The Derek Kevan/Jimmy Murray era

[denislawsbackheel]

Bert Trautmann organising all the kids into a line if they wanted his autograph when he came out after training: he'd sign for them all then drive off in his Beetle. George Hannah had a maroon Anglia.

Stan Gibson was groundsman and lived in a house by the scoreboard end

The line of busses outside Princess Road depot ready for the end of the match

Reserve games (Central League) the first team score was updated on the scoreboard every 15 mins

Strong smell of liniment when the players arrived on the pitch

Bloody hell I was there!
I remember Bert making us line up single file for an autograph!

 

[WhenProgrammesWereAShilling]

Thanks for these posts they make great reading and bring back my earliest memories of Maine Road... and sadly the smell of those hotdogs and onions....

 

[crazyg]

Thanks for these posts they make great reading and bring back my earliest memories of Maine Road... and sadly the smell of those hotdogs and onions....

Don't forget the mouseburger I once (nearly) had!

 

[ColinBellsjockstrap]

Mentioned this before, but anyone remember a fight before the match in the centre circle around 1966/7 between City's mascot dressed in sky blue City strip and Liverpool's, they were knocking hell out of each other before the coppers ran on and pulled them apart.

Also big Mal walking out of the tunnel wearing his fedora waving to the crowd.

I remember being on the 53 bus from Belle Vue, it was jam packed, they were standing in the aisles and the conductor at the back wouldn't let anybody else on who were standing in the queue at Dickenson Road, but a tart at the front showed her cleavage to the conductor as she tried to jump on the platform...

He pushed her off and said "You can put those away luv, I've got to get these lads to the match"

 

[laserblue]

I was at the 8-1 against S****horpe in December - we played the return fixture Boxing Day I think but let them off with a 4-2 spanking

Those guys scored for fun for a couple of years in old Div2 then Joe and Malcom turned up and lit the fuse ... ah the good old days-just Happy I can remember (most of) them.

I was at the S****horpe game which was only 1-0 at half time. That was over the Christmas period. In the other game City beat Rotherham 6-1. 18 goals in 3 matches in a week and we still didn't get promoted!

 

[crazyg]

You DO realise, you FOCs (me included), that we're talking about events that happened over HALF A CENTURY ago!!
It's frightening to see the changes that have happened since then, but that's for another thread. Let's just think ourselves lucky that we witnessed them.

 

[johnevans]

Found these classics:-





Denis Law's debut:-

Great finds! I remember waiting up for the early MOTD show with us at Bristol City, as we were hardly ever on tv in those days (the only regular footy we ever really got then was on FA Cup final day..how times have changed!) Also, in the City-Chelsea game, Osgood responds to the crowd after scoring their 4th by flicking a V-sign. This was down to my school pal Sam Oddy, who I was standing with at the front of the Kippax that day. In a previous attack, Osgood broke down the left but was tackled by Tony Book, who conceded a throw-in. As Osgood was taking it, Sam, who was mightily hacked off that we were 3-1 down, took out his gobstopper from his mouth, aimed it and scored a direct hit on Osgood’s backside. Osgood complained to the ref, who waved him away and told him to get on with the game (nowadays, there’d be an FA/UEFA enquiry, followed by a huge fine and ground closure I suppose..) About a minute later, Osgood steamed through us and slotted number four, turning around to the crowd and gesturing in our direction! Doesn’t do to rile great players, I suppose! And as ‘crazyg’ says elsewhere, we are so lucky to have seen what we have these past 50 years or so with City, good, bad or indifferent..

 

[ColinBellsjockstrap]

Programme from our record low attendance.....8015.

And Bert's testimonial (1964)

 

[laserblue]

Mentioned this before, but anyone remember a fight before the match in the centre circle around 1966/7 between City's mascot dressed in sky blue City strip and Liverpool's, they were knocking hell out of each other before the coppers ran on and pulled them apart.

I remember this well and it was indeed 1966-67. City had a semi official mascot aged about 13 or 14 and a bit on the chunky side who wore a City kit and he'd been allowed on the pitch pre-match for a number of games although with no noticeable supervision. That game a Liverpool mascot wearing a red cape and waving a red flag on a pole was also on the pitch at the opposite end (scoreboard) where the Liverpool fans were. The fans were goading the mascots and the two of them suddenly started racing towards each other from opposite ends of the pitch to the delight of the fans of both sides. They met in the centre circle when the Liverpool mascot held the flagpole like a spear with the apparent intention of disembowelling the City mascot. A split second before they collided the City mascot dropped to the floor and rolled into the Liverpool mascot sending him flying to the loud cheers of the City fans. They then started beating the shit out of each other until they were separated and led away by police. Unsurprisingly the City mascot was never seen again at Maine Road.

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

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.

The Northampton home defeat was August 29th 1964 (the day I was born).
Apparently, my first ever words were "Poyser Out"