Yesterday I posted images of early Manchester City FA Cup final shirts and asked ‘which shirts are from which finals’ with a bonus question of ‘can anyone work out the players’ who wore these (no searching on t’internet for matching player numbers please!).’ So here are the answers and further details on these players/shirts.
The shirts and players who wore them are:
4, pale blue, top right – Ken Barnes 1955 FA Cup Final
Unnumbered maroon, top middle – Ernie Toseland 1934 FA Cup Final
5, shiny blue, top right – Paul Power 1981 FA Cup Final
4, maroon & white, bottom left – Ken Barnes 1956 FA Cup Final
Cornflower blue, bottom middle – Sam Cookson 1926 FA Cup Final
8, red/black, bottom right – Colin Bell 1969 FA Cup Final
Notice the two balls on the photographs? They are the 1956 FAC Final ball and the 1969 FAC final ball. All shirts and balls were on loan to the Manchester City Experience (the original club museum set up in 2003) as part of our exhibition.
I’ve got further images and more information on these shirts below but first it’s worth talking about the only City FA Cup final shirts missing when we did this exhibition in the mid 2000s (obviously City have reached multiple FA Cup finals since that time) being 1904 and 1933. We simply could not track down shirts from either final, though we kept getting close to borrowing a scarlet shirt from the 1933 final. We put the shirts together and I took these photos of them.
Here’s a contemporary photo of the 1904 FA Cup final shirt. The player here is James McMahon.
James McMahon wearing his 1904 FA Cup final shirt
The 1933 FA Cup final was the first final to feature numbered shirts (Everton wore 1-11, City 12-22) and City’s shirts were usually described as being scarlet. City had word what they called ‘Lucky Scarlet’ a few times in the previous decade, though it never quite seemed that lucky! Here’s a contemporary image of the 1933 FA Cup final shirt back, worn by Matt Busby, showing the numbering used.
Matt Busby in the 1933 FA Cup Final
The oldest shirt we had on display was Sam Cookson’s 1926 FA Cup final shirt and here’s a close up of the Manchester coat of arms worn on that shirt. This was the first time City had worn the coat of arms in a final (City didn’t wear any emblem in 1904):
Notice the shade of blue too. It’s a darker blue than City were known to wear and was known as cornflower blue at the time. It was a special colour for the final against Bolton. Someone at City must have remembered (or maybe it was the FA) that there had been some comments in 1904 that City’s blue and Bolton’s white were too close in colour. I’ve always found that a bit odd but I guess City didn’t want to take any chances when the two sides met again in 1926.
The 1933 final was scarlet as mentioned earlier and the players wore numbers for the first time but in 1934 numbers were not worn. Personally I’d have thought they’d keep up the idea but maybe someone somewhere moaned about these new fangled ideas like wearing numbers in a similar way to how some moaned when squad numbers were introduced and player names were added. Here’s a close up of Ernie Toseland’s 1934 shirt badge. The shirt was described as maroon and the shorts were revolutionary…. We had an expert from Umbro come to visit and he looked at the shorts (we had Toseland’s full kit on display) and was delighted to see an exclusive design. They contained a diamond shaped piece of fabric stitched in and he told me that this was a pair of Umbro’s ‘crotch resistant’ shorts. He explained more, but whether they gave benefit is open to question.
Here’s Ken Barnes’ 1955 emblem. A more traditional blue but it’s interesting that the away colour of maroon makes its way on to the emblem. I wonder if they thought City would wear maroon at some point when the sew on patch was created?
In 1956 the emblem colour was red with yellow edging (to match the numbers on the back). People often try to suggest yellow is not a traditional City colour but it has been used on plenty of kits, including the numbering in 1956 and as the main colour of the away shirt in 1959-60.
Here’s Colin Bell’s 1969 FA Cup final shirt in front of the old honours board. I believe this honours board is still held in City’s archive somewhere. Maybe we should dig it out and update it. I may post another feature on the board itself another day – people think it’s as old as Maine Road but Bernard Halford had it made in the mid 1970s, just after the League Cup win if my memory is working today!
Here’s the special emblem to mark the 100th FA Cup Final. People get confused about this cup final with some saying it was the Centenary Cup Final (as the emblem does!) or the 100th FA Cup Final. The FA were quite clear at the time – the 1972 FA Cup Final was the Centenary Cup Final (marking 100 years since the FA Cup was established) and 1981 was the 100th FA Cup Final. So City or Umbro got this wrong and if you look at the First Day Cover (below) or any of the match programmes, souvenirs etc. you’ll see they created a special 100th cup final emblem.
I’ve done a lot of research on City’s kits over the decades. There’s lots of comments on them in my books, especially Manchester The Greatest City, Farewell To Maine Road and my City Folklore book. There are also other features across this website. Some only for subscribers and some for all. Why not subscribe (see below) and read all the content on this site? You can subscribe for a month at £3 per month or sign up for a year at £20. Why not try it for a month?
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In the mid 2000s we set up a FA Cup final display as part of a special exhibition at the Manchester City Experience (the original club museum set up in 2003). We managed to borrow shirts from several star players and their families with the only City FA Cup finals missing being 1904 and 1933. We simply could not track down shirts from either final, though we kept getting close to borrowing a scarlet shirt from the 1933 final.
We put the shirts together and I took these photos of them. So which shirts are from which finals and can anyone work out the players’ who wore these (no searching on t’internet for matching player numbers please!).
I’ll post the answer tomorrow along with a lot more detail about these shirts and the other missing kits.
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.
On this day (26 April) in 1969 Manchester City defeated Leicester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final. City’s scorer was Neil Young. If you’d like to know more about that success or the 1968-69 season then have a read of this subscriber article on Manchester City during the 1968-69 season. If you’d like to read this 6,000 word article , plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.
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Here’s a nice cover from the Radio Times featuring Manchester City’s 1969 FA Cup winners. They defeated Leicester 1-0 thanks to a goal from prolific City scorer Neil Young.
On this day (7 December) in 1968 reigning Champions Manchester City defeated Burnley 7-0 at Maine Road with goals from Bell (2), Young (2), Doyle, Lee, and Coleman.
You can find out all about Manchester City during the 1968-69 season by reading the following subscriber article. If you’d like to read this 6,000 word article , plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below).
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Spotted this image from 1969 of Manchester City fans at Trafalgar Square for the FA Cup Final. I wonder if there’s anyone reading who is on this photo? Feel free to let me know if you are on it.
You can find out all about Manchester City during the 1968-69 season by reading the following subscriber article. If you’d like to read this 6,000 word article , plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below).
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Last Saturday (25 October 2025) I was fortunate to be invited to the England v Brazil women’s international as a guest of the FA. My seat was in the Royal Box at the Etihad (City of Manchester Stadium as it was named on the night due to sponsorship reasons). On social media someone commented that the Royal Box was a bit of a stretch in terms of its name but the truth is that the Directors Box (as it’s more commonly known) has housed members of the British royal family, including the late Queen Elizabeth II. In fact it was originally named the Royal Box for the Commonwealth Games in 2002. Back then I remember suggesting it should retain the name and now, maybe, the original name should return?
Other royals, including the former King of Spain, have sat there for Manchester City games and other events, so the name would be quite apt. Funnily enough, the Etihad’s ‘Royal Box’ isn’t the first part of a City ground to be given that name. It’s not even the second but the third! Both Maine Road and before that Hyde Road, had visits from senior members of the British Royal Family and on each occasion the Directors Box was spruced up and renamed the Royal Box for the game. Here’s the current King’s great grandad at Hyde Road’s Royal Box in 1920:
The King with the Mayor in Hyde Road’s ‘Royal Box’. Notice Lawrence Furniss stood, behind the King. Furniss was a major figure from the 1880s to the 1940s at City.
So, City, how about renaming the Directors Box the Royal Box again?
The following subscriber article talks about all of that, but in essence the current King’s dad, grandad and great grandad have all attended City matches at one of City’s home grounds. You can read about those visits here:
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Back in the late 1960s there was a popular Manchester City chairman whose family had been involved with the club since the very beginning of the club. That was Albert Alexander. Here’s a profile I wrote in 2012 on him. It’s about 900 words long and is free to read. Enjoy!
Albert Alexander was the second generation of the Alexander family to play a prominent role in the development and history of Manchester City. His father, also Albert, had been involved with the Club from the 1890s and had held various positions including vice-chairman, and even manager for a spell in 1925-26.
Like his father, the younger Albert dedicated his life to the Blues. Inevitably, he spent most of his boyhood watching the Club develop and, as he grew, he became more involved with behind the scenes work at the Club’s first home Hyde Road. He was a member of the Ground Committee which performed crucial activities such as stewarding and ground maintenance.
Alexander also managed the Club’s A team and provided support in whatever way necessary to ensure the Blues succeeded. He was more than happy to work through the ranks and take on any duty necessary. His son Eric, who was Chairman in the early 1970s, remembers that his father had suffered during the First World War but that didn’t stop him from putting his energies into the Blues: “He was a very good footballer and cricketer but he was gassed in the Great War and had to give it up. It affected him throughout his life, although it’s fair to say he recovered enough to fulfil a happy normal life apart from playing of course.
“He took up golf, but his love for football was such that he started the ‘A’ team at City. He started it in 1921 and ran it through until 1963. He enjoyed working with the youngsters and developing them. He gained an awful lot of satisfaction from that, particularly when players like Matt Busby developed their skills and style as part of the ‘A’ team.”
Ultimately, after many years of loyal service Alexander became a City director. This came after the Blues became aware that Manchester United were hoping he would join their board. It is highly likely Alexander would have turned the Reds down, and it was appropriate that he became a director at Maine Road. It was an honour he deserved for years of dedication to the City cause.
While director he felt the passion all fans feel for the Blues and he also felt the pain and worries during the Club’s struggles in the early Sixties. He wanted better and, in 1965 as fans demonstrated following City’s lowest attended League game, he came out to face them and talk with them about his hopes and ambitions for the Club. He apologised for City’s appalling decline. It says much about his courage and the respect fans had for him that they dispersed. It is doubtful whether any other director would have been respected in this manner at such a low point.
Understandably, Alexander who was City’s Chairman by this point wanted to see his side successful and later that summer he appointed Joe Mercer as manager. It was a brave decision as Mercer had been out of work for a year and had suffered a stroke at Aston Villa. Other names, such as former City hero Peter Doherty and Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, had been expected to be appointed by the media, so this move could easily have been seen negatively.
Alexander guided City through the successful years of the Mercer-Allison period and was probably the first Chairman to be hugely popular with fans. Everyone seemed to love ‘Little Albert’ as Mercer dubbed him.
Many of City’s achievements during these years were dedicated to Alexander by Mercer, while journalist Bill Fryer commented in 1970: “He is highly revered in the game and by the public, and I have no doubt good deals have been done for City out of Albert’s friendships because in reality the whole of football is a ‘club’.”
Sadly, despite the Chairman’s popularity, his final years saw him suffer at the hands of the 1970 takeover battle. Alexander found out about the takeover when he received a knock on his door at breakfast one day. It was a complete shock to him.
The takeover destroyed much that was good about City at this point, including the Mercer-Allison partnership. However, it is rarely mentioned how the takeover affected Alexander, the man who had guided City with distinction through some dark days when no one else wanted to know. He had taken the Club from the lowest point it had experienced since joining the League, to a position of strength with trophies galore. Those bidding for control wanted the glory, Alexander’s motives were somewhat different – like all true fans he wanted City no matter what.
Alexander stood down as Chairman and was made Life President – an honour first given to Lawrence Furniss seven decades earlier, proving the significance of this recognition. Unfortunately, Alexander’s health was deteriorating by this point and he passed away soon after.
Manchester City owes a great deal to the dedication of Albert Alexander and the other members of his family. The Alexanders helped guide the Blues from the 1890s through to the reign of Peter Swales, and in some ways on via the continuing involvement of Eric Alexander (still a regular attendee until his death in 2019). Their contribution should never be forgotten.
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On this day (5 April) in 1969 Jimmy Mundy came on as substitute, replacing Tony Book, to make his Manchester City debut. The Manchester born player’s first appearance saw the reigning champions defeated 1-0 at Elland Road. Mundy was spotted playing for Ashland Rovers just before his 18th birthday, and after trials signed for the Blues.
His reserve debut came in December 1967 at left-half against Bolton Wanderers, and he went on City’s tour to the USA the following summer. Unfortunately, Mundy only managed a further two league appearances. After a loan spell at Oldham, Jimmy moved to non-League Bangor City on a free transfer.
You can read more on Manchester City during the 1968-69 season (another trophy winning season!) below. If you’d like to read this 6,000 word article, plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.
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It’s Tony Book’s funeral today and, all being well, I intend being there. Tony was one of the most important figures in the entire history of Manchester City and deserves to be remembered for ever more. Please spare a moment today to think of him. Over the years I met and interviewed Tony on many occasions. I last spoke with him at the MCFC Former Players Dinner earlier this season. As a tribute to him I’m posting here an interview I did with him back in May 2015 (I’ve posted this before but think it’s an appropriate moment to post it again). It wasn’t the first interview I did with him (that was in 1992 about Joe Mercer), but it is a reflective piece with Tony talking about his career.
I always think it’s important when someone passes away to use their words where possible to talk about their career. You can read it below. I’ve posted this exactly as it was written and published in 2015 so, obviously, references are to that era and before.
TALKING CITY WITH GARY JAMES
Tony Book joined City in 1966 and went on to become manager, winning the League Cup in 1976.
Let’s start with your birth certificate and the story that this was altered to give the impression you were a bit younger when signing. Is this true?
Ah, it’s true, but I didn’t actually alter it. My birth certificate had been folded with a heavy crease down it, and I needed it when I was moving from Bath to join Plymouth where Malcolm Allison was the manager. He told them I was 28 but I was 30. Luckily, when I opened out my birth certificate the fold had meant that the final number in the year wasn’t clear, so they just took Malcolm’s word for it! When I came here in 1966 I was 32 – for real – and we never hid my age.
It’s a good job, otherwise you’d have been celebrating your 80th two years late! When you signed for City Malcolm had to persuade Joe Mercer to ignore your age didn’t he?
Yes. Joe was a similar age when he joined Arsenal, as you know Gary, and Malcolm said “look at what you did at Arsenal Joe” – he captained them to a couple of League titles and the FA Cup. Little did we realise that something similar would happen to me at City. I always wanted to be a full time professional footballer and Malcolm gave me the chance. I went playing in Toronto – it was the first time I’d trained in the day because I was a bricklayer by trade and had to train at night back home – before Plymouth and Malcolm came and talked with me after I’d played against a team of Italians over there. He told me how much he liked my play and, well, after that he signed me for Plymouth and then City. I was always grateful to Malcolm, but joining City was perfect. The club under Joe and Malcolm was about to take off and I recognised as soon as I got here that there was a good nucleus of young lads who were ready. Doyle, Pardoe, Oakes, Dowd, Young… the list goes on. I came in just after they’d got promoted and everything felt right. I made my debut at Southampton on 20 August 1966 and, although that match ended goalless, it was clear those lads were enjoying their football. Of course, Summerbee and Bell had been added and then Francis came in October 1967. That’s when we really took off.
Tony Book 1969
How did it feel to be made captain of this team?
When Johnny Crossan left I was made captain because of my experience in football, not because of experience at the highest level because I didn’t have that. But what I did know was football and the way a team operates. I came to professional football late, but back then non-league teams did have quite a few former League players. Some actually gave up League careers because, in the end, they could earn more in non-League and regular employment. I always felt I had something to offer the younger guys because of that experience.
Being totally honest, what did you feel you’d do at City? Did you think you’d be there for as long as you were?
I hoped I’d get a couple of years. That’s all I felt I could get and I would have been very happy with two years at Manchester City, of course. Back then City owned some club houses and I went in one – paying about £2.50 a week! Because of what happened and the way the success came in my second year, Gary, I felt I could go on again. Winning the League in 1968 was like a spark and I wanted to keep the flame going.
Thinking about the title winning season of 1967-68, there were quite a few standout games. What are your memories of those?
There was the Spurs game at Christmas when we sharpened our studs to keep a grip on the surface and we really played a graceful, stylish game. There was the derby at Old Trafford when I made a mistake. I was playing the sweeper role, I let the ball bounce, and George Best went through and stuck it right in the net in the first minute! I couldn’t believe it and the lads lifted me and, Gary, we went on to play a brilliant game. We won 3-1 and that set us on course, but we still had nine games to play. None of us had ever won a major trophy, but Malcolm and Joe were brilliant during that period. Malcolm was great at relaxing us and there was never a doubt in his mind, and then in our minds, that we wouldn’t win it. We believed in ourselves and with Colin Bell, Mike Summerbee and Francis Lee we knew we had that something special that champions need. I always felt that if we went behind one of those three would get us out of trouble. We had a great team throughout of course, and we complimented each other well across the park. We all knew our roles.
After winning the League you suffered an Achilles injury, did you think that was the end?
No, but I was desperate to get back. I tried everything. My leg was in plaster and as soon as they took it off I tried. I played in a reserve game and Sidney Rose, the doctor who was also a director, saw me struggle. I felt it go again. He stuck a needle in me and I had to rest. In the end I went to Christie’s, had a shot of radium, and that seemed to take the sting out of it all. I don’t know whether that was the right treatment or not, but I began training and came back to the first team in January.
Clearly, losing your influential captain for such a large period of the season had its effect on City in the League and in their first European Cup campaign, but once you returned you guided City to FA Cup success. Was this another fairytale season for you?
I guess it was because winning the FA Cup was amazing. It was important for us to keep our success going and the FA Cup was viewed as something special, but I have to tell you Gary, that now, when I look back, I realise that we were not consistent in our challenge for the League. We consistently challenged for trophies, but not in the League. Today, we have such a wonderful team that has been able to challenge for the League season after season, but back then we were more inconsistent. We had good days and bad days, but almost any team in the division could challenge back then. There were no easy games. In 1969 I also shared the FWA player of the year with Dave Mackay, so it was a good season. People had suggested I’d win it the year before because I’d played every game and we’d won the League. I was getting a lot of praise but George Best won it that year. So, the year I won it, it was a surprise. A great feeling and I remember being at the award dinner. For me though, it was an achievement for the entire team. You need a good team around you to win awards like these, and we certainly had a great team.
What are your memories of City in Europe during that time?
There was Malcolm’s boast about scaring Europe which set us up, but then in the ECWC 1969-70 we did. The final is the strongest memory but mostly because of the rain. We had a great following of fans, but few locals and Gornik fans were there, and they were all drenched. I felt so sorry for them. We won the cup, of course, and that season we’d also won the League Cup. I wanted to go on forever by that time. I was enjoying it and those two years became four and I was 36. I couldn’t wait for the next season. I was like an 18 year old who had just been given his chance.
1971 ECWC v Chelsea. Tony Book and mascot Paul Todd. Photo by Alan Jubb
Is there anything from your playing career that you would change if you could?
Ah, yes. I gave the referee an elbow at Ipswich! He’d disallowed a goal. At Ipswich, you had to go down a corridor as you went in at half time and as I turned I deliberately elbowed him. He went down. I was called to an FA disciplinary meeting and the first question they asked was “would you like your past record to be taken into consideration?” Well, I’d only been a pro for a couple of years so I said yes, thinking it’ll be great. They then brought out information going years back from my non-league days and it all worked against me!
When it came time to retire from playing, was that your choice?
No. Johnny Hart had been manager but was ill and Peter Swales asked me to take over on a temporary basis in October 1973. I managed the team for about five weeks until Ron Saunders came in and he had a chat with me suggesting I was needed more as a coach/assistant than a player. I wish now I’d said I wanted to finish playing at the end of the season because I think that would have helped him more. There were issues between him and some of the playing squad and I think I could have helped him, had I been a player. He was insistent though.
Ron Saunders, Peter Swales and Tony Book at Saunders appointment in November 1973
It’s a shame because we got to the League Cup final (1974) and with you in that team, maybe things would have gone differently. Saunders didn’t last as manager and was gone in April that year. How did you feel?
You see things happening but are unable to change it. It was tough. I ended up being given the manager’s job and it was a strange period because we’d had turmoil over that season. I also had to start looking at my pals, the players I had won trophies with, and explain that they needed to move on. I didn’t want to do that and I found it very hard. Awful!
As a manager I was proud that in the five years that followed we won the League Cup, finished runners up by a point to Liverpool, and we were in Europe for three consecutive seasons. I had some good players that came in – Dave Watson, Brian Kidd, Asa Hartford – and did an excellent job for me. I felt we were on our way.
From the moment you took on the job it was progress all the way through and, just before Malcolm returned as ‘coaching overlord’ in January 1979, we had reached the UEFA Cup quarter finals. What was it that made you a success in that role?
The players. It’s always about the players you manage to sign and what they do for you. I was more like Joe Mercer as a manager and had good coaches working with me. Bill Taylor was recommended to me by Don Revie and he was a great coach.
Tony Book, Peter Swales and Kaziu Deyna at Deyna’s signing for Manchester City
City may not have won many trophies during your spell as manager, but we came close, had some great players and, significantly, this was an exciting period to watch. Then Malcolm came back. Did you welcome the return?
Malcolm is such an important figure in my life that I cannot say anything but positives about him as a man. I will always be indebted to him. But I knew that it couldn’t work when he came back. I knew the chairman, I knew Malcolm, and I knew how they both worked. There was no way they would have been able to work together. It was as simple as that. That’s what the main difference was between the 60s and 1979. In the 60s we had Albert Alexander as chairman who worked wonderfully with Joe and Malcolm, but it was different in 1979. It was such a shame, because I thought we were going somewhere.
Silkman, Allison & Book after Peter Barnes scored v Tottenham 3 February 1979
On a day to day basis, what was it like working during that period?
It varied but there were players like Gary Owen and Peter Barnes who I felt had a lot to offer, but they were moved on. It’s difficult to go through it all, but as we know it failed and we were dismissed in October 1980. I stayed briefly and then became Cardiff manager. I missed Manchester but was delighted that under John Bond that season ended with the FA Cup final against Spurs. I got a phone call from John Bond asking me back to City to look after the youth team and I said I’d think about it. In the meantime there was the FA Cup final and as it was the 100th final they invited all surviving captains of cup winning sides. Myself, Roy Paul, and Joe Mercer (Arsenal) were on the pitch with the others and all of a sudden they announced my name and the City fans erupted into song. It really got to me, emotionally, and I knew I had to come back. It was one of the best feelings I ever had. Returning to City was the right thing and I had a wonderful time working with Ken Barnes, Glyn Pardoe and all those talented young lads. We won the Youth Cup in 1986 and it was a real pleasure being there at the start of so many careers.
This year I’ve interviewed quite a few of the players who had progressed through the youth team while you were there. Every one of them has talked with affection about your approach, driving them on. I think it’s amazing really that your influence has been there at City year after year since 1966. How does it make you feel to have had three great distinct careers at the club?
I love this club and am grateful to all those who brought me here and involved me for so long. Whenever I’ve been given a job to do I’ve always tried to give my best. When it all came to an end in the 90s it hit me hard and there were issues that were well documented, but since then Francis Lee and I have resolved our differences. Actually, I think it says something that so many of our former players come to games these days, and all of those players from that Mercer-Allison team are so proud of how this club is challenging once more. We’re enjoying the success and the consistency season after season. Having said that I loved my days as a player and would never swap them… I would have loved us to have these pitches though. They’re perfect. How great would the likes of Colin Bell have been on these surfaces?
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.
Gary James' Football Archive 