Here’s a nice card from John Baines (he used to produce these cards in Bradford, West Yorkshire) featuring Ardwick AFC’s captain Davie Weir. Presumably this is from 1892-1894 when the team was in the Football League. Weir was the club’s top scorer in 1892-93.
Category Archives: Manchester City
Missing: A City Blue Plaque
There are not many blue plaques in Manchester dedicated to football – There’s the Manchester Corinthians blue plaque (see elsewhere on this site for details of the campaign); the Football League first meeting (a red plaque); Newton Heath’s first pitch (a red plaque which is the standard colour for Manchester sites); the Fallowfield FA Cup final (black if I remember right) and that’s about it. Oh, there’s also the Bank Street plaque for United’s former home (just behind the velodrome/BMX centre). There used to be one to mark Manchester City’s birth positioned on the Aces public house close to Clowes Street in West Gorton BUT this vanished shortly after the pub closed many years ago. This image shows the plaque as it looked when I took this photo in the early 2000s. It’s seeing this plaque years ago that first got me thinking about marking footballing sites in Manchester.
What happened to it? It was obviously stolen but where is it today?
It was positioned incorrectly and should have been a few streets away to mark the actual first pitch of St Mark’s or maybe even the church itself.
If anyone knows where this plaque is today then please get in touch. Incidentally, I think the plaque marking United’s Newton Heath birth is missing too but I’ve not checked on it recently.
There are other plaques around Greater Manchester connected with football, for example the one at Stalybridge for Bert Whalley (again, see elsewhere on the site for the details of that).
Maine Road’s Early Football History
Years before Manchester City created the Maine Road stadium and housing filled all sides of the street a field on the road was used for football and other sporting activity. The area was quite rural in the 1860s and 1870s but gradually housing and industry swamped the area. Maine Road itself was originally called Dog Kennel Lane and it used to continue past its current end point with a bend in the road changing its direction south towards the area of Hough End (see below for map etc.).
I’ve talked about Dog Kennel Lane a lot over the years and include its story and why the name of the street changed in Farewell To Maine Road and elsewhere on this site. Here’s an early mention of Dog Kennel Lane in relation to football. Manchester Association were the city’s prominent team in the mid 1870s and early 1880s. They promoted the game extensively and subscribers can read their story here:
And here:
I explain a lot more about them in The Emergence of Footballing Cultures: Manchester 1840-1919.
The brief newspaper cutting from 1882 mentions their Dog Kennel Lane ground. On the following I show where Maine Road was later built but the Manchester ground was probably further up the road/lane towards what became Great Western Street.
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:
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Great Photo of Manchester City fans in 1909
Here’s a great cutting from the Daily Mirror from 23 August 1909 showing City fans at Hyde Road for the public practice match that season. really atmospheric. The other images show first choice ‘keeper Walter Smith in action. THe 1909-10 season was a good one for City and you can read a review of that season below.
This is an article on the 1909-10 season when the Blues returned to the First Division as champions after a one season absence. If you’re a subscriber you can read this below.
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Hyde Road – More Cover Than Old Trafford
In 1913 the Edinburgh Evening News included this on City’s Hyde Road ground within a feature on the club. There are some interesting comments in this about the Hyde Rd Ground. I”ve argued for years that City’s old stadium was actually better than is often claimed and this article tends to back that view up. Back in 1910 City spent significant amounts to ensure there was cover on all four sides of the stadium. Part of the reason was because United had moved to Old Trafford the previous year and, while that was a new stadium, there was limited cover. In 1910 City claimed there was covered accommodation for over 35,000 (in a stadium that typically could house no more than about 40,000).
Enjoy this brief article.
The Oldest Manchester Club
Here’s a brief cutting from October 1912 which mentions that Manchester City FC was the ‘oldest’ Manchester club. At the time there were plenty of people around who had been involved with the establishment of both Manchester Football League Clubs and so it seems logical to me that we listen to these views. Both clubs were newly formed organisations in 1894 (City) and 1902 (Utd) though both claims roots going back decades earlier. In their earlier incarnations City’s earliest known game is in Nov 1880, as is United’s (one week later). More on this elsewhere on the site and in my book The Emergence of Footballing Cultures: Manchester 1840-1919.
This is Your Life Joe Mercer
Broadcast live on 25 March in 1970 was the This is Your Life TV episode with Manchester City boss Joe Mercer as the subject. Here are the details plus a special recording which supporters of all the clubs Joe was involved with could be interested in.
This Is Your Life was viewed at the time as significant recognition for a lifetime’s achievement. Only major stars and personalities were featured in those days, and the main idea would be that the subject of the programme would be surprised by the sudden appearance of presenter Eamonn Andrews and his ‘Big Red Book’. The subject would then be whisked away to a studio or other location where a variety of figures from the person’s life would be brought out to tell anecdotes and the like. The main part of the show would be broadcast live.
Back in 1970 young Manchester City supporter John Stapleton was working on the series and he suggested they feature Joe Mercer as the topic of one show. John, who went on to be a prominent broadcaster with a well-regarded TV career, was interviewed by me a few years back and we discussed the programme and John’s part in the idea of featuring Joe: ‘I did it purely for the benefit of me and my dad. Eamon Andrews, the presenter, had of course a great interest in sport and I put the idea to him and the rest of the production team. Together with Norah, Joe’s wife who in recent years I often sat with at games sharing her boiled sweets, we concocted a situation where Joe and Malcolm were in a London hotel before a trip to watch a European game in 1970. Malcolm disappeared – deliberately as part of the show though Joe didn’t know this – and Joe was called to reception urgently. Eamon leaped out to do the big “This Is Your Life” reveal and Joe had no idea whatsoever. It was a great day for us all and Joe was thoroughly deserving of it as well.’
Joe was staying at a Hilton Hotel in London. As John described, He had been due to fly with Malcolm Allison to the continent to watch ECWC semi-final opponents Schalke but he had received a message to say the game was off. It was all a ruse of course. That night television viewers watched as Eamonn Andrews surprised Joe at the hotel reception desk: ‘Joe Mercer, former England playing star, now manager of Cup winning Manchester City, tonight. This Is Your Life!’
At the start of the show the City team appeared. This had been an extremely busy time for the Blues. Over a 18 day period City had played two League games, the League Cup final, the second leg of the ECWC quarter-final with Coimbra and found time to work with television to honour their manager. This live show occurred on Wednesday 25 March and City were to face Derby in the League on 27th and Manchester United on 28th, plus they had to play the first leg of the ECWC semi-final with Schalke on 1st. It was incredible that a team would be involved in this at such a busy time but that’s the way it was.
As Joe explains in the show Malcolm Allison was nowhere to be seen. He had been staying with Joe at the hotel and the City manager commented: ‘I’m a great sleeper you see, and subconsciously I heard Malcolm getting up and I thought, oh, he’s going to the bathroom. I thought, well, he hasn’t come back, so he must be having a bath, and then I went back to sleep. I woke about ten and Malcolm had gone, but occasionally this happens – Malcolm disappears!’
Andrews explained that Allison had left early to watch the match which was still on. Joe was flabbergasted: ‘He’s left all his clothes! I’ve had to pack his bag as well!’
During the course of the show, Andrews informed Joe that Alf Ramsey had named the squad he was to take to the 1970 World Cup: ‘I know you haven’t had a chance to hear the news, but I’m going to tell it to you now, that two of your boys have been named by Alf for the World Cup – Francis Lee and Colin Bell. And two more in the twelve reserves – Mike Summerbee and Alan Oakes. Congratulations lads, and to the whole of the Manchester City.’
Joe was overjoyed.
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Joe appeared on several other This Is Your Life shows including in November 1988 when Tom Finney was the subject and in 1980 when Emlyn Hughes was. He also appeared on two for Matt Busby, one in 1958 and one in 1971 (which opened at Maine Road).
The Programme details for the Joe Mercer episode are:
- Edition No: 274
- Subject No: 276
- Broadcast live: Wed 25 Mar 1970
- Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
- Venue: Euston Road Studios
- Series: 10
- Edition: 18
- Director: Margery Baker
- Producer: Robert Tyrrell
- City supporter and broadcaster John Stapleton worked on the show
The guests were:
- Norah – wife
- members of Manchester City FC team
- Francis Lee
- Colin Bell
- Mike Summerbee
- Alan Oakes
- Alan Percival
- David – son
- Joan – daughter-in-law
- Arthur – brother
- Stan Cullis
- Billy Dixie Dean
- Jim Morris
- Charles Palmer
- Matt Busby
- Frank Soo
- Walley Barnes
- Maurice Edelston
- Bernard Joy
- Roy White
- George Hardwick
- Raich Carter
- Neil Franklin
- Stanley Matthews
Filmed tributes:
- Malcolm Allison
- Susan – granddaughter
- Albert Dyson – father-in-law
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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.
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Women’s Football Interviews and Videos
If you’re interested in women’s football or in football in Trafford or Manchester here are some video interviews we did as part of the work on the #WEuro2022 Heritage Lottery funded project for Trafford. These interviews are with women who played for Manchester Corinthians, Manchester City, Manchester United, FC Redstar, & Macclesfield:
We start with Jan Lyons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHkt5rGOJ5E
Now Gail Robertson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TO4nnHtp-U&feature=emb_logo
Next Lesley Wright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPgjj84gHfw&feature=emb_imp_woyt
Finally, Jane Morley:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tbzsOIpO7I&feature=emb_imp_woyt
Here’s an interesting clip of the Corinthians playing in 1960:
Margaret Shepherd and Margaret Whitworth were also filmed as part of the wider project (they were interviewed by Wigan & Leigh). Here they are:
Margaret Whitworth actually appears on this BBC clip from 1960 playing:
Also, here’s my talk explaining about the history of women’s football:
This talk on the history of women’s football was staged at the National Football Museum on 1st July as part of my work on a consultancy basis with Trafford local archives. The talk lasts about 47 mins. Enjoy!
The Trafford Archive website I mention during my talk is available here:
https://exploringtraffordsheritage.omeka.net/exhibits/show/traffordwomensfootball
Jeremy Monga signs for Manchester City on five-year deal
Manchester City have announced a new signing. Here’s the press release: Manchester City is delighted to announce the signing of Jeremy Monga.
The highly rated 17-year-old winger joins the Club after emerging as one of the brightest young talents in English football, having already gained significant first team experience despite his age.
The England youth international, who joins from Leicester City, has signed a five-year deal that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2031.
Born in Coventry, Monga joined Leicester City’s Academy at Under-9 level and progressed rapidly through the ranks. His outstanding performances at youth level saw him become the youngest scorer in Premier League 2 history at the time of his goal against Aston Villa in November 2024.
He went on to earn opportunities with Leicester’s Development Squad before breaking into the first team while still only 15 years old. Monga made history in April 2025 when he became Leicester’s second-youngest appearance maker and the second-youngest Premier League debutant in history after appearing against Newcastle United.
Monga arrives at the Club having already made 37 senior appearances for Leicester City, including seven in the Premier League.
On signing for City, Monga said: “When I became aware that Manchester City were interested, I knew instantly this was the right choice for me.
“For any young footballer, to become part of this amazing club is a dream come true. This has been the best club in England over the past 10 years. And it has also handed opportunities to players from the Academy like Phil Foden and Nico O’Reilly which shows that the pathway is there.
“It is a privilege to be here, and I’m delighted to have joined.”
Director of Football Hugo Viana added: “Jeremy is an exciting player who has already made huge strides in his young career.
“We were already very aware of him as a Club and we have seen his ability first-hand from his time at Leicester. At 17-years-old we feel he is only going to continue to improve and that this is the correct next step in his career.
“We look forward to supporting him on every step in his journey.”
70 Years Ago: Trautmann in Neck Brace
Here’s an image from 70 years ago this month (July 1956) showing Manchester City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann in Germany with his wife during his recuperation from his ‘broken neck’ injury in the FA Cup Final. Notice he’s still bandaged and has a brace on his neck and back.
Gary James' Football Archive 