Not a photo .. a memory
As my name suggests ive been blue since 79, but really ive been blue since the year of my birth in 1974. My faith was predetermined way before i was born though. Just my first game was in 79. That make sense? Good.
My great great grand arthur was born in leek, staffs in 1878 but after the collapse of the silk industry moved to ancoats in 1898 to seek work and chose the 4 years old manchester city football club as his team. Was he an original glory hunter? Was arthur a plastic?
Anyway, fast forward 90 years and im a maine road regular with my dad.
I got my first junior blue season ticket in 1985, im sure it was about £30! Was it a bargain though? Watching pure unadulterated shite? I dunno. I was in heaven every single game.
I remember vividly that bastard raddy antic relegating us in 83. I watched it in the platt lane stand and didnt for one second think my beloved blues would let me down, but they did. I went home and lay on my cheadle hulme child hood sofa and cried my eyes out.
I dont know why i worried really because that summer billy mac bought us derek parlane, neil mcnab and jim tolmie for a total of £4.56 and i saw no reason whatsoever why we wouldnt piss division 2 and be promoted as champions, take div 1 by storm and win that league and probably win the european cup the year after that. I had to wait a few years for that though
But my maine road memory takes me to 1989, the year we momentarily made it back into the big time after being the ultimate yoyo club. And would continue to be so. Good though wasnt it?
Being brought up in cheadle hulme my dads local was the world famous Junction, or The Junc, as it was known. It was dads pre match pub of choice. In fact it was his last orders pub of choice every single night too. It was a pub of its time. Spit n sawdust? And some! Some one walked a horse in once and no one batted an eye lid, no one looked twice, it was that sort of pub. Spit n sawdust it may well have been but it was totally out of place in south manchester suburbia.
But as a 14 year old i loved the place. Kids werent allowed in but i was because i was my dads son. He was a local, a main man, everyone knew him and i was with him. Still had to sit in the corner with a coke and a closed gob but i would sit in awe of the ‘characters’ in this crazy pub coming and going. Mesmerising really.
And then it was time to set off for the game. We used to park on the forecourt, more or less next to PJ swales’ jag, we didnt have a forecourt parking ticket, dad used to drop the attendant 2 quid to turn a blind eye. At one point dad gave me the £2 to discreetly drop into the attendants hidden hand. I felt like billy big bollocks. Slipped into his cupped hand with a nod.
I had my junior blues ticket in my pocket but dad never had a season ticket , he insisted on getting one off a tout every game. Im not sure why, tickets were available each and every game in the ticket office, sell outs a rarity. But mikey williams and his gang of spivs were always on that north stand corner selling spares to the likes of my dad. My dad being how he was i think just enjoyed the thrill of buying off a tout.
And then it was match time. We were main standers. Always were right til we left that dilapidated old stadium.
My season ticket was in block B, it didnt matter where dads touted ticket was, it was never full, you could sit anywhere.
The memories of walking through the tight Turnstyles, past the Denis Law bar and up to our seats will never leave me. Ever. Seeing the turf, watching my hero paul stewart stride out onto the pitch and await what was to come. Ill never forget that and if i close my eyes i can see it now.
That memory will always remaim, Well that and the stench of greenalls bitter induced farts .
