Author Archives: garyjamesfootballarchive

Aguero Hat-trick

When Manchester City defeated QPR 6-0 on this day (10 May) in 2015 Sergio Aguero netted a hat-trick for the Blues. His first came after three minutes when he went on a mazy run before clipping the ball over the onrushing Rob Green to give Manuel Pellegrini’s side a perfect start.

Aleksandr Kolarov netted City’s second (a free kick from 30 yards) in the 31st minute and the Blues made it 3-0 when Aguero scored in the 49th minute.

Aguero’s third came from a penalty after David Silva had been pulled down in the 64th minute. James Milner made it 5-0 five minutes later before Silva completed the scoring in the 86th minute. when he ran on to a wonderful back heel from Bony, before rounding goalkeeper Green.

City lineup: Hart (c), Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Kolarov, Fernando, Fernandinho (Toure 73), Lampard (Bony 62), Milner (Navas 81), Silva, Aguero
Unused: Caballero, Sagna, Clichy, Dzeko

Attendance 44,564 (building work as part of the extension of the South Stand had reduced the capacity).

1898: The First Ever Salford and Newton Heath Match Programme is Produced

On this day (9 May) in 1898 the first ever Newton Heath and Salford match programme was produced however all is not what it seems. This was actually a mock up of what a Manchester football programme could look like and was used to officially register the new publication. Everything in this issue was mocked up based on an Everton-Liverpool style programme. The company behind the Manchester programme was Merseyside based.

From 9 May 1898 the first Manchester football programme was a mock up based on Everton Liverpool programme

When the programme properly began the following football season it carried the details of not only Newton Heath and Salford but also Broughton Rangers and Manchester City.

One interesting image the original mock up contained was this scene from an Everton Liverpool game which it described as the finest picture of football ever published (hyperbole, hey?).

From 9 May 1898 the first Manchester football programme was a mock up based on Everton Liverpool programme

The 2000s: This Week 2003-04

Continuing the weekly series on Manchester City’s seasons from 1999-2000 through to 2008-09. Each week I’ll be publishing here the story of a different season of that remarkable ten-year period. Today we have a 4,200 word article on the 2003-04 season (below) which was City’s first at the City of Manchester Stadium (now Etihad of course).

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The 1955 FA Cup Final

Today (7 May) marks the anniversary of the 1955 FA Cup final between Manchester City and Newcastle United. Here for subscribers is a 1200 word article on the final and highlights. Enjoy!

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MCFC v LUFC

An easy first half for Manchester City today, going 2-0 up thanks to Gundogan v Leeds at the Etihad. It could so easily have been more with shots hitting the bar and the post, plus a penalty which Haaland insisted Gundogan take that was saved. In the end Leeds pulled one back to make it 2-1 but it was a relatively easy game for the Blues and the score flattered Sam Allardyce’s new team.

There was an interesting moment when City fans chanted ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning.’

As seems to be customary these days the away fans chanted the ‘Where Were You’ chant. Surprisingly. It was within the first five minutes of the start. If only those fans chanting had read my programme articles today. One of them was my comparison of City & Leeds crowds. Reproduced below you can see how City actually increased the stadium’s capacity to cope with crowds when they dropped to their lowest point. The other attendance comparisons all work in City’s favour too.

A Captain’s Performance

Today (6 May) in 2019 Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany scored a wonder strike to give City a 1-0 victory over Leicester City at the Etihad. The goal scored in the 70th minute meant that City knew they would retain the Premier League title if they won on the final day of the season at Brighton.

Kompany’s strike from 25 yards out arrowed into the top corner of the net.

You can watch highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/match-highlights/2019/may/city-v-leicester-extended-highlights

Programme Article

I was quite pleased with my MCFC V WHU programme article the other night (3 May). The article challenged the perception that City’s triumphs in recent years are somehow less significant than others as City have ‘bought success’. I feel quite strongly about that, so the article compares past decades to see if the last decade or so has been more competitive at the top of the League. Subscribers can see the full article below but here’s a taster:


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Reports Talk of Peter The Great

Twenty years ago today (5 May 2003) newspaper reports reflected on Manchester City’s 2-1 victory at Liverpool two days earlier. They tended to praise City ‘keeper Peter Schmeichel most, even though Nicolas Anelka had scored both goals for the Blues. It was a hugely popular City win of course in Manchester but this was a strange and emotional period for all connected with the Blues. The following game would be City’s last first team match at Maine Road and while fans celebrated a rare win at Anfield there were many emotions as the club now looked ahead to Maine Road’s farewell.

Reaching A First CL Final

On 4 May 2021 Manchester City reached the final of the Champions League for the first time in their history when they defeated Paris St Germain 2-0 with both goals from Mahrez. The first leg had ended with a 2-1 City win. This meant Manchester became only the second non-capital city to have had two teams reach a European Cup final. Manchester was of course the first British city to have two teams competing in the European Cup in the same season (1968-69).

Manager Pep Guardiola was somewhat pleased to say the least: ‘I’m incredibly proud and my first thoughts are with the players who didn’t play today. They all deserved to play, everyone has made a contribution and now it is time to enjoy it. We have to win the league and we have two or three weeks to prepare for the final.

‘They put a lot of players in the middle and we struggled a lot in the first half to high press and we changed at half-time. We recovered the ball better in the second half and we were much better in the way we played and 4-1 on aggregate against a team that beat Barcelona and Bayern Munich means a lot to us.

‘People believe it’s easy to arrive in the final of the Champions League. Getting to the final now makes sense of what we have done in the past four or five years.’

The game was played in unseasonal snow but the brilliant Riyad Mahrez was able to adapt well, scoring from a move started by goalkeeper Ederson’s 60-yard pass.

There had been a bit of a scare for City when a penalty was awarded to PSG for a handball by Oleksandr Zinchenko but it was correctly overturned. Phew!

Mahrez netted his second of the night just after the hour when he turned in Phil Foden’s cross at the far post to effectively end the tie.

PSG once again lost their discipline (Idrissa Gueye was sent off late in the first leg) and former United man Angel di Maria was shown a red card for a senseless stamp on Fernandinho.

City were in full control and you can watch highlights here:

https://www.mancity.com/citytv/mens/manchester-city-psg-champions-league-semi-final-second-leg-63755763

That night was remarkable and several records were established:

  • City broke the record for longest winning run by an English club in European Cup history (7)
  • They became the first English side to win 11 games in a single European Cup/Champions League campaign (they are one off equalling Real Madrid’s record of 12 games)

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Johnson’s 38th Goal

Today (4 May) in 1929 the legendary Tommy Johnson netted his 38th League goal of the season at Anfield when City drew 1-1 with Liverpool. This is at the moment (4 May 2023) Manchester City’s record number of goals by a player in a League season. His 38th goal came in the 22nd minute of the final game. Here for subscribers is a detailed look at Tommy’s record (while it stands!) and his life.

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