Remember..March 1981.PAUL POWER!

julio jordio said:
I’ve watched the highlights of that villa park semi so many times despite me not even being born. My dad was the lad in the white on the pitch in the players arms after Power scored. He was called Wayne O’Dea from Moston and I’m sure some people on here would have known him. He would’ve been about 15 at the time. I was born 3 years later in 84. He passed away nearly 2 years ago now. I love seeing the footage of this cup run and imagining what a buzz it would’ve been. Needless to say I’ve carried on the love for city and go everywhere myself.
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Brilliant post. And again ..it shows that this match does really mean so much to all true City fans
I'm still perplexed that Jimmi harri didn't think it was significant,ffs..

Even now I'm excited thinking about that match.i wasn't even there.

That's the Love of the Blues,that match ,the replay the cup final the whole John bond era was for me just a brilliant buzzing time in my life,every single day was bouncing on City.
To go to Goodison,one of the hardest,most savage away grounds back then ,after being bottom of the league ,...to storm up the league,go to Everton ,go 1nil down...equaliser,go 2-1 down,proper backs against the wall stuff....then score to equaliser again!! in the dying moments.......Paul Power,Wow.
Will never ever forget that game.
 
dennishasdoneit said:
Brilliant post. And again ..it shows that this match does really mean so much to all true City fans
I'm still perplexed that Jimmi harri didn't think it was significant,ffs..

Even now I'm excited thinking about that match.i wasn't even there.

That's the Love of the Blues,that match ,the replay the cup final the whole John bond era was for me just a brilliant buzzing time in my life,every single day was bouncing on City.
To go to Goodison,one of the hardest,most savage away grounds back then ,after being bottom of the league ,...to storm up the league,go to Everton ,go 1nil down...equaliser,go 2-1 down,proper backs against the wall stuff....then score to equaliser again!! in the dying moments.......Paul Power,Wow.
Will never ever forget that game.
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The semi final was a great day at Villa Park. City fans everywhere.
 
dennishasdoneit said:
Brilliant post. And again ..it shows that this match does really mean so much to all true City fans
I'm still perplexed that Jimmi harri didn't think it was significant,ffs..

Even now I'm excited thinking about that match.i wasn't even there.

That's the Love of the Blues,that match ,the replay the cup final the whole John bond era was for me just a brilliant buzzing time in my life,every single day was bouncing on City.
To go to Goodison,one of the hardest,most savage away grounds back then ,after being bottom of the league ,...to storm up the league,go to Everton ,go 1nil down...equaliser,go 2-1 down,proper backs against the wall stuff....then score to equaliser again!! in the dying moments.......Paul Power,Wow.
Will never ever forget that game.
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I think it’s difficult for people who weren’t around in those days to comprehend how big the fa cup actually was as well.
 
julio jordio said:
I think it’s difficult for people who weren’t around in those days to comprehend how big the fa cup actually was as well.
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True. In them days the fa cup was Everything. The world stopped for the FA cup final

Our fa cup run that year was just Electric.
 
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julio jordio said:
I’ve watched the highlights of that villa park semi so many times despite me not even being born. My dad was the lad in the white on the pitch in the players arms after Power scored. He was called Wayne O’Dea from Moston and I’m sure some people on here would have known him. He would’ve been about 15 at the time. I was born 3 years later in 84. He passed away nearly 2 years ago now. I love seeing the footage of this cup run and imagining what a buzz it would’ve been. Needless to say I’ve carried on the love for city and go everywhere myself.
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I knew your dad, I've just messaged you.
 
eastmanc said:
The semi final was a great day at Villa Park. City fans everywhere.
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It was a fantastic day. Four of us who worked for ICL in Ashton-under-Lyne went down together in a car, it was brilliant.

One of the bizarre things I remember of the day was going into a chip shop near the ground and asking for pudding and chips, they said whats a pudding, I said a steak and kidney pudding, they didn't have a clue what I was talking about haha
You can get them everywhere of course these days, like a lot of other things. How times have changed in a lot of ways.

And on Paul Power, a year after the game my then wife had our second son Ian in the bed next to Paul's wife having their son in Withington Hospital. Me and Paul were talking together for hours, a really nice guy.

Some years later my son played football against Paul's son many times, it's a small world really.
 
This was the only away game, my old fella ever took me to as a kid. Went with my uncle and cousin, over from Canada and this was the game that made me fall in love with football properly. I'd been to loads of home games and loved the atmosphere at Maine Road but this was different!!

We were down near the front and if I remember correctly, my eyeline was almost at pitch level and being young and as tall as a Warwick Davis tribute act, I couldn't see a great deal but can remember like it was yesterday, the lob from Power disappearing from my view before landing in the net, almost within touching distance. I'd never seen my dad react like that and wouldn't again until Wembley '99. Genuinely one of my favourite life memories.

If there was one game that I could take my kids to, to show them what football used to be like, this would be it.
 
Still lived at home with my parents in my home country (the Netherlands … I know), I had to listen to a small transistor radio that could get English radio long distance. Second half live was nerve wrecking. I probably jumped as Paul Power did when he equalised. Never saw the highlights until the City Allison-Bond documentary came out.

I did however read the summary in the Pink Final that I got sent hone a fair few days later.

Anyways reaching the semi I travelled to Manchester by car and stayed with my mates parents house up until the final.
Again I had to wait ages for the famous freekick goal at Villa Park as I didnt see shite standing up.

Great days and like I said, fantastic memories. If only there was internet those days ….
 
That Villa Park semi - pubs around the ground were all closed but me & my mates found an Asian Mini Market which sold beer.
We sat on someone's front garden wall close to the ground drinking can after can. No hassle from the cops until we started stacking the empties on the wall. For some reason they didn't like it and told us to sup up and fcuk off. Which we did, as it was getting close to KO time anyway. :-) Happy days :-)
 
BlueKolarovWorker said:
This was the only away game, my old fella ever took me to as a kid. Went with my uncle and cousin, over from Canada and this was the game that made me fall in love with football properly. I'd been to loads of home games and loved the atmosphere at Maine Road but this was different!!

We were down near the front and if I remember correctly, my eyeline was almost at pitch level and being young and as tall as a Warwick Davis tribute act, I couldn't see a great deal but can remember like it was yesterday, the lob from Power disappearing from my view before landing in the net, almost within touching distance. I'd never seen my dad react like that and wouldn't again until Wembley '99. Genuinely one of my favourite life memories.

If there was one game that I could take my kids to, to show them what football used to be like, this would be it.
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100% 2 special games before we reached the promised land oh CITY we love you
 
Am sure Power scored in a 2-2 draw in October 1976 away at Everton,remember we went top of the league - if I remember correctly it was a chip over the keeper late on to equalise too-perhaps someone can verify who may have been there.
 
WEMBLEY76 said:
Am sure Power scored in a 2-2 draw in October 1976 away at Everton,remember we went top of the league - if I remember correctly it was a chip over the keeper late on to equalise too-perhaps someone can verify who may have been there.
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I think you're right mate night game did kidd score as well from memory went on fingland supporters coach shady as fuck as a 15 year old school boy we went in the paddock near the city end always remember it kicking off trying to get to the ground and a city fan with a crutches riding the storm
 
TJHTNATSOL said:
I think you're right mate night game did kidd score as well from memory went on fingland supporters coach shady as fuck as a 15 year old school boy we went in the paddock near the city end always remember it kicking off trying to get to the ground and a city fan with a crutches riding the storm
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Hartford and Power that day.
 
BlueKolarovWorker said:
This was the only away game, my old fella ever took me to as a kid. Went with my uncle and cousin, over from Canada and this was the game that made me fall in love with football properly. I'd been to loads of home games and loved the atmosphere at Maine Road but this was different!!

We were down near the front and if I remember correctly, my eyeline was almost at pitch level and being young and as tall as a Warwick Davis tribute act, I couldn't see a great deal but can remember like it was yesterday, the lob from Power disappearing from my view before landing in the net, almost within touching distance. I'd never seen my dad react like that and wouldn't again until Wembley '99. Genuinely one of my favourite life memories.

If there was one game that I could take my kids to, to show them what football used to be like, this would be it.
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Great post...really focused on that moment,....the ball seemed to hang in in the air ....I've watched the video back many many times,does Billy Wright Everton centrehalf get the final touch,...I'm not quite sure(Genesis; ;)...But what a brilliant way to draw level,in the dying minutes..... Brilliant

And I'm still not sure..,after all these years ...how Gerry Gow,hard man midfield player,managed to be be in that position to equalise ,with that deft left foot lob in the 1st half.
That was not in the script.God bless Gerry Gow popping up " just when it mattered most !!!"
According to the excited commentary.............When we signed Gow I thought it would be for centre midfield tenacity,hard tackling....not doing a Glen hoddle like finish away at Everton.
What a player was Gerry Gow,my life changed when we signed him....no more soft centre midfield play .God bless Gerry Gow.
 
bladdered said:
One of the great classic away games. The replay at Maine Rd was good as well. And how did we sell 52k tickets in a couple of days or was it pay at the gate?
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I think they were both pay on the gate . A team of us rocked up at Victoria on the morning of the game to get the train to Lime St . huge numbers of City there, big turn out of good lads . Trains were packed, everyone was up for it. Fun and games before and after the match . Huge away following. Great draw at their place and on the Wednesday , Maine Road was overflowing under the lights . Great win. For those of us of a certain age , and young and didn't give a fuck at the time, those two games v Everton in a matter of days wont be forgotten. Happy days.
 
BillCarlisle said:
That Villa Park semi - pubs around the ground were all closed but me & my mates found an Asian Mini Market which sold beer.
We sat on someone's front garden wall close to the ground drinking can after can. No hassle from the cops until we started stacking the empties on the wall. For some reason they didn't like it and told us to sup up and fcuk off. Which we did, as it was getting close to KO time anyway. :-) Happy days :-)
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Brilliant.
Thinking back,there have been ..quite a few ,.away days where,...for some reason,there was no beer.no pubs,or pubs full and can't get in.........what did we use to do?.....launch lightening quick scout searches for any place that could possibly sell alcohol....no way were we going in to watch City away sober.....,,not happening...it's amazing how quick you can move when you need to find Beer.
I can remember days sitting on a wall somewhere near a ground drinking cans of strongbow.....
Trying to fit in with the locals, and we're not really strange you know,just thirsty!
In truth just bricking it cos City were playing away from home ........and we didn't fancy our chances...".We never win at home and we never win away........"...that sort of thing.
Happy Days.
 
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