You have to look at the attendance in context of what everyone else was getting.Great score, shit attendance.
Remember having banter outside at the back of the Kippax with the Huddersfield lads at half time. I'm sure we were 4-0 up at the time and the scruffy cnuts thought they'd come back in the 2nd half.
Set it up nicely for the cup tie over at theirs a few weeks later, naughty
I mentioned it because it felt so roomy on the Kippax that murky afternoon for a game that as become folklore.You have to look at the attendance in context of what everyone else was getting.
Here are the average attendances in the first division then and where City compare to that being in the 2nd Division.
Liverpool 39.000
Rags 39,000
Arsenal 29,000
Everton 27,000
Spurs 25,000
Geordies 21,000
Chelsea 20,000
West Ham, Sheff Weds, Forest and City 19,000
Cov and Derby 17,000
I have no recollection of that, Phill, bloody memory failure. I lived on Dickenson Road in my college years, and The Welcome was our local, so highly likely we went there that day.We met up in The Welcome - my one and only time in there and I think the last time I saw you!
We've only.met twice since school! Once by chance on the way to Piccadilly.on a train and I think it must have been a week before the Huddersfield game.as we then arranged to meet in there!I have no recollection of that, Phill, bloody memory failure. I lived on Dickenson Road in my college years, and The Welcome was our local, so highly likely we went there that day.
This is the second replay. I missed this one but went to the 2-2, any highlights of that one most appreciated!
Correct. The forest average attendance of 19k was for a top 1st div side which had won the European Cup 2 years on the bounce 6 years before..You have to look at the attendance in context of what everyone else was getting.
Here are the average attendances in the first division then and where City compare to that being in the 2nd Division.
Liverpool 39.000
Rags 39,000
Arsenal 29,000
Everton 27,000
Spurs 25,000
Geordies 21,000
Chelsea 20,000
West Ham, Sheff Weds, Forest and City 19,000
Cov and Derby 17,000
Wasn't the 9,000 Chelsea attendance down to both ends behind the goals being closed due to crowd trouble the previous season in the play offs v Sunderland or Boro?Correct. The forest average attendance of 19k was for a top 1st div side which had won the European Cup 2 years on the bounce 6 years before..
.
Utds attendance of 39k average was around the time of their legendary 23k home crowd against Wimbledon ..A figure which was according to those who attended,.. seemed inflated,and the club had prob automatically included 18k season ticket holders ,weather they attended or not....simply to avoid embarrassment..
A 2nd division fixture for City,against Huddersfield who apart from their manager Malcolm McDonald and a former City youth team player Andy May..contained no' household' names was hardly likely to generate a good crowd.
City had been playing quite well at the time,just not getting consistent results... beating league leaders Bradford City 4-2 at valley parade,smashing league cup holders and top Division Nottingham Forest 3nil at Maine rd 2 weeks before the Huddersfield game,but losing to Leeds Ipswich and hull away from home ...
All this was to change when we scored Ten ,and embarked on a goal frenzy...any team facing us must have been petrified at the time...our league form only suffered,in my opinion,because of the great progress in both cup competitions, our young talented team taking their eye off the ball in the league.( we reached the quarter finals of both cups a tremendous achievement for a young 2nd division outfit)
The very next season a more consistent and commited effort saw us promoted back to the top division,behind Chelsea,who recorded a home attendance of under 9k when we smashed them 3-1 on their own ground early season.
Mel Machin was a half decent manager and altho sacked half way thru the 89/90 season ,was responsible for some incredible results with at times scintillating football .Inc the ten goal haul,and the 5-1 drubbing in The Maine rd Massacre against utd.....watching the team home and away was fun...A true roller coaster ride.
And Goals,goals and more goals galore!
Yes Boro fans rioted on the last day of previous season I think.Wasn't the 9,000 Chelsea attendance down to both ends behind the goals being closed due to crowd trouble the previous season in the play offs v Sunderland or Boro?
I was on the special that night. After the game, being marched back to the station, a Blue in front of me nicked a bottle of ketchup in a squeezey bottle from a hot dog seller (who shouted at him but dare not leave his stand to try and get it back) and he went behind a policeman and was squirting the ketchup all over the back of his coat / jacket.As the Yorkshire based commentator said right at the end of the footage " and tremendous support from the City fans all night"
He was correct.we were loud,very loud in the pouring rain.
One of my all time fav City away games.
Don't think it was Boro fans. Chelsea fans invaded the pitch and were lobbing stuff into the Boro fans. Remember watching it unfold live on Final Score / GrandstandYes Boro fans rioted on the last day of previous season I think.
Away fans banned.
No tics available for City that night,but plenty of us sneaked in ; )