The Darkest Hour? - 1998 Stoke relegation video

[mancitymick]

This may sound daft but it is one of the reasons why i am so passionate about City. 39, watched so many ups and downs. Had no end of shite thrown at me and i know there is nothing but glory that my late father promised me around the corner. Money well spent and will be spent for years to come

 

[Scareye]

I never thought I could feel as low as I did after that game, not because of football anyway, it was gut wrenching, like a minor bereavement (If there is such a thing).
However as mentioned early in this thread, being 2-0 down at Wembley was my lowest moment. The feeling of being let down again actually had me questioning if I could carry on, sat in an increasingly empty stand head in my hands, the mocking voices of the rags I worked with at the time swirling round my head.
The rest as they say is history but whatever success may come our way I'll never forget that knot in my stomach as long as I live.
City scarring me for life since '76!

 

[Deepest Blue]

Must admit hated Stoke fans since that day until we met them in the final where they were top fans,strange,never had a game change my perceptions like that.

For whatever reason they almost seem like a different group now.

As you say, they were great at the Final and I remember they were gracious and gave us massive respect at the league game a few days afterwards.
We gently took the piss and they took it in great spirit.

Both sets of fans applauded each other at the end of the game.

 

[foreverablue18]

Was 5 when this happened and can't remember anything from it really, but my first real memory being the incredible
gillingham result the following year in the League 2 playoff! How things seem so different to the position we are in today,
But whatever the media say regarding our fans, loyalties and glory-hunters, the true fans know who they are and were a credit to our club that day!

 

[graceisblue]

Went to the game just a blur now shite day except my mate got gio's left boot puma king I think

 

[Bulldoglikeapproach]

"It's such a shame when a team with so much history drops down the tables"

Oh i remember when we had histree

 

[chaddblue]

On the train back to Piccadilly from Stoke as we pulled into Macc, the driver announced "you're next stop is Macclesfield"

Didn't know whether to laugh or cry

 

[paulchapo]

I was working nights this game onboard the ship,but we had sky and i got up to watch the updates as we weren't on live.If i remember rightly all the bottom three were under threat and any of us could have gone down.Typical of City we win 5-2 but all the rest won so we were doomed.I think Alan Ball said some teams needed to take a look at themselves as they seemed to have capitulated against our rivals.

I got up to start work and walked into the messroom,where i was greeted by a load of the lads wearing black armbands.Amonst them were a fair few plastic rags mocking.I said i would take stick off any of them that had been to Old Trafford.Silence.I then said i would take stick off any of them who had seen United play live,just once,anywhere.Again silence.I had them.

I said,''I have supported City all my life,i go home and away and i will still go,no matter what division we are in or how crap we are!''

The whole mess cheered and the rags slunk away shamefaced.

The Stoke relegation was a low day but i have to agree when Gillingham went 2-0 up at wembley it hurt like nothing else.I actually sunk to the floor,my head in my hands in disbelief.A million thoughts flooded through my mind,not least how had we reached this level?

All around me people were streaming out cursing.I was in shock.To come all this way after 48 games to lose to...well....Gillingham, when we were red hot favourites to win was too much to cope with.I couldn't get out because i was right at the back and it was bedlam in front of me as people fought to escape the hell that wembley had now become.I looked at the miserable grey sky,drizzle falling and cursed the Gods that seemed to delight in making us suffer.Why??Why,what had we done to deserve this???

I then heared the packed so called Gllingham fans mocking us from the other end,30+ thousand of them when their average gate was around 8-10 thousand and something snapped.The fans left looked at each other and anger and defiance stirred.We stood up and started chanting back.Horlock scored.Hope stirred.How long was left???

Nobody knew but suddenly the cocky,mocking Gill fans were reduced to frantic whistling as we poured forward urged on by us in a desperate pleading roar.Dickov equalised and the rest is history.Anyone who lived through that insane five minutes experianced everything being a City fan was and is in that short space of time.

In some ways i am glad i lived through and experianced the darkest days in our history..........jus please,please,never put any of us through anything like it ever again!!

 

[monroe to angeline]

I remember driving away from the ground and getting the car kicked in, my mate driving with colours on. We tried to avoid the thugs by getting away from the traffic by driving on the other side of the road. My mate then tries to take off his shirt ( whilst driving ) gets it stuck on his head and we take the wing mirror off a police car coming the other way. ho hum !

 

[Oystercatcher28]

Must admit hated Stoke fans since that day until we met them in the final where they were top fans,strange,never had a game change my perceptions like that.

For whatever reason they almost seem like a different group now.

As you say, they were great at the Final and I remember they were gracious and gave us massive respect at the league game a few days afterwards.
We gently took the piss and they took it in great spirit.

Both sets of fans applauded each other at the end of the game.

Hated Stokies after 97/98 and 98/99 away games... but The Final 2011 changed it. Looking forward to going there this season.

We should applaud Stoke fans this season, they were a credit to the game.