Memories from the Kippax

[lita69]

I really miss the terracing and standing on the old Kippax. On a Saturday afternoon travelling down with your mates and able to pay on the gate and stand where you wanted with who you wanted, that's how football should be. Used to get in nice and early and make my way to where the segregation was to stand with the same faces and have a laugh. The songs would start a good hour before kick off and I can't think of an away support that came that we didn't drown out and take the piss out of mercilessly. If we were visited by a particularly gobby set of supporters we'd take great delight in all turning as one following a goal and climbing up the railings to take the piss across 'no mans land'. Some would call that aggresive or childish, but backl then it was done with good humour and rarely spilled over into violence.

The best days though were the derby games, in extra early and the whole length of the Kippax alive and buzzing with excitement. As the 'If you hate Man Utd clap your hands' chant started I would turn to my right and the whole stand would have their hands outstretched in the air waiting to clap in uinison all the way through to the corner flag where the Kippax ended. Some great days and memories and I still miss it.

 

[Sir peace frog]

when i was younger 5 ish my old fella used to plonk me on the wall right on half way and me and the other youngsters would flick ash on the coppers backs not to mention gozzing on them,brings a warm glow to my old heart,happy days indeed :)

all bollox except being plonked on the white wall on the half way line with some crisps and a coke,and if it was cold a lovely bovril at half time.

seemed so magical in those days,inches away from my heros.

 

[lita69]

when i was younger 5 ish my old fella used to plonk me on the wall right on half way and me and the other youngsters would flick ash on the coppers backs not to mention gozzing on them,brings a warm glow to my old heart,happy days indeed :)

all bollox except being plonked on the white wall on the half way line with some crisps and a coke,and if it was cold a lovely bovril at half time.

seemed so magical in those days,inches away from my heros.

Aye back in the days when crisps and coke didn't cost an arm and a leg! I remember a guy who was blind who used to go in with his mate as he enjoyed the atmosphere in there more than in the seats. His standard line was 'fucking hell ref even I could see that was a foul' :D

 

[Zabbasbeard]

I have many memories of watching City from the Kippax. The strangest and one of the funniest was in 85/86 we were filing out after a defeat to Sheff Wed - Neil McNab uncharacteristically gave the ball away on the half line and Wednesday (including one Brian Marwood) scored to make it 2-1 and went on to win 3-1.

As I was walking out past "no man's land" (like that phrase!) a full pie comes flying over and skims the top of my head, leaving a fair amount of flaky pastry in my spiky (I had short hair back then) hair. I couldn't help but laugh.

Glad it wasn't an inch or two lower as I wouldn't have fancied scraping off mince mate off my fizzog (no danger of scalding as the pies weren't that warm as I recall)...

 

[scotty123]

I used to miss it but its gone now so enjoy the Etihad and savour that final day in May

 

[Franny Lee's Barrel Chest]

I used to miss it but its gone now so enjoy the Etihad and savour that final day in May

I agree. For me, nothing in the past has eclipsed that magic day in May. Hopefully that itself will be eclipsed one day, but up to now it has to be up there with the best memories of a home game.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

It's important to keep the memories of the Kippax and Maine Road alive. As the years pass fewer and fewer supporters will have been there and although we like to look back on it being fantastic it wasn't always the case.

I spent a few seasons sat on crash barriers with my dad (RIP) stood behind me so I wouldn't fall off if the crowd surged. At other times I've been up the back near the aways hurling abuse, almost crushed coming down the steps from the back of the stand made 10 times worse when they boarded up the steps near to the away fans. I also remember the roof leaking, the heat haze rising when goals were scored on cold days. The strange signs in the back of the stand 'Commit No Nuisance.'

Spent the majority of my Maine Rd life 1970 to the end in windy corner as being a short arse the rake there especially stood next to the North Stand gave me a great view. Added bonus of the North Stand roof jutting out over me to keep out of the rain.

Home is now just about where we are to me. It's taken many a year I think what's nailed it was 'May 13th'. We'd had explosions of passion at the old place (5-1 in '89, Colin's Comeback) but nothing like that day last season.

 

[Kakhaber Tskhadadze K.O.T.A.]

I remember as a 5/6 year old being put on the back wall of the open Kippax bit between the North stand and the covered Kippax ("Windy corner" as referred to above and then the "Gene Kelly" when the scaffold seats installed) ...... the problem with this wall was the 20 foot shear drop on the other side ..... then as I got older I progressed to the front wall and then eventually moved along to the half way line and finally by the age of 16/17 I ended up in the choir next to the away fans ........................... it was a right of passage ............ my kids today don't know they're born with padded seats etc.

After the seated Kippax was built I always remember the hike up them bloody stairs to the second tier ...... must have been 15 flights of stairs ............ again the kids today have a gently ramp/spiral......... life of luxury

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

As a kid, looking for the 'best' place to watch before I settled on the old uncovered North Stand, I remember seeing THREE City place kicks in the last ten minutes. On eighty mins we were whipping Wolves 3-1 and then from the halfway line, as a Manchester smog descended on Moss Side, all I saw was the three place kicks and a 4-3 reverse. So all you buggers who haven't got over the Real reverse, 2-1 up with five mins to go, if yer true and blue, yer won't have got over it by 2065!

 

[Le Havre Oswald]

I sat in the north stand. Sat in the kippax a lot for cup games etc... And against Millwall when it was on the big screen.