On 20 November 1976 Dennis Tueart scored the only goal as Manchester City defeated West Bromwich Albion at Maine Road. Here’s a video of an interview I did with Dennis last year. In this we focus on him leaving Manchester City for the NASL and New York Cosmos; his experiences there and his return to City. Dennis is always a great talker and there are some wonderful moments in this as he talks about this significant time in the changing Manchester City and in the excitement of New York soccer.
The conversation links Tony Book, Leonard Rossiter, Pele, Carlos Alberto, John Cleese, Dave Sexton, Malcolm Allison and Franz Beckenbauer amongst others.
It lasts about 50 minutes so get your self a brew and sit down to watch:
Dennis’s biography is still available (see link below).
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I’m delighted to say that I’ve managed to organise a reunion/celebration event for the women who played for the Manchester Corinthians. It looks like over forty former players, covering every era of the club’s existence, will be present. This is remarkable and the afternoon will be a real joy.
Over the last decade I’ve been tracking down women who played for the club from its formation season in 1948-49 to its final days over forty years later. I’ve personally known some of the women for almost forty years and, of course, have been determined to promote their stories for years. I’ve managed to interview women from EVERY season of the club’s existence.
A series of articles and talks were part of a process to get formal recognition of their achievements – that culminated in the successful blue plaque campaign – alongside researching and writing the club’s first authorised history. That book will be published soon, but before then there’s the reunion/celebration, plus other recognition in the pipeline.
The Manchester Corinthians book draft cover V2Margaret Whitworth with the Manchester Corinthians blue plaqueWashing in the duck pond, Manchester Corinthians by Artist Gavin RenshawManchester Corinthians mural by artist Gavin RenshawSome of the Friends of Fog Lane Park at the last meeting before the Corinthians plaque unveilingPercy Ashley, the guiding force behind the Manchester Corinthians
On this day (19 November) in 2023 Old Trafford staged its first Manchester Derby in the Women’s Super League. A crowd of 43,615 watched City defeat United 3-1 after the Reds had taken the lead.
The United goal came from a Katie Zelem’s penalty, given for handball against the Reds’ former captain Alex Greenwood, despite the Blues being in control for much of the match.
Two goals in a little over a minute from Jill Roord first and then Lauren Hemp (see photo) inflicted United’s first Women’s Super League defeat of the season. It also lifted City above the Reds. Khadija Shaw added a third for City in the second half, by charging down the goalkeeper Mary Earps’ clearance, before City’s Laia Aleixandri was sent off for a second yellow for pulling back Lucía García.
It was a wonderful victory for the Blues who had been keen to face United at Old Trafford in earlier seasons. However, according to journalist Suzy Wrack: ‘United have waited to play a derby at Old Trafford until the performance gap between the six‑year-old club and their neighbours, the 2016 WSL champions and regular contenders, was a little smaller. They have played four times at Old Trafford, against West Ham twice, Everton and Aston Villa, before breaking the club’s attendance record for the visit of City on Sunday with 43,615 fans present.’
This was not a record for the women’s Manchester derby however, as that had been set on 11 December 2022 when 44,259 had watched City and United play out a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
After the game City boss Gareth Taylor spoke to the media: ‘There’s a huge feeling of pride playing like we did in such a big spectacle. When you turn up to Old Trafford and there is a huge crowd there, it is a completely different game to any other normal WSL game.
‘I thought the two goals we scored in the first half were actually the hardest chances, there were some easier ones [not taken]. So yeah work for us to do still but credit to the players.
‘We were thrown into another situation again with another red card. We can’t have too many complaints about it, but we are prepped for those situations now. Fair play to the players that came on, they helped us to manage the game and helped us to nullify any chances United had. “
United defender Hannah Blundell commented: ‘Against the run of play we got the penalty, then the disallowed goal spurred them on and let them have momentum and we need to figure out how to switch that.We will come back stronger and I know we will with this team. We have a lot of players who can put in the performance and there is a togetherness in this team.’
It’s been almost four years since I set this website up, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to thank everyone interested in my work. I’d also like to explain why I’m doing this; what the archive consists of and how often it will be added to.
First – why? For some time before setting it up people kept asking me when I’d be doing my own blog. Overthe years I’ve always been pleased with the responses to my guest appearances on podcasts, vlogs and blogs. The feedback has been excellent but I’ve always had so much more to say. I care passionately about ensuring football’s history is properly researched & recorded and feel there’s always a place for detailed, quality research. Debunking myths, adding to our knowledge and performing detailed research has always been important to me.
The idea of creating this blog and archive came because I wanted to create content, based on the research I’ve performed over the decades, while also setting up an archive of my past work. Much of my writing is now out of print and it matters enormously to me that books like Manchester A Football History should be available (subscribers can access the full 2010 edition of that book on this site, plus my first book).
I am a self employed historian and spend all my working week writing, researching and publishing my work. I am not an employee of any organisation (I know some think I’m employed by a football club but I’m not an employee nor am I an official club historian of any club). In recent years I have worked on projects with Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Leicester City, amongst others – sometimes paid, sometimes unpaid. I am independent of any organisation and care passionately about the quality and accuracy of my work. As so much of this is out of print, I am keen to create this archive for my work and add to it as time goes by.
Next – what? So what is my football archive? It is a place where over 1,700 articles/features have been posted. These include new material, interviews, profiles, past articles, book sections and more. Some of this material was written some time ago or is based on interviews performed many years ago (including interviews with players who have since died). Most of the material posted so far is connected with Manchester City but there are articles of interest to Manchester United, Manchester Corinthians and other teams, including England. Further articles on Manchester’s clubs will follow.
Some articles are free to download but other material is available to subscribers only. As mentioned earlier, my research and writing is something I strive hard to ensure is of quality. My commitment to those who read my work is that I will always seek to maintain the highest standards. I am eternally grateful to those who purchase my books or subscribe to my work.
To see what articles have already been published go to the search page (using the links under the banner at the top of this page) and either search on a key word or have a look at the categories listed there.
Next – when? There are already over 1700 posts/articles live and this will increase significantly over the coming months. I’m keen to hear from subscribers which books, articles, interviews they’d like access to here. I want this to develop into a community of readers whose views absolutely matter.
A limited amount of content will always be free for anyone to read but those subscribing will have access to everything on this site for as long as they subscribe. For subscribers I will post a minimum of 4 articles/features each month. To subscribe costs £3 a month or you can sign up on an annual basis for the discounted fee of £20 a year (the 2010 edition of Manchester A Football History, which is available as a pdf to subscribers, cost £24.95 when published and is now out of print).
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Thanks for reading this. If you’d like to subscribe then please do so below. I really appreciate the support and I promise I’ll continue to add content that informs, entertains and has been researched to the highest standards.
Best wishes, Gary
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Here’s film of the first goal that Steve Daley scored for Manchester City (scored on 17 November 1979). The player had received some criticism following his expensive transfer (a little less than £1.5m) to City and you can see on this clip how delighted he was to score his first MCFC goal. It was scored from the edge of the area against Bolton at Burden Park. The game ended 1-0.
A few years ago I performed an interview with Steve about this time. We discussed his transfer, City fans and the spending City were doing at the time we did the interview. It was great interviewing Steve and I enjoyed it immensely, helping fill in some gaps.
This interview is available to subscribers below.
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If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
The subscriber list for Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History is now closed. The book will be published in December and you can still order a copy to be posted out on publication. It’s worth mentioning that at this point no book shop has ordered the book and therefore the only way to get a copy before Christmas will be to order it direct from me.
Here’s a reminder of details of price, availability and publication…
It’s taken longer than anticipated but we’re now reaching the final stages. The book has been written and is with the design team. Publication will be this year (December 2024) and the book will be similar in style to Manchester City Women: An Oral History, published five years ago. However, there is one major difference, this book will be hardback.
The purchase price is £25 and the book will be posted to you before it is sent to any retailer. In addition, any order via this website will be signed by author Gary James.
Those with a delivery address in the UK can order here (outside UK please contact for additional postage costs):
UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History
The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in mid December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.
The proof reading process has begun for the book. It’s looking great so far.
It’s going to be a hectic period but it is always enjoyable to see how these things develop. The final cut off for text is this weekend, so I’m making one final call for the names of women who played for the Manchester Corinthians at some point during the club’s astounding 40+ years to be identified.
There is a list of all known players included within Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History and, while over 350 names have been identified, I know there are many other women who played at some point during the club’s history. So please ask your families, spread the news and let me know of anyone who has possibly been missed.
I want to record the names of the players and, where possible, the years they played. So please get in touch. The appropriate pages within the book will be designed and ready for printing this weekend, so we’re right at the deadline.
It’s worth remembering that some Corinthians had previously kept quiet because of reactions they may have had to playing football in the past. In fact, during my research, I have met women who had not told their families that they played football and so asking the simple question ‘Did you play football, Nan?’ will sometimes bring out a wonderful aspect of your nan’s life. So, I urge you all to ask your mum, mam, ma, mātā, mom, madar, mama, nan, gran, nani, nana, nonna, granny, babushka, grandma (or whatever term of affection you use for your mother or grandmother) about playing sport.
Ask your mam or your nan if she played – you never know what you’ll hear! Granny may well have been one of the club’s pioneering figures – or a leading light at another club whose story needs to be told – but just hasn’t talked about it!
If you find a Corinthian then get in touch. I really don’t want to leave anybody out of my book. But time is short – I need to know by end of Friday!
As well as asking your mam or your nan, how about helping the book by subscribing to it? You will get a copy of the book (posted out before it appears in the shops) and your name will be included in a special roll of honour published within the book if ordered by end of today (15 November) here:
UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History
The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in mid December 2024. This is UK only at £25 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.
£25.00
Opportunities to buy multiple copies, sponsor the book or donate to ensure it’s published to the size and standard the women who played deserve exist. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com for more information on those opportunities.
This book is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and will consist of over 300 pages. It will be fully illustrated throughout and subscribers can order it now for £19.95 (including UK postage and packaging). All orders received by end of 15 November 2024 will have the purchaser’s name included within the special roll of honour at the back of the book. You can order the book for someone else – all details will be checked and confirmed before publication.
The book will be published this December.
If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.
You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.
The book will include the story of the club as told by the women involved, alongside a significant amount of archive material. Myths will be corrected and the facts of this pioneering club will be told in an easy to read format.
Guided by Percy Ashley, the club went on to represent Manchester, football and female endeavour for decades, winning major international tournaments in Europe and South America. The Corinthians are, without doubt, one of the most important football clubs ever to come from Manchester and they were a prominent and pioneering club in so many ways.
As well as the interviews and dozens of archive trips there’s been a concerted effort to compile as comprehensive list as possible on women who played for the club. I’ve managed to compile a list of around 300 women who played for the club. Objects and trophies have also been rediscovered. This is the type of detailed research I enjoy. It’s time consuming, difficult and often frustrating but occasionally you find a little gem that adds significantly to our knowledge. There have been quite a few of those.
The Hebden Bridge talk when the campaign for a Blue Plaque and other tributes was publicly announced, December 2021
Those subscribing to the book will receive a copy signed by author Gary James and posted out to subscribers before it appears in any shop or is distributed to any retailer. This is the ONLY way to guarantee your copy.
Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History will include interviews with players from every era of the club from a founding player back in 1948-49 through to those playing for the club in its final days over 40 years later (yes, that’s right – over 40 years later!). The book will finally tell the story of the club from start to finish via the voices of the women who played. Via these voices the entire history of the club will be explained with the key figures identified and remembered. There’s a remarkable trail of women linking the first game with the last.
The book will be published to a similar style and quality to the acclaimed Manchester City Women: An Oral History and is destined to be another landmark publication on a major, pioneering women’s football club. Dozens of former players have been interviewed for this book and their remarkable stories and memories will be supported with an amazing array of photographs, newspaper articles, match programmes, trophies and other items of memorabilia from every era of the club’s existence.
Alongside chapters chronicling the history of the club there will also be features on founder Percy Ashley, who dedicated his life to promoting women’s football, and on Gladys Aikin (a key figure not only with the Corinthians but also with the early years of the Women’s Football Association) and George Aikin, who continued to take the Corinthians on tours into the 1980s. There will be special features on the major tours of the 1950s and 1960s when Percy Ashley led the Corinthians to major international success.
The cover of the book will be worked on by the designer over the coming months but following feedback from former players the maroon has been replaced with a darker blue, more reminiscent of the colour most frequently worn by the Corinthians (based on the reports, programmes and other material found so far and the majority of comments from players). This may still change of course (‘The Authorised History’ will probably change colour too). The back will contain later images and wording.
If you’d like to purchase my earlier book on women’s football then a limited number of copies, signed by me, are still available. You can order that and other books here:
A reminder that the special offer to order the Corinthians book for the discounted price of £19.95 (RRP will be £25) and get your name printed in the subscriber list within the book ends today (Friday 15 November). So order here if you want it. After this date the book will revert to its publication price of £25. Order it while you can. It’s worth mentioning that at this point no book shop has ordered the book and therefore the only way to get a copy before Christmas will be to order it direct from me.
Here’s a reminder of details of price, availability and publication…
It’s taken longer than anticipated but we’re now reaching the final stages. The book has been written and is with the design team. Publication will be this year (December 2024) and the book will be similar in style to Manchester City Women: An Oral History, published five years ago. However, there is one major difference, this book will be hardback. For those subscribing already, this is a step up from what we anticipated at ordering.
The purchase price after Friday 15 November will be £25 so ordering before then not only guarantees that the book will be posted to you before it is sent to any retailer, it also means you will receive it at a discounted price (£19.95). Also, if ordering before our publication cut off – 15 November 2024 – you will be able to have your name included in a special subscriber list at the back of the book. All pre-publication orders will also be signed by author Gary James.
Those with a delivery address in the UK can order here (outside UK please contact for additional postage costs):
UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History
The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This will be published in mid December 2024. This is a UK only discounted price of £19.95(RRP £25). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs.
On this day (15 November) in 1990 Peter Reid was officially appointed Manchester City manager. You can read more on the 1990-91 season below. This subscriber article covers Howard Kendall’s shock managerial departure and Peter Reid’s appointment. Here’s the 2,700 word article on that season:
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This series of articles and features will run throughout March with indepth articles some days and smaller ‘on this day’ style posts on others. There will be flashbacks to great games, players and more. Every day in March will offer something to enjoy.
Subscribers will get access to everything, while some on this day material will be free for all to view.
If you want to know more on this incredible decade for Manchester City Football Club then why not subscribe and read it all? If you’d like to know more about subscribing then see:
40 years ago today (14 November 1984) Australia visited Maine Road for a friendly. It was part of a series of matches against British clubs. City announced that the Blues would field a team of senior players but in the end this was a mixed team, containing several youth/fringe players.
The game ended in an Australian win. Here’s how the match was previewed in the City programme:
If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
