Tag Archives: Maine Road

Maine Road 100 – Day 86

For post 86 of my Maine Rd 100 a photo of Tony Book, Peter Swales and Kaz Deyna. They were photographed at Deyna’s signing in the Maine Rd boardroom. Swales was the City chairman for what became a quarter of Maine Road’s existence, but who were the other chairmen? For the benefit of subscribers to my website I decided to compile for the first time ever a full list of Manchester City’s chairmen since the club’s earliest known game in 1880 through to today. Here goes:

Subscribe to get access

If you would like to read this and all the in-depth articles on this site (including the entire Manchester A Football History book and the audio interview with John Bond) then please subscribe. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time. Annual subscribers get full access to the 1000+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access

If you would like to read this and all the in-depth articles on this site (including the entire Manchester A Football History book) then please subscribe. Monthly subscription costs £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time. Monthly subscribers get full access to everything posted since 1 October 2022 and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.

Subscribe

Maine Road 100 – Day 85

Post 85 of my Maine Road 100 countdown is a FA Cup reminder of a day that I know I loved as a kid. It was the day (24 January) in 1981 when John Bond’s Manchester City defeated his former club Norwich 6-0 in the FA Cup fourth round tie. I was sat in that uncovered bit between the Main Stand and the North Stand (it was cheaper but if it rained it was somewhat unpleasant, especially when the rain blew off the Main Stand roof on to us!).

This 1971 image shows the area I was sat in (number 2) that day:

Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road

Subscribers can read a report and watch highlights of the game here:

Subscribe to get access

If you would like to read this and all the other great content on here then please subscribe. Annual subscribers (£20 per year, sign up here) get access to everything posted on the site including PDFs of 2 of my out of print books and archived content like my exclusive audio interviews with John Bond, Malcolm Allison etc. Not only that but you’ll be helping to support this site’s development.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access

If you would like to read this and all other great content on here then please subscribe. Monthly subscribers (£3 per month, cancel anytime and sign up here) get access to everything posted on the site since 1 October 2022. Not only that but you’ll be helping to support this site’s development.

Subscribe

Maine Road 100 – Day 84

Post 84 of my 100 Maine Rd countdown remembers the day in 1987 when Manchester City defeated Huddersfield Town 10-1.  It was one of the most memorable days at the old ground for fans of my age. I was stood in the Kippax that day. Notice the newspaper cutting includes Maine Road in its headline. The old stadium name often appeared in headlines in a way that doesn’t seem to happen so much these days.

Paul Stewart, Tony Adcock, and David White each scored a hat-trick while the goal spree was started by Neil McNab. You can read the full story of the game; watch highlights and more here….

Subscribe to get access – Annual

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. If you’d like to support my research then why not subscribe? 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.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

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.

Subscribe

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.

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.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access

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.

Subscribe

Maine Road 100 – Day 82

It’s post 82 of my 100 Maine Road countdown and today a reminder of the largest ever Manchester derby crowd for a game at City or United. On 20 September 1947 a crowd of approximately 78,000 witnessed the first post-war Manchester derby.  A tense match ended goalless before the derby’s record crowd on a club ground. This attendance remained the highest for a Manchester derby until the 2011 FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium. The return fixture, also played at Maine Road, was watched by 71,690.

Subscribers can read the story of the 1947 game (background, match report, statistics etc.) below:

Subscribe to get access – Annual

You can read this detailed article when you subscriber (plus all other material on the site). It costs £20 a year (£1.67 per month) to subscribe or you can subscribe a month at a time (see below).

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

You can read this detailed article when you subscribe (plus all other material on the site). It costs £20 a year (above) to subscribe annually or you can subscribe a month at a time for £3 per month (cancel anytime; monthly subscribers get access to everything posted since 1 October 2022).

Subscribe

Maine Road 100 – Day 80

For post 80 of my Maine Rd 100 countdown how about a story of a 8-0? This post is about “Stanley’s Match” when England beat Scotland 8-0 at Maine Road and the image shown is a section of the crowd that day.

“When I heard the team I said two prayers.  One of thanks to the Scots for leaving me out, and one on behalf of Adam Little who had taken my place.  I knew then we’d do well to get away with less than five goals against.”  So said Bill Shankly referring to the selection of the England team to face Scotland at Maine Road in October 1943. You can read the story of this incredible game here:

Subscribe to get access – Annual

Read more of this content when you subscribe today.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

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.

Subscribe

Maine Road 100 – Day 79

Post 79 of my Maine Rd 100 countdown is this image of fans demonstrating against chairman Peter Swales and his supporting board of directors.

Those were the days! This image was from 1983 but protests began in 1979 and continued until 1993-94. Here’s a photo of John Bond stood in front of the Main Entrance in 1983. The ‘cage’ protecting the entrance would often get locked to prevent fans forcing their way in during demonstrations.

John Bond, 1983

Here’s a 1995 image of Maine Road showing the forecourt in front of the Main Stand where most demonstrations occurred:

Maine Road 100 – Day 78

For post 78 of my Maine Road 100 countdown I want to post this reminder of a classic Manchester City v Tottenham gam. It was played on 9 December 1967 became known as the Ballet On Ice.  Manchester United supporter Bobby Greenroyd watched the game on Match of the Day and wrote to City afterwards:  “I am a regular Manchester United fan, but after Saturday’s game your next home gate will be increased by one.”  High praise, particularly as United themselves were on the verge of European Cup glory.

Why and how did this happen and which leading MCFC figure sneaked out to buy a bag of chips while the club celebrated its 1968 League title success? Here for subscribers is an article that explains all….

Subscribe to get access – Annual

Read this and everything else on the site when you subscribe today. It costs £20 a year or £3 per month (see below). Annual subscribers get access to everything posted since December 2020 plus all material during the subscription.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

Read this and everything else on the site when you subscribe today. It costs £20 a year (see above) or £3 per month. Monthly subscribers get access to everything posted since 1st October 2022 plus all material during the subscription. Why not give it a go for a month?

Subscribe

The snowy image looks towards the Platt Lane Stand (number 5 in this 1971 ground image) from the Scoreboard End goal (number 10 is the Scoreboard End replacement the North Stand).

Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road

Maine Road 100 – Day 77

For post 77 in my Maine Rd 100 countdown a reminder of a record City have held for almost a century! This image is of a day in 1924 when City attracted the highest crowd on a club ground. The drawing is looking from the Main Stand towards the Popular Side, later Kippax. It’s no longer the record attendance because it was beaten by another record crowd at Maine Rd a decade later. Want to know more? The read on…

1925 Aerial photo of Maine Road and Platt Fields Park

A record Manchester City have held for 99 years was set on 8 March in 1924 – the record is the highest attendance on a club ground! The record set in 1924 saw 76,166 attend City v Cardiff. City had moved to their new Maine Road stadium in August 1923. The capacity of the venue was estimated at around 90,000 but was actually approximately 83,000 when the stadium opened (it was enlarged in 1931 and 1935).

In its first season the capacity was tested and, on that day (8 March) in 1924 the largest attendance for any footballing fixture (including three FA Cup Finals) in Manchester gathered to watch the Blues. This was also, at the time, the record crowd for any game played on an English club ground. It was beaten ten years later when 84,569 watched City v Stoke. You can read about the remarkable day in 1924 below:

Subscribe to get access

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £20 a year (access to everything) or £3 per month (see below).

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access

Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £20 a year (see above) or £3 per month (cancel anytime; access to everything posted since 1 October 2022).

Subscribe

You can read about the attendance that brought this record (again by City at Maine Road) here:

A National Record – 84,569

Other record crowd articles can be seen here:

Welcome to Gary James’ Football Archive

Subscribe to get access

This has been a sample of the material on http://www.GJFootballArchive.com If you would like to read all the in-depth articles (including the entire Manchester A Football History book and the audio interview with John Bond) then please subscribe. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time. Each subscriber gets full access to the 260+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.

Subscribe

Maine Road 100 – Day 76

For post 76 of my Maine Rd 100 countdown a reminder of a day when over 74,000 watched managerless Manchester City at Maine Road. The image is of Frank Roberts, a City star that day. That day (30 January 1926) City faced Huddersfield Town in a FA Cup tie at Maine Road, watched by 74,799.

The following article, for subscribers to GJFootballArchive.com, provides the background story to the tie and film of the game.

Subscribe to get access – Annual

If you would like to view this article then please subscribe below. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time (below). Annual subscribers get full access to the 1000+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.

Subscribe

Subscribe to get access – Monthly

If you would like to view this article then please subscribe below. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year, above) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time (here). Monthly subscribers get full access to everything posted since 1 October 2022 and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.

Subscribe