Your First Derby Game

JGL07 said:
My first derby match was at the fag end of the 1962-63 season.

It was my third match at Maine Road after a 0-3 defeat by Blackpool and a 1-0 win over the (then) mighty Spurs. George Hannah was brilliant the previous Saturday but picked up an injury and Joe Hayes was moved to take Hannah's role with Neil Young coming in on the wing.

Team​

  1. Harry Dowd
  2. Bobby Kennedy
  3. Cliff Sear
  4. Alan Oakes
  5. Bill Leivers
  6. Matt Gray
  7. Neil Young
  8. Peter Dobing
  9. Alex Harley
  10. Joe Hayes
  11. David Wagstaffe
City needed to win to have a realistic chance of avoiding relegation with United just above them in the table. All was going well with Alex Harley putting City ahead. Time was running out when Denis Law made a nine tariff dive to win a penalty for United that was put away by Albert Quixall.

That match effectively relegated City and they would not play United again for three seasons apart from the rather silly Duke of Edinburgh Cup friendly in 1964 for the Variety Club of Great Britain. I can't remember the result other than City getting gubbed.
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This was (nearly) my first derby - I'd gone from Reddish on a charabanc from Melba Motors (part of North Western by then) rather than my usual Raleigh Blue Streak bike. By the time we arrived the gates were closing and I couldn't find an entrance - I heard the roar as Alex Harley scored but decided not to stay and caught a bus home - arriving home more or less as Denis Law kicked Harry Dowd in the head to win the penalty.
Still, that made the Denis Law backheel all the more poignant a few years later.

However, I also went to a youth derby, a Youth Cup Semi-Final at Old Trafford, there were a couple of Reddish lads playing - Mike Doyle and Phil Burrows, Phil was a couple of years older than me and lived next door but one. We often had a kick around on North Reddish Park or in our cobbled back entry. We lost but the match was memorable for Mike Doyle "chinning" George Best without the referee seeing! It was an ill tempered game and was probably the start of a chain that led to that awful challenge by George Best on Glynn Pardoe.
 
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Not sure of the year , but we beat them three nil at Maine Rd. and distinctly remember the song "shit on O'Farrell ,shit on O'Farell tonight" it stuck in my young and impressionable mind.
 
jaseisblue said:
Me too Tolm
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I saw City win six times in seven years at Old Trafford. The first was the 3-1 win in the 1967-68 season. The last was the Denis Law backheel match that ended with relegation for United.

By the time United were promoted I had moved away from Manchester and have never been to a match there since then.

I have been to Old Trafford once since. I was in Manchester for an Academic Conference in September 2011, hosted by the University of Salford. The Conference banquet was held in a function room at Old Trafford overlooking the pitch. I had turned up with a Black and Red City top under my shirt. At some stage during the meal I went to the toilet and re-emerged with my City top on full display.

Six weeks later, City won there 6-1 and set up a League Championship win.
 
Cassandra said:
This was (nearly) my first derby - I'd gone from Reddish on a charabanc from Melba Motors (part of North Western by then) rather than my usual Raleigh Blue Streak bike. By the time we arrived the gates were closing and I couldn't find an entrance - I heard the roar as Alex Harley scored but decided not to stay and caught a bus home - arriving home more or less as Denis Law kicked Harry Dowd in the head to win the penalty.
Still, that made the Denis Law backheel all the more poignant a few years later.

However, I also went to a youth derby, a Youth Cup Semi-Final at Old Trafford, there were a couple of Reddish lads playing - Mike Doyle and Phil Burrows, Phil was a couple of years older than me and lived next door but one. We often had a kick around on North Reddish Park or in our cobbled back entry. We lost but the match was memorable for Mike Doyle "chinning" George Best without the referee seeing! It was an ill tempered game and was probably the start of a chain that led to that awful challenge by George Best on Glynn Pardoe.
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I was at both legs of the Youth Cup Semi-Final.

There were three City first team squad players involved (as I recall): Glyn Pardoe, Mike Doyle, and Alan Ogley.

United also had three first team regulars involved: John Aston, David Sadler and George Best.

I think that United won 4-1 at Old Trafford and 4-3 at Maine Road.

Colin Shindler wrote a rather good book about this tie: George Best and 21 Others. I have a copy in my office and I have not been there in over a year through the lockdown.
 
JGL07 said:
I was at both legs of the Youth Cup Semi-Final.

There were three City first team squad players involved (as I recall): Glyn Pardoe, Mike Doyle, and Alan Ogley.

United also had three first team regulars involved: John Aston, David Sadler and George Best.

I think that United won 4-1 at Old Trafford and 4-3 at Maine Road.

Colin Shindler wrote a rather good book about this tie: George Best and 21 Others. I have a copy in my office and I have not been there in over a year through the lockdown.
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I can't remember why I didn't go to the return leg. "George Best and 21 others" is a great read following the "fate" of each of the players over the next few years. I think I passed my copy on to my sister. From memory two things stood out about my mate Phil Burrows. Firstly I can imagine the scene when he and his dad (Arthur - ex Stockport County I think) were negotiating a deal and they weren't getting what they wanted when his dad said OK we're leaving - Phil was mortified but they were duly called back and the deal was improved. The other was that Phil was actually selected to play for the first team, but no-one told him!. By the time he read about it in the mid-day "Pink" it was too late for him to do anything about it and the chance was gone. He was a classy left back and had a good career particularly with York City. Something similar happened to Mike Doyle but he managed to get a lift - I think they were playing Cardiff City away - so it was presumably to the airport. I also think that that was the game where Johnny Crossan acted as his avenger and protector. Their two experiences and their futures reminds me of the film "Sliding Doors".

Similarly, at my late Brother in Law - George Greenall's funeral I saw an embossed card telling him he had been selected to play against United - the match was postponed and he never got another opportunity. He played regularly for the reserves at centre half and was a great mate of Harry Dowd. Later played at Oldham along with Bobby Johnstone and a few other ex- City players. I occasionally pull my sister's leg by referring to her as one of the original WAG's.
 
JGL07 said:
My first derby match was at the fag end of the 1962-63 season.

It was my third match at Maine Road after a 0-3 defeat by Blackpool and a 1-0 win over the (then) mighty Spurs. George Hannah was brilliant the previous Saturday but picked up an injury and Joe Hayes was moved to take Hannah's role with Neil Young coming in on the wing.

Team​

  1. Harry Dowd
  2. Bobby Kennedy
  3. Cliff Sear
  4. Alan Oakes
  5. Bill Leivers
  6. Matt Gray
  7. Neil Young
  8. Peter Dobing
  9. Alex Harley
  10. Joe Hayes
  11. David Wagstaffe
City needed to win to have a realistic chance of avoiding relegation with United just above them in the table. All was going well with Alex Harley putting City ahead. Time was running out when Denis Law made a nine tariff dive to win a penalty for United that was put away by Albert Quixall.

That match effectively relegated City and they would not play United again for three seasons apart from the rather silly Duke of Edinburgh Cup friendly in 1964 for the Variety Club of Great Britain. I can't remember the result other than City getting gubbed.
Click to expand...
I can remember being at this game As a 10 year old,We were stood at the front of the scoreboard end leaning on the wall, right behind the goal, I can still see Harry Dowd diving at Laws feet and winning the ball only for Law to dive and win a penalty, I also recall before the game an aeroplane flying over the stadium and us kids wandering what it were doing, the following day on the centre pages of the daily express (I think ) was an aerial photo of a full Maine Road.
 
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