Category Archives: 1953-54

Maine Road 100 – Day 83

Post 83 of my 100 Maine Road countdown is a reminder of the first game under floodlights at Maine Rd. There were floodlit games at Hyde Road (seriously – decades before Maine Rd was built) but the first at Maine Rd wasn’t until 14 October 1953. That was still several years before Old Trafford of course!

The first game under floodlights at Maine Road took place saw City beat Hearts 6-3.  Here’s an article about that period and City’s first floodlighting system, including a photo from the actual game and another report.

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Maine Road 100 – Day 47

For day 47 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game I’ve posted this photo from 1954. Lots changed at the stadium but a few things to look out for…

  • The original Main Stand roof has an advert where the architect Charles Swain had envisaged the club’s name (who says commercialisation of football is a new thing?).
  • The original floodlights can be seen (or at least one in the Platt lane corner). These were switched on for the first time in 1953
  • The Players’ tunnel is still its original size before the seating in the directors box was brought forward above the tunnel.

Here’s an aerial photo of Maine Road from 1971 to help with understanding of what’s what and to compare. So this was only taken 17 years after the main image but so much changed. The main image was taken from the old Scoreboard End (somewhere close to number 10 but obviously from the old terracing) looking towards the Platt Lane. The old floodlight was behind number 4 and you can see the second set of lights there in the image below. The Maine Stand roof had obviously changed between these images.

Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road

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:

Farewell To Maine Road – Part One

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Fenerbahce Floodlights

On this day (21 October) in 1953 the second game played under floodlights at Maine Road occurred with Turkish side Fenerbahce (later famous for being Manchester City’s opponents in the Blues first European cup match) defeated 5-1 by City. You can read more about these first floodlights and the opening games here:

Floodlights

The photo is from the Hearts floodlit match.

Floodlights

On this day (14 October) in 1953 the first game under floodlights at Maine Road took place, Manchester City 6 Hearts 3.  Here’s an article about that period and City’s first floodlighting system, including a photo from the actual game and another report.

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If you’d like to read this article then why not subscribe? The £20 annual subscription works out about £1.67 per month. Every subscription directly helps support my research and provides annual subscribers 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.

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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. You can subscribe at either £20 per year (above) or at £3 per month here (cancel any time). For those subscribing £3 per month you will be able to access all content from October 2022 onwards for as long as you are a subscriber. Those subscribing £20 a year have access to everything posted since December 2020.

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A Manchester City Death in 2002

On this day (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..

I’ll be writing a little bit more on McAdams in my article in the Manchester City match programme v Brighton next week.

IN SEARCH OF THE BLUES – Fionan Fagan (interviewed September 2004)

Versatile winger Fionan ‘Paddy’ Fagan joined the Blues at Christmas 1953 and went on to score 35 goals in 164 League and Cup appearances during a seven year City career. I discussed his career with him in September 2004. Here for subscribers is that interview.

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IN SEARCH OF THE BLUES – Roy Little (interviewed August 2004)

Roy Little was a key member of the exciting FA Cup final sides of 1955 and 1956.  Born in Manchester in 1931, Roy made his City debut in 1953 and went on to play 186 League and FA Cup games for the Blues. Here for subscribers is an interview I did with him in August 2004

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