The third of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game. Today I’d like to talk about exploring the back rooms and cupboards of the old ground.
During the 2002-03 season while I was researching and writing Farewell To Maine Road, the official history of City’s grounds, I was allowed to wander around the old place for my research. Club photographer Ed Garvey often accompanied me and we’d open doors, look under seats and generally try to see things that would not always be immediately obvious on match day.
One day we were helped on to the ‘new’ Kippax roof – a scary experience! Other teams we explored the nooks and crannies of the stands. Then there was the time when a paint store room door was open. We popped our heads in and found this gem. This old ‘ghost sign’ saying ‘Commit No Nuisance’ had originally been on public view. That wall was the internal side of the large external wall that surrounded the Kippax terracing. Fans would congregate on the side we were on and the painted notice would warn them to ‘commit no nuisance’.
A few of these used to be positioned around the ground but by 2002-03 we’d assumed they’d all gone. This one survived because, at some point the club built a series of storerooms and additional toilets against this wall, trapping this specific sign for ever.
I wish we could have dismantled it and taken it for good to be re-erected at the new stadium but sadly that wasn’t possible for various reasons. At least we managed to take a photo of it and ensure a permanent record of it was kept for ever.
2023 marks the 100th anniversary of Maine Road’s first game and to commemorate this landmark moment I will be posting a different image or feature on the old stadium each day for 100 days. Day 100 will be the actual centenary of that historic first game.
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
The second of my articles counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game highlights some of the original aims of architect Charles Swain. This image shows the central staircase at the centre of the Main Stand top corridor. In its heyday this was a rather dramatic entry point to the seats. Daylight poured in through the large window and two smaller side windows. At 3pm on a typical match day the sun (okay, this is Manchester so maybe the light!) was directly behind the stand.
The top corridor of the Main Stand provided a more genteel atmosphere than other areas of the ground and when the stadium opened this corridor (below) included two tea rooms and plenty of space for City’s wealthier fans to mingle. The space may seem small by today’s standards but was significantly more impressive than most other venues of the era.
The original aims of architect Charles Swain are so clear. His background was in the design of theatres and cinemas and he wanted to give City attendees the same quality he gave theatre goers.
Maine Road’s Top Corridor. Photo by Ed Garvey
2023 marks the 100th anniversary of Maine Road’s first game and to commemorate this landmark moment I will be posting a different image or feature on the old stadium each day for the next 100 days. Day 100 will be the actual centenary of that historic first game.
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
Maine Road’s Top Corridor staircase leading to the seats. Photo by Ed Garvey
You can find lots of material on Maine Road throughout this website. Some of it is only available to subscribers but there’s also a lot of free stuff on here. If you like what you see why not subscribe or if you just want to support the site then that’s great too.
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.
2023 marks the 100th anniversary of Maine Road’s first game and to commemorate this landmark moment I will be posting a different image and feature on the old stadium each day for the next 100 days. Yesterday I started with a little quiz and asked…
Look at this image of Maine Road from 1971. Can you identify the names/details for every one of the numbered areas of the old ground?
Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road
The answers are:
1 – Main Stand 1923-2003 (AKA Grand Stand on occasion)
2 – Main Stand J Block 1973-2003 (area between Main & North Stands
3 – Main Stand G Block 1931-1993 (area between Main & Platt Lane Stands, AKA Family Stand; ‘new’ G Block 1993-2003)
4 – Platt Lane Corner 1931-1993 (corner of Platt Lane leading to Main Stand, AKA Apple Pie Corner; The Boys’ Stand; The Boys’ Corner; ‘new’ Family Stand 1993-2003)
5 – Platt Lane Stand 1935-1993 (alternative ‘new’ Platt Lane 1993-2003; UMBRO Stand was initial name after redevelopment; original unroofed terracing 1923-1935)
6 – Platt Lane/Kippax Corner 1923-1994 (alternative: away section – which also stretched into the Kippax; HH temporary stand late 1990s onwards, which was also dubbed the ‘Alan Ball Stand’ as it was small and didn’t make much noise or the Gene Kelly 2)
7 – Kippax Street Stand 1957-1994 (AKA Popular Side 1923-1957 and replaced by ‘new’ Kippax Stand 1994-2003)
8 – Chanters Corner 1960s-1994 (AKA The Sways)
9 – Windy Corner 1923-1994 (area in between Kippax and North Stand; Alternative: Temporary Stand UU 1997-2003 dubbed the Gene Kelly Stand; original terracing 1923 to 1971 then rebuilt terracing as part of North Stand development)
10 – The North Stand 1971-2003 (alternative: The Scoreboard End 1923-1971 and referred to as The City End in an episode of Coronation Street!)
This image and associated terminology will help those unfamiliar with the specifics of the old ground over the coming weeks as I’ll provide more images, stories and facts about Maine Road. Enjoy!
Subscribers to my site can download the book Farewell To Maine Road, which was published in 2003. Details on this page:
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.
2023 marks the 100th anniversary of Maine Road’s first game and to commemorate this landmark moment I will be posting a different image and feature on the old stadium each day for the next 100 days. Day 100 will be the actual centenary of that historic first game. Today I’m starting with a little quiz…
Look at this image of Maine Road from 1971. Can you identify the names/details for every one of the numbered areas of the old ground?
Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road
I’ll be posting the answers tomorrow, so watch this space. If you can’t wait that long then subscribers to my site can find the answers on page 13 of Farewell To Maine Road which can be downloaded from this page:
On this day (18 May) in 1952 Manchester City and Sevilla played each other for the first time. I’m sure most City fans will remember the club’s UEFA Champions League meetings in 2015-16 and in 2022-23. Many will have attended those games but what about their first meeting in 1952? Is there anyone out there who attended that game? If there is please get in touch and tell me your story. Anyway, here for subscribers is a 1400 word article on City’s first trip to Spain…
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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. Subscribe above for £20 a year and get access to everything posted on the site since launching in December 2020. Subscribe here for £3 a month for access to everything since 1st October 2022. Whichever subscription you take out you will get access to everything for the full length of your subscription. Why not do £3 for a month to see what you think?
Oh, what a night! Last night was one of the most incredible games of football I have seen. It’s certainly City’s best European performance at the Etihad and, from what I can remember, no European game at Maine Road has bettered it (older Blues may talk about the ECWC semi in 1970 – I was only a baby – but surely last night bettered that too?). I’d go further and say that in terms of overall performance, atmosphere and style, considering who City were playing, that that was the greatest City game of all time.
Pre match MCFC V Real Madrid waiting for the team
Obviously, we had the high drama of Agueroooooooo in 2012 but most of that game had been a frustrating mess of a match. Yesterday was brilliant, breathtaking and wonderful from the moment we got up yesterday through to leaving the stadium many, many minutes after the final whistle. The game was incredible – I don’t normally do superlatives so when I do I genuinely mean it.
There’s a certain amount of ‘completing the circle’ in City’s European journey – Alan Oakes captained City’s first European Cup game against Istanbul’s Fenerbahce in 1968, so the entire continental journey started there and this year the Blues have reached the final to be played in that city. It also felt appropriate that the man we’ve been singing about when we’ve sung our going to Istanbul chant these last few years was the man who scored twice. Ber-nar-do!
Players pre match MCFC V Real Madrid
I know we’ve been to a Champions League final before but this year it feels different. City have suffered at the hands of English clubs Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea over the years in Europe and it never quite felt right. Playing continental royalty like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich and now Inter Milan takes it to a different level. This time it just feels right. Football can shock and it’s the unpredictability that makes it such a wonderful game, so nothing can be taken for granted at all.
Champions League at Porto
Many Blues have waited a long time for this. I was a toddler when City last won a major European trophy and I always dreamed of seeing City match or eclipse what Mercer’s men did in 1970. From Marsh’s debut to Pleat’s jig; ‘Look at his face’ to Tueart’s overhead; Beating AC Milan to Hutchison’s own goal; FA Youth Cup winners to Ball’s ‘hold the ball in the corner’; Bournemouth 3-3 to Morley’s Bradford goal; Reeves’ wonderful FAC goal to York away; 5-1 to 6-1; Bananas at Stoke to relegation at Stoke; FMC Final to Dickov’s rescue; Swales Out to Thaksin’s Albert Square singing; Kippax Last Stand to Etihad’s safe standing; Foe’s last goal at Maine Road to Aguerooooooooooo; Pearce’s good luck beanie to Bernardo’s cup; the invisible man to Emptyhad; James up front to Walker in nets… it’s been a long time!
The young Gary
As I said, I know we’ve been to a CL final before but, to paraphrase Barry Davies, ‘look at this season…. Just look at this season!’
Congratulations on reaching the final to Pep, the players, the management, the officials and, most importantly, those fans who have been to City’s lowest points and are now experiencing the highest. Rival fans will not agree unless they’ve experienced it themselves but multiple relegations are character building and make moments like this even more incredible than they already are. You don’t need to experience a relegation to enjoy success, but if you’ve suffered relegations (I’ve been through five) and those dismal, dismal days then reaching points like these are heightened.
Final moments MCFC V Real Madrid 2023
I’m sure there’ll be the usual negative voices about money. Show me a truly successful club who hasn’t spent! Not only that but City have beat Bayern and Real in this campaign (plus in the PL the usual collection of clubs that have been spending big for decades)… hardly poor relations. Hardly clubs with no history of success. These are European giants. Real Madrid have won more Champions League/European Cups than all English clubs put together. They are European aristocracy. Last night and this entire campaign so far has been a massive achievement for City, overcoming major obstacles and competing in a Premier League that in the last 12 years or so has seen more of the top clubs challenge and tighter points totals between 1st and 2nd than in previous decades.
It’s too early to celebrate and football can be cruel, but let’s ensure we all enjoy these moments. Malcolm Allison once said to me: ‘Celebrate every success as if it’s your first, because it could be your last.’ As a man who had been to the top and helped City win a European trophy I guess we should always remember his words. Hopefully, we’ll be celebrating on Sunday and then again next month.
Champions League Porto 2021Champions League trophy at Porto 2021
Today (17 May) in 1892 at the Queens Hotel in Sunderland the Football League accepted two aspiring Manchester clubs into its competitions. Newton Heath applied and were accepted into the First Division and Ardwick applied and were accepted into the new Second Division of the League. Ardwick did not apply to join the top flight and it is believed the two Manchester clubs had an agreement not to go up against each other as in other votes two clubs from the same city had occasionally taken votes from each other. Had they gone head to head it may well have been that either one or no Manchester club would have gained admittance to the League.
As a football historian I love days when history could be made and as a fan I get a bit giddy looking forward to what could be an absolutely incredible evening (and final few weeks of the season). Obviously, history is made every day, win or lose, but when you wake up on a day when there’s a possibility of reaching a major final; of facing the most successful European team of all time; and achieving something few other English teams have managed to achieve then you can’t help but get excited.
These last few days I’ve been writing and reading about a variety of footballing achievements in women’s football and the all-Manchester FA Cup final. I’ve written a couple of pieces for the FA Cup final programme and later today a prominent journalist who I respect will be interviewing me about the history of Manchester football but…. and it’s one I never thought I’d say… even the excitement of the first ever all-Manchester FA Cup final does not excite me as much as tonight’s Manchester City game when the Blues take on Real Madrid in the 2nd leg of the Champions League semi-final.
United fans will know how I feel. I well remember the days when they were reaching the latter stages of a major European competition and that took their focus, not the Manchester derby. My interest will change of course, after tonight (whatever happens) and this weekend when City could win the Premier League (I’m not counting any chickens here, I’m old enough to know how these things can go). I’ll be as excited as ever for an all-Manchester FA Cup final but for now, it’s Europe and Real Madrid that has given me a real buzz. I feel like the comedian Bobby Ball when he used to march on stage, pulling his braces saying to Tommy Cannon: ‘I’m excited, Tommy!’
Bobby Ball
Actually, Tommy’s killjoy responses remind me a bit of some of those critical journalists who always say ‘ah, but….’ ‘Ah, but nothing’ is my response at the moment. Let’s not forget that although the actual cash may seem small in today’s money, Nottingham Forest’s European successes came off the back of significant spending which, in today’s world, would probably have broken the Financial Fair Play rules. I’m not against what Forest achieved, far from it, and only mention it to highlight that truly successful clubs have usually seen massive investment, spending or significant debt established to fund major successes. Money has been the driving force in football since the 1800s.
Anyway, enough of that negativity. Let’s look forward to what could be a thrilling and memorable night in European competition. Football today is highly competitive, look at the Premier League where, in the last 3 seasons alone we’ve already had 2/3rds the winners they enjoyed during the entire decade of the 2000s. You can read more on how more competitive the top of the League actually is today than in past decades here:
Coming back to tonight…. It’s going to be a challenge; it’s going to be tough facing such a serial winner of this competition but with the wonderful coaching of Pep; the talented squad of stars; the backing of passionate fans; and a fair and appropriate level of refereeing it could be a truly great evening. I’m excited! I don’t care how they do it and a simple 1-0 win will be enough. ‘That’ll do for me, Tommy!’
You can read about the 2021 Champions League final here:
As well as the ability to download a PDF of Farewell To Maine Road, I’ll be starting a special series of posts on Thursday that I’m sure many fans will find nostalgic, interesting and entertaining in some way. These will be free to download while the Maine Road book is for subscribers only. Watch this space. I’m sure Manchester City fans will enjoy this new series of posts.
For the Farewell To Maine Road book PDF details see:
On this day (16 May) in 1995 Brian Horton’s time as manager of Manchester City came to an end. It was a sad departure for a man who had brought entertaining, attack-minded football back to Maine Road.
Subscribers can read an interview I did with Brian a few years back here:
Gary James' Football Archive 