Category Archives: Free

Wolves v MCFC The Story So Far

It’s Wolves v Manchester City today (20 October 2024) and there are dozens of stories referencing Wolves on this website. There have been major finals and significant league games. Here’s the playing record so far:

CompetitionPlayedWonDrawnLost
League120512445
FA Cup3012
League Cup6402
European0000
Other0000

One of the away games I vividly remember going to came in October 1987 and is a great contrast with City’s modern day records:

Away Run Ends: Wolves v City

Here’s a link to some of the other stories on here involving Wolves:

Welcome to Gary James’ Football Archive

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Manchester City 4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

With Manchester City playing Wolves tomorrow here’s a match programme cover from a game between the two. This was a Christmas fixture from 1980. Some of the players look happy others seem to have a fixed stare as if to say ‘do we really need to hold this Christmas banner?’

That day City defeated Wolves 4-0 with goals from Tommy Hutchison (2 goals; holding the banner above the ‘a’ in Christmas), Bobby McDonald (3rd player from right) and Kevin Reeves (4th player from right).

You can find out more on the 1980s, John Bond (including a fairly frank audio interview I did with him years ago) and City elsewhere on this website. Subscribers get access to a lot of extra content. To subscribe see the following:

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Imagine United Moving In With City…

Here’s an interesting article from fifty years ago today (18 October 1974). Back then the Mirror’s Frank McGhee thought he had a solution to the problem of debt at leading football clubs. His solution was for clubs to move in together. He talked of City and United sharing. His best line though – and typical of the period (which demonstrates how we should never assume today’s ‘giants’ have always been giants nor should we assume they always will be) – was about Spurs not being able to fill their own ground but Frank Sinatra would.

Well worth reading.

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20 Years Ago (I know!): City 1 Chelsea 0

Twenty years ago today (16 October 2004) eventual champions Chelsea were defeated 1-0 by Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium (now Etihad).  City were the only side to beat the champions during 2004-5 and managed to draw the return fixture 0-0. You can read more on the October game below:

By the time Chelsea arrived in Manchester on 16 October the Blues were 12th on 8 points, while the visitors were second, behind Arsenal, on 20 points.  Chelsea were also one of only two sides unbeaten in the League and were, without doubt, favourites to win this match.  Keegan optimistically told fans pre-match:  “It is still 11 against 11 on the day and we are more than capable of beating the top sides.”  

The manager’s views proved correct as City defeated the eventual champions 1-0 with an 11th minute penalty from Nicolas Anelka.  It was the first time Jose Mourinho had suffered a defeat at Chelsea and was only the second time his side had conceded a goal during 2004-05.  It was also City’s first home victory over the London club in the Premier League.  Sadly, Jihai Sun suffered cruciate ligament damage and was to miss the rest of the season.

The Jihai Sun injury was not the only one affecting Keegan’s side during the first half of the season and, as the Blues had one of the smallest squads in the Premier League, the manager found himself with few players to choose from at times.  

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On This Day: A Footballing Pioneer’s Death

On this day (15 October) in 1967 Percy Ashley, the man who guided Manchester Corinthians for its first couple of decades died. Percy was a pioneering figure in women’s football and took his teams (he created multiple teams) to Europe, North & South America and Africa during a remarkable period when the FA banned women from competing on FA grounds (and anyone involved with an FA affiliated club from getting involved in women’s football too!).

Percy’s own story is remarkable and will be included within Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History which will be published before the end of this year. You can find out more about that here:

Order: Manchester Corinthians Book

Billy McAdams

On 13 October in 2002 Fifties goalscoring star Billy McAdams died. During his Manchester City career he made 134 first team appearances and scored 65 goals. He had joined City on 6 December 1953 and on 2 January 1954 McAdams, signed from Distillery, made his debut. It was a memorable one as he scored an equaliser in the 49th minute against Sunderland at Maine Road.  The game was played in poor, foggy conditions but City won.

A week after the Sunderland game, McAdams scored a hat-trick in City’s 5-2 Cup win at Bradford.  He followed that with an equaliser in the 56th League derby match at Old Trafford.  His arrival and goalscoring streak was viewed as refreshing that season..

Perry Suckling

On this day (12 October) in 1965 1980s Manchester City ‘keeper Perry Suckling was born in Hackney. Here’s a brief profile of him:

Perry Suckling

Bought for £50,000 plus the popular David Phillips, England youth international Perry Suckling was anticipated to be City’s first choice for several years when he arrived from Coventry City in May 1986.  It didn’t work out that way however and by the end of December 1987 he was on loan at Chelsea.  A permanent move to Crystal Palace followed in January 1988 – City received £100,000 – and after 39 League appearances that was it.

Spells for West Ham, Brentford, Watford and Doncaster followed. 

Appearances:  League: 39 FAC: 1 League Cup: 3

You can read a 4,000 word article on the 1987-88 season here:

The 1980s: 1987-1988 Remember When

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Woo Gordon Davies

On this day (10 October) in 1985 Chelsea forward Gordon Davies joined Manchester City (the team he supported; his hero was Colin Bell). Davies made 3 Welsh international appearances while at City. There was a chant connected with him which was, err, well, typical 1980s. It was based on the ‘Woo Gary Davies, woo Gary Davies, woo Gary Davies on the ra-di-o’ jingle used by Radio One DJ Gary Davies (of course). The chant (I’m sure you can guess) went ‘Woo Gordon Davies, woo Gordon Davies, woo Gordon Davies in the ar-e-a’ (meaning penalty area of course!). Those were the days, hey?

Subscribe to get access

Enjoying this website? Fancy supporting my research into Manchester football history? Why not subscribe? Every subscription directly helps support my research and provides each annual subscriber with access to everything posted on this site, including the entire Manchester A Football History and From Maine Men To Banana Citizens books, plus interviews, articles and more. I am not employed by anyone and all my research is self funded or comes from subscriptions to this site.

Subscribe

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.

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Bill Williams: The One and Only

Bill Williams made his one and only appearance for Manchester City when he came on as substitute for Mark Seagraves in the 8 October 1988 meeting with Ipswich.  He’d arrived at Maine Road five days earlier from Stockport, and returned to the club on 30 November the same year after realising playing for City interfered with his non-footballing trade. It was an odd time at City!

You can read more on that season here:

The 1980s: 1988-1989 Bananarama

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