up the Blues.
