Category Archives: Seasons

The 1980s: Machin’s Warning

The series of articles covering Manchester City in the 1980s continues today with a reminder of the day in 1988 manager Mel Machin warned the City team to be careful of Shrewsbury. See the newspaper article. The Blues were due to play them the day after this article (published on Friday 16 December 1988) was published. Anybody remember the score? I was in the Kippax that day and you can watch what happened here (look out for future Blue Carl Griffiths!):

That game was played on 17 December 1988. If you want to know more of the 1988-89 season for Manchester City Football Club then why not subscribe and read the following 4,100 word feature on the 1988-89 season. Enjoy!

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Tomorrow’s feature is the last on the 1980s as we tell the story of the 1989-90 season. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald

The 1980s: Away v Charlton

Today’s 1980s flashback is a brief reminder of this day (15 December) in 1984 when a crowd of 5,568 witnessed Manchester City’s 3-1 victory at Charlton Athletic. This was a promotion season for City and the club’s goalscorers that day in the old Second Division (2nd tier) were Jim Melrose, David Phillips and Gordon Smith. The return game with Charlton was hugely significant.

You can find out more on this season and the rest of this important decade in the history of Manchester City Football Club by subscribing. The following subscriber article is a 2,600 word feature on the 1984-85 season. Enjoy!

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Tomorrow’s feature is on the 1985-86 season. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald

The 1980s: Impressive Win

Today’s 1980s flashback is an on this day (14 December) from 1985 when Manchester City thrashed Coventry City 5-1 at Maine Road. ‘Woo Gordon Davies’ opened the goalscoring in the 18th minute. Paul Simpson made it 2-0 (though some reports claimed it was an own goal). In the end Davies (2), Simpson (2) and Mark Lillis scored with Coventry’s goal coming from Terry Gibson.

The 1980s was a truly important decade in the history of Manchester City Football Club and you can find out more on this season by reading the following 2,500 word feature on 1985-86. Enjoy!

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Tomorrow’s feature is on the 1986-87 season. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald

The 1980s: It’s December 1982 – What Do You Want From the City Store?

Continuing the series focusing on Manchester City in the 1980s here’s a list of items available at the City Souvenir Shop in December 1982. It’s an interesting list but what would you want to buy?

For a few minutes I was puzzled by the items marked ‘centenary’ thinking are they talking of the centenary of the earliest known game as St Mark’s in 1880 or have they got things completely wrong? Then I realised these items refer to the 100th FA Cup Final (so not really a centenary of the FA Cup either, but I do know City’s souvenir shop did talk of it as the ‘Centenary Final’, though that is usually regarded as the 1972 final; the 1981 final was known as the ‘100th Final’).

I bet there are a few reading this who bought some of the items on the list.

If you want to know more about this period then why not subscribe? As well as all the other benefits you could read the following 3,500 word feature on the 1982-83 season. Enjoy (well, if you know the outcome of this season you can enjoy this memory refresh while reflecting on the modern day successes of the Blues!).

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Tomorrow’s feature is on the 1983-84 season. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald

The 1980s: 35 Year Ago Today City Women First Ever Home Game

Continuing the series of features on Manchester City in the 1980s with an on this day (12 December) from 1988… On this day Manchester City Ladies (now Women) played their first ever home game. We often focus on the first game of any kind (featured recently – a victory at Boundary Park) but rarely discuss the first home game played by the women’s team. So here goes… It was a 1-1 draw with Oldham Athletic at the Platt Lane Complex. City’s scorer was Heidi Ward and the team was managed by Neil Mather. The squad for this match was:

Michelle Flynn, Donna Davies, Kate Themen, M Hewlett, M Braddock, Paula Hinchcliffe, Tonia Slack, Michelle Mather, Louisa Felton, Donna Haynes, A Marsland, Debbie Darbyshire, Rowena Foxwell, Lisa Burnett, Heidi Ward, C Morgson, Helen Clark, J Walsh (Record of who started/subs not kept). Some of the women are on this photo,

The match report is of that game with the City equaliser described like this: ‘[City in the 2nd half] began pressing for a goal which came from H. Ward, a good drive into the bottom left hand corner of the Oldham net.’

There were other chances for City with Louisa Felton and Heidi Ward coming close to giving City a 2-1 lead but it wasn’t to be.

You can find out more on the City women’s team by following the tags or doing searches below.

A Record Greater Manchester Club Attendance

On this day (11 December) in 2022 I was at the Etihad Stadium when a new record crowd for a women’s club game in Greater Manchester was established. 44,259 watched Manchester City’s women’s team draw 1-1 with Manchester United. The attendance best all home games by Greater Manchester’s clubs; WFA Cup finals played in the area and games played by Dick, Kerr Ladies and other prominent women’s clubs over the previous 140 years or so. For those wondering the top five highest club attendances as recorded in Greater Manchester by the end of December 2022 were:

  • 44,259 City v United, Etihad, December 2022
  • 43,615 United v City, Old Trafford, November 2023
  • 31,213 City V United, Etihad, September 2019
  • 31,000 (occasionally reported as 35,000) Dick, Kerr Ladies v Bath Ladies, Old Trafford, January 1921
  • 30,196 United V Aston Villa, Old Trafford, December 2022

You can read about the first competitive women’s Manchester Derby, which occurred in 1990, here:

The 1st and Latest Women’s Manchester Derby in the League

The 1980s: Swales Profile From 1989

The series of features covering the 1980s for Manchester City continues with an article from this day (11 December) in 1989 when City chairman Peter Swales was profiled. Back then profiles like this on the chairman appeared fairly regularly, usually after he’d just sacked a manager. It all makes interesting reading today.

If you want to know more about this period and the entire 1989-90 season then become a subscriber and read the following 8,000 word article on that season. Enjoy!

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Today’s feature was the last on the 1980s. I hope you’ve enjoyed them. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald

The 1980s: Brightwell & Moulden Doubles

Continuing the series of articles covering Manchester City in the 1980s. Here’s a photographic reminder of a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Bradford City at Maine Road on this day (10 December) in 1988. The game saw two goals each from youngsters Ian Brightwell and Paul Moulden. David White played his part to set up several key chances (and goals) too!

If you’d like to know more about City in 1988-89 or indeed any season then why not subscribe to this site? Subscribers can read a 4,100 word feature on the 1988-89 season below. Enjoy!

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Tomorrow’s feature is the last on the 1980s as we tell the story of the 1989-90 season. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald

The 1980s: 41,862 in 2nd Tier!

Continuing the series of articles covering Manchester City in the 1980s, here’s a reminder of a game played on this day (10 December) in 1983 when a crowd of 41,862 attended Maine Road for a game with Sheffield Wednesday. At the time this was perceived as a possible promotion showdown for two of Division Two’s biggest clubs. Ultimately, City lost their way and this game actually ended in a 2-1 defeat. City’s goal was scored by Kevin Bond and future Blue Imre Varadi netted both for Wednesday.

If you want to find out more about this season then why not subscribe and read my 2,500 article on the 1983-84 titled ‘Fish Supper’ (because manager Billy McNeill said City were so skint at the time that they could hardly buy a fish supper). Enjoy!

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Tomorrow’s feature is on the 1984-85 season. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald

The 1980s: Helen the Bell, Allen & Kendall

The series of features covering the 1980s for Manchester City continues with a reminder of a day when City lost at Southampton (9 December) in 1989 BUT this short video is worth watching for a few reason. New manager Howard Kendall had flown down to Southampton to watch his new team and this clip begins with him signing autographs. But have a look who is stooding to the left as we watch – it’s Helen ‘the Bell’ Turner. A dedicated Blue who was part of City’s folklore for decades.

Other reasons to watch: There’s a Clive Allen goal (Allen was City’s first £1m player since Trevor Francis in 1981) and you can catch a glimpse of part of the away fans celebrating. City fans were in pens and there were at least a couple full behind the goal and to the left of the pitch as viewed from the camera.

The photo that heads this page is of Clive Allen on the cover on the City-Southampton game at Maine Road earlier in the season. If you want to know more about the entire 1989-90 season then become a subscriber and read the following 8,000 word article on that season. Enjoy!

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Today’s feature was the last on the 1980s. I hope you’ve enjoyed them. If you missed the earlier features then start here:

The 1980s: 1980-1981 Gow, Hutchison & McDonald