City_Shirts
Well-Known Member
When skipper skipper Paul Power lashed home a 100th minute extra time FA Cup Semi-Final winning strike over Ipswich Town at Villa Park it secured an 8th FA Cup final appearance for City in the competition in what would be the Centenary 100th FA Cup final on Saturday 9th May 1981 and a first final since Neil Young’s solitary strike over Leicester City some twelve years earlier would give the blues a chance to add a fifth winner’s trophy to the cabinet following victory’s over Bolton(1904), Portsmouth(1934), Birmingham(1956) and Leicester City(1969).
Manager John Bond had arrived during October 1980 and was quickly stamping his mark on the club who were at the time, falling fast. Bond added some much-needed grit to the squad with the experienced Bobby McDonald, Tommy Hutchison and Gerry Gow arriving. City’s impressive run to the final saw victories over Malcolm Allison’s Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Peterborough, Everton, (following a replay) and Ipswich Town, hitting 17 goals along the way.
For the showcase final City kit manufactures Umbro produced just one set of match shirts which included the Centenary Cup Final Wembley 1981 embroidered into the shirt just below the Manchester Coat of Arms crest. City used this Crest for all Cup finals which was the case until 2011. The players would receive two shirts each with the choice of a long sleeve and short sleeve option with one additional unnumbered long sleeve spare also produced, which was known as the blood shirt. Striker Dave Bennett was the only player to appear in both finals using the long sleeve option while defender Nicky Reid would use the short sleeve for the first and the long sleeve in the replay, played five days later. Opponents Tottenham Hotspur, whose kit was supplied by future City manufactures Le Coq Sportif would have two sets of shirts supplied for them for the final.
This short sleeve number eleven was worn by striker Kevin Reeves in both finals of which he would score a penalty during the Thursday night replay. With most of the players keeping the shirts as mementos from the finals, and with just the one set being produced, making these a real collector’s item and holy grail for any City collection. Although Reeves shirt was very nearly surplus to requirements after being discarded by a Manchester United supporter who had won it during a raffle during the late 1980’s - Fast forward to 2022 when I was contacted via social media by a family member of the supporter who had won the shirt, which had now been laid in a bin liner in a garden shed for a number of years and was on it’s way to the local waste recycling centre before he checked the bag before throwing it out !!!
A good wash and some serious TLC ensured the shirt was back to its full glory and safely secured into the collection……….PHEW !!!!
The jumper belonged to the late Gerry Gow which I'm proud to have in the collection.
As for the final result itself………..Well we all know Steve MacKenzie scored the greatest FA Cup goal of the 1980’s !!!
Manager John Bond had arrived during October 1980 and was quickly stamping his mark on the club who were at the time, falling fast. Bond added some much-needed grit to the squad with the experienced Bobby McDonald, Tommy Hutchison and Gerry Gow arriving. City’s impressive run to the final saw victories over Malcolm Allison’s Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Peterborough, Everton, (following a replay) and Ipswich Town, hitting 17 goals along the way.
For the showcase final City kit manufactures Umbro produced just one set of match shirts which included the Centenary Cup Final Wembley 1981 embroidered into the shirt just below the Manchester Coat of Arms crest. City used this Crest for all Cup finals which was the case until 2011. The players would receive two shirts each with the choice of a long sleeve and short sleeve option with one additional unnumbered long sleeve spare also produced, which was known as the blood shirt. Striker Dave Bennett was the only player to appear in both finals using the long sleeve option while defender Nicky Reid would use the short sleeve for the first and the long sleeve in the replay, played five days later. Opponents Tottenham Hotspur, whose kit was supplied by future City manufactures Le Coq Sportif would have two sets of shirts supplied for them for the final.
This short sleeve number eleven was worn by striker Kevin Reeves in both finals of which he would score a penalty during the Thursday night replay. With most of the players keeping the shirts as mementos from the finals, and with just the one set being produced, making these a real collector’s item and holy grail for any City collection. Although Reeves shirt was very nearly surplus to requirements after being discarded by a Manchester United supporter who had won it during a raffle during the late 1980’s - Fast forward to 2022 when I was contacted via social media by a family member of the supporter who had won the shirt, which had now been laid in a bin liner in a garden shed for a number of years and was on it’s way to the local waste recycling centre before he checked the bag before throwing it out !!!
A good wash and some serious TLC ensured the shirt was back to its full glory and safely secured into the collection……….PHEW !!!!
The jumper belonged to the late Gerry Gow which I'm proud to have in the collection.
As for the final result itself………..Well we all know Steve MacKenzie scored the greatest FA Cup goal of the 1980’s !!!
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