Tag Archives: Maine Road

Maine Road 100 – Day 75

For post 75 of my Maine Road 100 countdown I’ve posted this image of entertainer Norman Wisdom doing some prematch stuff at Maine Rd in the 90s. That day many of us stood on the Kippax saw the elderly entertainer take to the field but didn’t recognise him at first. In fact many of us thought it was Peter Reid wearing a flat cap!

There were lots of odd prematch activities over the decades and you can read about them in this 2000 word article on the history of pre-match entertainment at Manchester City. There are mentions of the St Joseph’s Industrial School and Beswick Prize Bands, various DJs, athletic challenges, Norman Wisdom, Frank Sidebottom & more. Enjoy:

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Maine Road 100 – Day 74

For post 74 of my Maine Rd 100 countdown I’m posting this image of the original Scoreboard End being built at the old ground. The Scoreboard End lasted from 1923 until 1970 when it was demolished and replaced by the North Stand. Here’s an aerial photo from almost 40 years later showing the Scoreboard End as the last remaining uncovered stand.

A couple of years ago (and going on for the following 35 weeks) I posted the Scoreboard End being built image as part of my Name That Historic Ground series. Every Monday I challenged readers to see if they could recognise a different ground each week from an old photo. Some were easy, others not so. If you missed them you can now go through each week’s ground and the answers. You can start here:

Historic Name That Ground – Easy One To Start!

You can find the answer to that and then page back through all the past quizzes here:

https://gjfootballarchive.com/category/historic-name-that-ground/page/8/

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Maine Road 100 – Day 73

For post 73 of my Maine Rd 100 countdown I’ve posted this great newspaper cutting from a significant Manchester derby. The game was on 29th January in 1955 and goals from Joe Hayes and Don Revie gave Manchester City a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the FAC in front of 74,723. I’ve posted it partly because of the game’s significance but mostly because I just love the way newspapers would try to explain everything via images and text like this.

If you’d like to know the story of the game and see some great footage of it too then please subscribe (see below).

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Maine Road 100 – Day 72

For post 72 in my Maine Road 100 countdown and today I wanted to show this image of the old ground photographed during the summer of 1982 when the Main Stand roof was being replaced. The white barrelled roof was about to be erected but first the old roof, part of which was the original 1923 structure, had to be removed.

This 1971 image shows the roof being removed (number 1) and the new roof would then stretch over the uncovered section (2).

Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road

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Maine Road 100 – Day 71

It’s post 71 of my Maine Rd 100 countdown. Today I want to show this programme cover for what was perceived as a decisive Manchester derby. Of course the derby that followed this one was more decisive but it’s worth pausing to reflect on the significance and drama of this Maine Rd derby.

MCFC v MUFC 13 March 1974, Score 0-0, Attendance 51,331 Maine Road

The Old Trafford derby of 1974 is usually quoted as a decisive derby, however the Maine Road match was viewed at the time as being vital to United’s survival.  In fact in the programme Red manager Tommy Docherty claimed:  “Tonight’s game is one which decides our fate.  City’s League Cup defeat is a big anti-climax for them and could help our fight for First Division survival.” Here for subscribers to this site is the story of that game – a highly controversial one that was almost abandoned due to player indiscipline!

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Maine Road 100 – Day 70

Here’s post 70 in my Maine Road 100 countdown. Today I’m talking about the old stadium’s final Manchester City victory. During 2002-03 the focus for many City fans was Maine Road’s final season, especially the final month or so of the season. With every game at the stadium a sell-out – only the size of the away support varied – supporters were desperate for the final season to see the old venue at its best.  They also wanted a few memorable results in those final weeks.  

Ultimately, the best Maine Road match of the final weeks came on April 21 2003 when a goal from Robbie Fowler and two from Marc-Vivien Foe brought a 3-0 win over Sunderland.  The game became significant as it was to be the last City victory at the old stadium and Foe’s 80th minute goal was the last scored there by a City man. Sadly, Foe was also to die a few weeks later, adding to the poignancy of this day.

Pre-match Sunderland presented the Blues with a rose bowl commemorating their final visit to the stadium.  Significantly, the time span between their first appearance at Maine Road and their last was greater than any other visiting club. Co-incidentally City’s last victory at Hyde Road was also against Sunderland in April. You can read about that game here:

https://gjfootballarchive.com/2021/04/02/hyde-roads-last-city-victory/

21/4/2003 MCFC 3 Sunderland 0, Attendance 34,357

The view down Wansford Street towards Maine Road in 2003

Maine Road 100 – Day 69

Post 69 in the 100 Maine Rd countdown is this image from a game played on 5 March 1934. It shows Eric Brook scoring what some believed was the greatest goal ever netted at Maine Road (see post 68 for a later contender). What else makes this image special is that it’s from the 84,569 game v Stoke when City attracted a record English crowd on a club ground that still stands today.

Subscribers can read more on why this day, game and image is so special here:

GOLDEN GOALS – 1934 Eric Brook V Stoke City

Maine Road 100 – Day 68

It’s day 68 of my Maine Rd countdown…. Many goals over the old stadium’s 80 year life were described as the greatest ever at Maine Road.  Sometimes these became a talking point for a few days, sometimes for a few years but unless they happen to occur in a major game goals tend to lose their significance as time moves on.  This is especially true for Maine Rd games prior to the 1990s when television coverage was limited to, at best, a handful of top flight games.

One that was remembered for many years was Rodney Marsh’s overhead kick from the City-QPR Division One game of September 1974.  Do you remember it? The following subscriber post tells the story of that classic goal and images of it step by step.

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Maine Road 100 – Day 67

Day 67 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game is this night time cutting from the MCFC match programme of the new Platt Lane. Oh, don’t get me started! This was the perfect example of how Swales, Niven et all downgraded Maine Road from one of England’s leading venues to a mishmash of odd stands. Swales was responsible for the club’s overall direction and Niven was the director responsible for stadium development.

The old Platt Lane held about 9,500, the new stand when opened in March 1993 was less than 5,000. You can read about what happened on the stand’s opening day here:

Spurs, The Umbro Stand, Swales Out and That Pitch Invasion!

This 1971 aerial image shows the old Platt Lane (3, 4 & 5). The stand was demolished in 1992 with the new one rising in 1992-93.

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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Maine Road 100 – Day 66

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:

Farewell To Maine Road – Part One

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.

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