The Derek Kevan/Jimmy Murray era

use to walk to the ground with the ol' fella and grandpops, in the fiftys, and one time i asked why so many were in the queues, was told it was to see Stan Matthews. Trouble was he was injured and didn't play, dad reckoned he didn't fancy being put in the stands by Bill Leivers. When i started going on my own it was the halfway line in the Kippax, being amazed at the never-ending flares of matches and lighters in the main stand and the billowing smoke ( mind you 10 Park Drive cost about 9 p )
Until the 70's barely missed a game but seeing a youngster nearly blinded by a coin during a derby, dodging bricks, chased by chavs and our fans trashing trains on the way back from away games......stopped going for several years. Night matches were a pain, everyone seemed to be late, crushed at the back, loads of room at the front but the gangways were blocked... caused a few scuffles . Stewards gave up usually. The police-horses kicking sparks off their shoes as they jostled the snaking line of fans desperate to get in. Scousers running over the top of cars parked in the alleys, Chavs in the Platt lane taking the piss by waving fivers, Bert getting sent off.. Buzzer running across the pitch to big Mal and pointing at Rodney Marsh. Johnny Crossan yoshing up in the centre circle, TC utterly pissed on the open-top bus, Heslop's reverse donkey kick when the ref was chasing back up the pitch, the whole stadium standing to applaud Zola as he left the pitch. Lines of blokes pissing against the back wall, lines of piss running down terraces from those not bothered to use the wall, south american team(dont remember their name) who threw flowers to the fans and then kicked lumps out of the team. 1958 cup replay against Newcastle, Wednesday afternoon lost 5-4 but what a match and atmosphere, chosen as game of the season by Charles Buchan's Football Annual . The screams from the stands as City were time-wasting but needed a goal to stay up...... Glynn Pardoe making his debut when he was 15 . The good times and the sad, the glad times and the mad, gone forever....
 
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I lived in Clinton avenue in the 60s.
We minded cars.
If you declined our offer you often found the metal car logo or bonnet badge mysteriously disappeared on your return.
We also enjoyed arse slaoloming over the roof and bonnets of the cars packed nose to tail everywhere on a Saturday.
On reserve matchdays you get in free with tkts given to local schools and for first team matches you got in free at three quarter time when they opened the gates.
I was one of the first Kippax season ticket holders. As a teenager it was ludicrously cheap to watch City.
Later my first house was on Horton Road. Before they brought in a residents parking scheme you had to be parked outside your own house by noon or you could forget getting home before 5 o’clock!

Of the players mentioned Johnny Crossan was a terrific player for us. He led us up but was dumped by Joe shortly afterwards. I always had a soft spot for Dave Connor. A quiet unassuming bloke but he never let the team down. A utility player whose speciality was marking players out of a game. If he was asked to man mark anyone they disappeared from the match and never got a touch. Wagstaffe was a great winger for us who was typically sold unnecessarily and had a terrific career at Wolves. Nelly Young used to get stick from the Kippax for being soft but on his day his left foot was imperious and as for Mick Doyle, he was and still is a City god as far as I’m concerned. Oh The memories. Refusing to go off when he and Macari were sent off by Thomas in a derby or that walk through the scum at the swamp when they invaded the pitch and none of them dared go near him. What a hero.


Waggy wasn't sold unnecessarily, we needed the money to pay for floodlights!!
 
use to walk to the ground with the ol' fella and grandpops, in the fiftys, and one time i asked why so many were in the queues, was told it was to see Stan Matthews. Trouble was he was injured and didn't play, dad reckoned he didn't fancy being put in the stands by Bill Leivers. When i started going on my own it was the halfway line in the Kippax, being amazed at the never-ending flares of matches and lighters in the main stand and the billowing smoke ( mind you 10 Park Drive cost about 9 p )
Until the 70's barely missed a game but seeing a youngster nearly blinded by a coin during a derby, dodging bricks, chased by chavs and our fans trashing trains on the way back from away games......stopped going for several years. Night matches were a pain, everyone seemed to be late, crushed at the back, loads of room at the front but the gangways were blocked... caused a few scuffles . Stewards gave up usually. The police-horses kicking sparks off their shoes as they jostled the snaking line of fans desperate to get in. Scousers running over the top of cars parked in the alleys, Chavs in the Platt lane taking the piss by waving fivers, Bert getting sent off.. Buzzer running across the pitch to big Mal and pointing at Rodney Marsh. Johnny Crossan yoshing up in the centre circle, TC utterly pissed on the open-top bus, Heslop's reverse donkey kick when the ref was chasing back up the pitch, the whole stadium standing to applaud Zola as he left the pitch. Lines of blokes pissing against the back wall, lines of piss running down terraces from those not bothered to use the wall, south american team(dont remember their name) who threw flowers to the fans and then kicked lumps out of the team. 1958 cup replay against Newcastle, Wednesday afternoon lost 5-4 but what a match and atmosphere, chosen as game of the season by Charles Buchan's Football Annual . The screams from the stands as City were time-wasting but needed a goal to stay up...... Glynn Pardew making his debut when he was 15 . The good times and the sad, the glad times and the mad, gone forever....
Yes Glyn Pardoes debut only 15,it was also my first visit to Maine rd April 62 midweek game v Birmingham lost 4-1,stood over the tunnel between the scoreboard end and Kippax.
 
That's when I started going to games as a nipper with our kid & the old fella. We lived on Charlestown Rd in Blackley and used to see Glyn Pardoe driving to his house in a blue and white Pontiac. I think Northampton Town was one of my first games, as I recall we lost. The old fella used to get us there dead early and we'd wait around for kick off, no-one else was in the ground but us. Happy days for sure, that said, I'm even happier now - lol.
 
Alex Harley - amazing centre forward with interesting private life - his winner at the swamp was amazing ... one season wonder for City
 
Alex Harley - amazing centre forward with interesting private life - his winner at the swamp was amazing ... one season wonder for City

Yes, he scored 31 goals in all competitions, but we still got relegated unfortunately.

1964 Team photograph. Anyone name all these? There's three or four I don't remember..

t0jhq9.jpg


Note the hi tech half time scoreboard, there was always a big roar when United were losing.
 
Does anyone remember the preacher in his suit and Bowler hat carrying his religious banner, telling us were were all going to hell and were sinners!!

Used to scare me as I was queuing to get in the children's entrance to Platt Lane!!

I wonder what ever happened to him!!
 
Does anyone remember the preacher in his suit and Bowler hat carrying his religious banner, telling us were were all going to hell and were sinners!!

Used to scare me as I was queuing to get in the children's entrance to Platt Lane!!

I wonder what ever happened to him!!

He went to hell.
 

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