Here’s an interesting piece of floodlit football history from 70 years ago. On 24 October 1955 Joe Mercer’s Sheffield United played a team of former internationals selected by Frank Swift, the ex-Manchester City ‘keeper. Mercer was selected by Swift to play for the old internationals against the team he was manager of.
The game ended in a 4-1 victory to Sheffield United, though the Swift XI goal owed much to Mercer and was scored by ex-Manchester City star Peter Doherty.
It wasn’t the first game under floodlights for Ardwick (Manchester City’s predecessors) but it was a significant occasion when on Monday 10 March 1890 the club played Everton under lights at Hyde Road. This match report describes the game. Notice that not much is said about the lights themselves. That’s because it wasn’t the first occasion the club had played under lights in Manchester and those reading the report would be expected to know what Well’s patent lights were due to the features that had been written previously.
People often talk of the 1950s as being the birth of floodlit football but, of course, like many things in football’s history there had been firsts decades earlier.
On 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 formal floodlighting system, including a photo from the actual game and another report.
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On 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.
Subscribe to get access
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.
Starting today: A new series of features on Manchester City in the 1890s! Ever wondered how MCFC came into being and what happened to Ardwick AFC? Well, now’s your chance to find out. This series covers the final years of Ardwick and the birth of Manchester City. It starts with the second half of the 1889-90 season for Ardwick and includes a story of a floodlit game.
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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.
Subscribe to get access
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.
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.
Day 66 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game is this night time image of the Kippax. This was taken in Maine Road’s final season and was loaned to me a few decades ago by the fanzine Blueprint (Phill Gatenby). Compare this with my Day 65 image and you’ll see the floodlights are now on the roof, alongside more adverts plus the Welcome To Maine Road sign is a newer version.
For its final game that season the Kippax had a higher official capacity than all other standing areas, including the Kop which also went on that day in April 1994.
This 1971 aerial image shows the Kippax (7 & 8) from the back. The stand was demolished in 1994:
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:
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.
We’re half way through our countdown of 100 features for Maine Road’s centenary. For day 50 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game I’ve posted three photographs of the view down the same street. These are taken on Wansford Street and look towards Maine Road.
The oldest image (black and white) is from the early 1960s and shows the original floodlights, erected in 1953. The following is one I took in 2003, shortly before Maine Road’s final game, and the one below that is a Google image from this last year or so.
The view down Wansford Street towards Maine Road in 2003The view down Wansford Street towards Maine Road around 2022
Here’s an aerial photo of the ground in 1995 with the North Stand on the left. Wansford Street can just be seen starting almost opposite the club houses to the left of the photo:
This 1971 image shows Wansford Street – it’s the first street to the right of and above the number 2, opposite the North Stand/club houses.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
It’s day 31 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game. Today – An aerial view, but what’s the year?
I’ll give the answer tomorrow but a few clues:
The North Stand had yet to be built
The central part of the Main Stand roof is the original one
The original floodlights are in the corners
The Welcome To Maine Road sign has not yet been erected
Most of the above have been discussed on previous Maine Road 100 days so have a look back and see if you can work out the year. Comment below with your guesses. Answer tomorrow. Thanks
Here’s a view from 1971 to compare with the above.
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:
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 