Today (3 November) is the anniversary of the first ever Manchester derby played in the Football League. The match between Manchester City and Newton Heath was played at City’s Hyde Road ground today in 1894. You can read the story of the game (with all the stats, background etc.) here:
Category Archives: Manchester City
Matt Busby’s Debut
On this day (2 November) in 1929 Matt Busby made his debut for Manchester City in the 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough at Maine Road. City’s goalscorers were Jack Harrison, Tommy Tait and Ernie Toseland. Despite scoring this was the last of only two appearances for Harrison in City’s first team, while Busby would go on to make 227 appearances for the Blues.
If you’d like to find out more on this period, why not read this 1,300 word subscriber article on the 1929-30 season? If you subscribe (see below) I hope you enjoy it. If you don’t subscribe then why not try it for a month (£3 per month or sign up for a year at a discounted £20 per year)?
Here’s the article:
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Goal Flood
On this day twenty years ago (1 November 2004) Willo Flood netted the only League goal of his Manchester City career. It came from a strike on the edge of the area in a 1-1 draw with Norwich. He had previously scored in a League Cup tie, but this was the only League goal in 14 League games for the Irishman. You can see the goal below:
Flood’s goal was the City opener but Norwich equalised 12 seconds into the second half.
90 Years Ago Today: City v Sunderland
90 years ago today (31 October) a crowd of 38,444 watched Manchester City lose 4-2 at home to Sunderland. Here’s the League table from before that game. Notice the clubs at the top and spread throughout the top flight: always worth remembering that football clubs that claim to be today’s giants were not always the game’s elite. Arsenal, for example, didn’t start winning trophies until the 1930s, whereas City, Villa, Newcastle and Everton had won their first trophies decades earlier (and each were the best supported teams in the League multiple times before Arsenal, United and Liverpool achieved that accolade). Here’s the cover and team sheet page of the programme for this game. Look at the adverts too – any one fancy going to see Ted Ray and Hylda Baker after the match?
My series on Manchester City in the 1930s continues with a 2,500 word subscriber article on the 1936-37 season. If you subscribe (see below) I hope you enjoy it. If you don’t subscribe then why not try it for a month (£3 per month or sign up for a year at a discounted £20 per year)?
Here’s the article:
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50 Years Ago Today: A Win At Norwich
After a 1-0 defeat at title-hopefuls Ipswich Manchester City faced Norwich on this day (30 October) in 1976. City’s lack of goals in previous games had caused a little concern to manager Tony Book, and he asked coach Bill Taylor to take target men Joe Royle and Brian Kidd, together with Dennis Tueart, for some special training. Book commented afterwards: ‘The causes for the lack of success were discussed very sensibly, and the main lesson learned was that both players had made life more difficult for themselves by attempting to do each other’s job.’
He added: ‘I had in mind that, if the week’s work did not provide signs of improvement, then the attack would be re-adjusted but not necessarily by the omission of both players from the side. As it happened, all came well at Norwich, I do not simply refer to the late goals they grabbed which gave us the 2-0 victory. The display was vastly improved, and even had they failed to get on the scoring sheet at Carrow Road I knew there was enough in their work and the way their talents were being harnessed that justified me having patience for a little longer.’
Kidd netted the opening goal in the 87th minute and Royle made it 2-0 a minute later. The 2-0 win placed City second, three points behind Liverpool, but more significantly the win was the first of an undefeated run of 17 League and Cup games.
Off the pitch the two games away in East Anglia were noteworthy for the appearance of a new chant on the terraces. After the film The Vikings, starring Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas, had appeared on TV in London, a few days before the Ipswich game, and in Granadaland a few days before the Norwich match, several fans adapted the famous Viking Call used in the film to call out ‘CCC-IIII-TTT-YYY’. Over the months that followed the chant grew in popularity with the words ‘The best team in the land, and all the world’ eventually added. It remains a popular match day chant. More on this here:
You can also read more on this season if you subscribe to the website. Here’s a 2,100 word article on the entire 1976-77 season – a season which saw City come close to League success.
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Bond’s First; Tueart Scores 4
New Manchester City manager John Bond’s first cup game was the fourth round tie against Second Division promotion hopefuls Notts County at Maine Road, played on 29 October in 1980 The game had the potential to end in defeat, especially as Bond would be unable to play any of his new signings (remember the struggles pre-Bond’s arrival earlier in the month and the impact he and his new arrivals Now, Hutchison and McDonald had?), nor would the expensive Steve Daley be able to play due to injury.
The match actually ended 5-1 to the Blues with Dave Bennett opening the scoring after 16 minutes. Dennis Tueart was in inspiring form that night scoring the other four City goals, but the result was prof that Bond’s whole approach had lifted the Club. Basically, Bond had taken Allison’s team and given them belief and confidence. Some of the younger players, like Bennett and Caton, may have been given their chance under Allison, but it was under Bond that they started to achieve their potential.
More on the 1980-81 season here:
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Peter Dobing
Last night I heard the news that the former Blackburn, Manchester City and Stoke player Peter Dobing had died. Here is a profile of him written by the late Manchester City historian John Maddocks and given to me by John around the year 2000. John was a real expert on City’s former players and had spent years researching their careers. I was fortunate to have John’s support during my early years of research and writing. Here’s his brief profile of Peter:
DOBING, Peter A.
Role: Midfield/Forward 1961-63
5’10” 11st.8lbs.
b. Manchester, 1st December 1938
CAREER: Blackburn Rovers Dec 1955/CITY 17 July 1961/Stoke City 15 Aug 1963.
Debut v Leicester City (h) 19.8.1961
An extremely skilful inside-forward with an eye for goals, Peter Dobing came to City along with Bobby Kennedy in the summer of 1961 bought with the money received for Denis Law from Torino. He had been an influential player with Blackburn Rovers, having opted for them in preference to Manchester United – who had shown great interest in him – because he felt he would have a chance of faster progress at Ewood Park. He won seven England Under-23 caps and played three times for the Football League. In his first season with the Blues Peter scored 22 goals in 41 outings with nine of those goals coming in three hat-tricks, West Ham suffering twice! His other was against Spurs who were League and cup double holders when City whipped them 6-2 at Maine Road. He was top scorer. The following season ended with a disillusioned Dobing asking for, and getting, a transfer, the thought of Second Division football just too much for him. He moved to Stoke City where he stayed for ten years after which he retired through injury. He became a pottery worker and still lives near Stoke.
Appearances:
FL:82 apps. 31 gls.
FAC:5 apps.
FLC:7 apps. 1 gl.
TOTAL:94 apps. 12 gls.
Other : 4 apps. 1 gl.
An Amazing Game: Newcastle 5 Manchester City 4
On this day (27 October) in 1894 Manchester City’s match away at Newcastle was outstanding for neutrals (and those supporting the winning team). It followed the pattern of one team scores, then the other equalises all the way through until the final goal. Here’s a brief contemporary report of it:
In official records one of the goals credited to Jim Sharples in this report is listed as being scored by Wally McReddie.
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This Is Our City
This doesn’t feel that long ago but it’s 21 years (the article below is from 26 October 2005) since the This Is Our City campaign was doing the rounds on Manchester billboards. Back then phrases like ‘Real Manchester’ formed part of a campaign by City to make the club’s presence felt across the city. Some of these (like the one mentioned in the image) were attacked by rival fans, but overwhelmingly City’s own support felt positively about the campaign.
A few years later this campaign was part of the inspiration behind the ‘Welcome To Manchester’ poster that welcomed Carlos Tevez to City.
You can find our more on the 2000s across this website with articles for everyone plus some articles for subscribers. Here’s a 3,100 word article on the 2005-06 season (below) for anyone subscribing.
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City Crisis!
On this day (25 October) in 1985 the Daily Mirror covered the staggering news that Manchester City’s financial crisis meant that they were paying £1,000 a day in bank loan interest alone. City had gone from a profitable, major trophy challenging club, prior to Swales’ time as chairman to a debt-ridden club that seemed to be downsizing at every opportunity. There were frequent managerial changes and the ground was lacking the kind of investment it needed and, in many ways, the similarities with modern day United are clear. CIty fans regularly demonstrated against Swales and his supporting directors.
The media rarely supported fans in their demonstrations, often criticising them. The contrast with 2026 is clear – now City have an owner and board who have invested BUT some in the media want them to demonstrate against their owner. Where was the support in the media when City fans needed them?
The 1980s was a truly important decade in the history of Manchester City Football Club and you can find out more on this season (and why the club was in debt) by reading the following 2,500 word feature on 1985-86 (available to subscribers). Enjoy!
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