I went to that replay at Highbury in the Clock End. There seemed to be no segregation and only a handful of City fans in a 50,000 plus crowd. To be fair we had no trouble with the Arsenal fans who just took the piss out of us. Jennings was magnificent for them.Obviously you'd know better than me, but I don't recall it being that different for games at Maine Road with some teams occasionally bringing thousands, but often just a couple of hundred.
There's also been a huge shift in population demographic with far more second generation City fans now residing all over the country, whereas in the mid 70s, the vast majority still lived in Greater Manchester, and probably didn't even own a car.
Somebody mentioned the LC Replay at Highbury in 1977-78, which was staged just six days after the original tie. That would have been a huge effort in an era when it was far more difficult to get time off work at short notice.
Plus I don't recall many Arsenal fans at the original game, or indeed any game v Arsenal at Maine Road around that period.
Great header. Can picture it now between the angle of left post and bar.It really was a day that goes down in the history of our club. I still thought we’d blow it - then Andy May’s header went in and the party started! Great day. Great times.
Yeah not disputing the geographyOr Christmas Day, you hammered a team at home, so went to the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.
I think City would have been Hudds closest team that year.
Was a replay after we’d drawn 0-0 at Maine Rd. my dad went in the home end at Highbury. Think it was a very soft pen we lost to. McDonald scored it IIRC. The game at Maine Rd we battered them but Jennings had a blinder.Remember night game at Highbury 77 League cup lost 1-0,58,000 not many blues that night.
Was he not posting on here yesterday ?RIP Pete Britton who along with his wife Anita, ran the Leicester & Rugby branch.
@DenisHasDoneIt
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Not sure about knowing better, we all have our lived experience, as you say Arsenal never came to Maine Road in numbers, Spurs did though, same demographic but gooners weren't known to travel well.Obviously you'd know better than me, but I don't recall it being that different for games at Maine Road with some teams occasionally bringing thousands, but often just a couple of hundred.
There's also been a huge shift in population demographic with far more second generation City fans now residing all over the country, whereas in the mid 70s, the vast majority still lived in Greater Manchester, and probably didn't even own a car.
Somebody mentioned the LC Replay at Highbury in 1977-78, which was staged just six days after the original tie. That would have been a huge effort in an era when it was far more difficult to get time off work at short notice.
Plus I don't recall many Arsenal fans at the original game, or indeed any game v Arsenal at Maine Road around that period.
Some very strange and low attendances that season. I think 64-65 was the straw that broke the camels back with our average attendance. I think the fans were fed up of the shite being shown on the pitch the previous 3 or 4 seasons and they just bombed to 14000 average that year,18 k the year before, but nowhere that low any time before or after for years. The one attendance that sticks out is barcodes at home, just over 10'000 which now seems impossible to believe. Bury 22k was highest home crowd all season. The year after we averaged 27k and we were flying as club again and didn't get anywhere that low until it dipped to 19k in 87/88.Or Christmas Day, you hammered a team at home, so went to the reverse fixture on Boxing Day.
I think City would have been Hudds closest team that year.
I think 87-88 is a good comparison as City had plenty of terrible crowds by today's standards (as did everyone else) and yet often took thousands to away games.Some very strange and low attendances that season. I think 64-65 was the straw that broke the camels back with our average attendance. I think the fans were fed up of the shite being shown on the pitch the previous 3 or 4 seasons and they just bombed to 14000 average that year,18 k the year before, but nowhere that low any time before or after for years. The one attendance that sticks out is barcodes at home, just over 10'000 which now seems impossible to believe. Bury 22k was highest home crowd all season. The year after we averaged 27k and we were flying as club again and didn't get anywhere that low until it dipped to 19k in 87/88.
I wasn't knocking the crowds pal, I was just pointing out that we didn't ever get anywhere near the 14k again and the 19k season was the lowest. Football was at low eb in mid to late 80s and crowds were sparse at most clubs. I think the rags only got 36k that year and we were in the 2nd division which obviously didn't help. And I was at all the Huddersfield games that season, the 2 away in the cup were mental and arguably more blues than home fans.I think 87-88 is a good comparison as City had plenty of terrible crowds by today's standards (as did everyone else) and yet often took thousands to away games.
One exception was the 10-1 return game at Huddersfield when our season was petering into anti climax. The crowd was only 7835, and yet I can recall 2-3 previous occasions when City had taken 10,000 to Leeds Road.
Jennings in Maine Rd game was ridiculous, so many worldy savesWas a replay after we’d drawn 0-0 at Maine Rd. my dad went in the home end at Highbury. Think it was a very soft pen we lost to. McDonald scored it IIRC. The game at Maine Rd we battered them but Jennings had a blinder.