On this day (23 September 1989) bargain basement Manchester City defeated big spending Manchester United 5-1 in the Manchester Derby. It was a game that entered Mancunian folklore. These days beating United is a lot more commonplace than it was back then, so if you’d like to understand how and why this became an important, never to be forgotten day then read the following 1700 word article…
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This is something I wrote a few years back about Ian Brightwell. I hope you enjoy it… Of all the players to appear in City’s 1986 FA Youth Cup winning side, Ian Brightwell is the one who ended up having the longest playing career with the Blues. He remained at Maine Road until 1998. By that time he had played for a total of ten permanent managers and numerous caretakers in a 12 year first team career. It’s a wonder any player could cope with so much change.
He made his debut against Wimbledon on 23rd August 1986 (their first game in Division One), around four months after the Youth Cup success over Manchester United: “Billy McNeill gave me my debut in the opening game of the following season against Wimbledon. He told me a few days before that I’d be playing. He came up to me and told me, and I couldn’t believe it. I’d only just turned 18, but I had a few days to prepare. We won the game 3-1 and it helped me that Steve Redmond was already in the side. Of that Youth side Reddo was first in and then it was me, and I remember us watching to see who would be next. My second game was at Anfield and that was a great experience. We drew the game 0-0 but how we got away with that I’ll never know. We were battered.”
Brightwell made 12 League appearances plus four as substitute that season, but it was not a great time for the Blues as City were relegated at the end of the campaign. Billy McNeill had left early in the season: “I had great respect for him and was really disappointed when he left. He was a real legend – first man to lift the European Cup for a British side. Jimmy Frizzell took over, so that helped as it was more of a continuation. But for me it became the norm that managers would be changed. I don’t think Billy should have left when he did. I’ve still got great respect for him as a person and of course as a football manager. I’ll always be thankful to him.”
Under Mel Machin the following season Brightwell became an established member of the promotion seeking side before the arrival of Gary Megson limited his chances for a while: “It was a strange season because it was the first time as a group those of us from the youth side weren’t winning. I know we’d been relegated the previous season, but by 1987-88 a few of us were regulars in the first team. We were disappointed and felt we should have done better. I missed the 10-1 against Huddersfield, but I appeared in the 6-2 against Plymouth a few days later. Those games did bring a lot of attention our way, but I’d rather City be consistent. We weren’t good enough overall, but the following year that experience helped push us on. But it was difficult in 1988-89 as well. It’s a tough division to get out of.”
Promotion was achieved on the last day of the 1988-89 season in a nerve-wracking match at Bradford: “The pitch invasion followed. I was carried off on fans’ shoulders and had half my kit ripped off me. In the dressing room I remember thinking how close we’d been to missing out.”
The following season there was yet another managerial change and Howard Kendall was brought in. Under his guidance Brightwell was given an extended run in the team and, on 3rd February 1990, he scored his most memorable goal. It was a marvellous 25 yarder against Manchester United at Old Trafford: “I remember that the ball was out on the right and Mark Ward sort of half-crossed it. It came to me and I’ll never forget this – I heard Steve Redmond on the half way line shout: ‘Bob…’ I’d best not say his exact words, but let’s just say he wanted me to have a go in his strong scouse accent! It was on my left foot, which isn’t my strongest, but I did what Reddo said. It went in the top corner!
“I ran off and jumped about twenty feet in the air – or at least that’s how it looks on the photos. I remember the noise because back then the away fans used to get about 10,000 tickets at Old Trafford and it was phenomenal.”
Afterwards an excited Brightwell, when asked to explain how he’d scored, told the media: “I just wellied it!” It became the expression of the season and seemed to match everybody’s impression of a boyhood dream come true.
In the years that followed Brightwell performed consistently and was loyal to the City cause. Many of his former youth team colleagues were transferred or, in the case of Paul Lake, suffered serious injury, but Brightwell remained: “It was odd once the others went. They didn’t all go at once and of course Lakey was injured, but it did feel different. We’d known each other as a group for about 15 years, so a big loss. But my incentive was always to stay in spite of everything else. I actually think that if we’d have had continuity of management during that time that we’d have all stayed. If that had happened… well just look at United. They had a crop of talented youngsters about ten years after us like Butt, Scholes, Neville, and so on and they grew as a team. We never got that chance.”
There were some bright moments for the Blues in the early Nineties, however the second half of the decade saw City plummet through the divisions. In 1998, after relegation to the third level of football, Brightwell moved on: “It broke my heart to see City fall so low but I still didn’t want to leave. It was a difficult decision but Joe Royle had explained that the Club couldn’t offer me a contract at the level I was on. In the end I had to go and I moved to Coventry who were still in the Premier League, but my first impression was that this was such a small club in comparison with City. They may have been two divisions higher but in my mind there was no comparison.
“It didn’t work out at Coventry and I became injured. I kept going back to Manchester to watch City whenever I could.”
After Coventry Brightwell played for Walsall (including an emotional return trip to Maine Road), Stoke and Port Vale, before moving into coaching. In 2004 he was caretaker manager of Port Vale and, in 2006, he performed a similar role at Macclesfield. In 2007 he became Macclesfield’s manager on a permanent basis, but was dismissed in February 2008. He admitted in 2010 that Tony Book and Glyn Pardoe, who had been City’s youth coaches during the Eighties, remained influential figures throughout his career: “It’s difficult to stress how important Book and Pardoe and some of the others were. When I moved into coaching and, of course, management at Macclesfield, I used a lot of the things they said. They were so influential and if you think about where they got it from – well that was Malcolm Allison and Joe Mercer. You can’t get any better. Tony Book used to always say ‘control and play’. It sounds simple but in essence that’s what the game is all about and I still use that. Tony and Glyn used to drum it into you in the A team.”
To the wider world Ian Brightwell may not be the most well-known player from City’s 1986 FA Youth Cup winning team, but in terms of commitment to the Blue cause and longevity he was certainly one of the most dedicated. He was also a passionate Blue from childhood: “It was the team I supported and I used to go down to Maine Road. Colin Bell was nearing the end of his career when I went but there were people like Asa Hartford, Peter Barnes and Gary Owen. City were still a major side at that time. I remember the year we missed out on the title by a point to Liverpool (1977) – we should have done it. Tony Book was manager and the players were a different class. It was great to watch.”
During his career it was often highlighted that Brightwell came from a family with a great sporting pedigree. His brother David also played for City, while his parents were successful British Olympic athletes: “I couldn’t ask for a better sporting pedigree. My mum (Ann Brightwell nee Packer) won a gold and a silver in Tokyo and my dad (Robbie) won a silver.”
On this day (9 May) in 1987 Manchester City were relegated after a 2-0 defeat at West Ham (see match report). At the end of the game City supporters and West Ham fans climbed over the fences and onto the pitch. Some thought that the two sets of supporters were about to confront each other, but the fans knew differently. The Hammers began chanting “You’ll be back” and both groups swapped scarves and souvenirs on the pitch. It was the kind of moment that should have been widely reported in the media but at the time focus tended to be on hooliganism and confrontation rather than the positives of football support. City had been relegated, but their supporters did not seek revenge. The West Ham fans could have ridiculed, but they didn’t. If only those condemning football fans at the time could have seen the two sets of loyal supporters genuinely appreciating and understanding each other.
The relationship between the fans of the two clubs is not something that is widely discussed or promoted but it is something that has endured. City fans have never forgotten the ‘You’ll be back’ game and in recent years, as others have unfairly mocked both sets of fans, the supporters of both the Blues and the Hammers seem to understand and respect each other. Inevitably, there will always be banter during a game but outside of the match the mutual recognition and respect always seems to win through.
To many West Ham are the City of the South – a proud football club with a great history and heritage, combined with a loyal and passionate fanbase.
You can read more on Ian’s debut season of 1986-87 below. This is a 2,500 word feature on the entire season and is available to subscribers.
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With Manchester City and Plymouth meeting this weekend it’s worth remembering this past encounter between the two teams. They met on 10 November 1987 – only three days after City had thrashed Huddersfield 10-1 in the League. The meeting with Plymouth was in the Full Members’ Cup – then sponsored by the unforgettable Simod Sports Shoes. Manchester’s football focus had been on Mel Machin’s goalscorerd and, once again, City entertained.
Plymouth suffered a 6-2 defeat only three days after the Huddersfield massacre. Again the press picked up on City’s exploits and for once the rather irrelevant Simod Cup dominated the back page headlines. The Star concentrated on the role played by Tony Adcock who had scored his second hat-trick in three days. Under the headline “Adcock’s ‘Arf Hour” reporter Kevin Francis concentrated on the news that the £80,000 signing from Colchester was only in the side because of injury to Imre Varadi, and suggested that Machin would have a difficult selection problem once Varadi returned to fitness. Machin, who also had the prolific Paul Moulden recovering from injury, looked forward to the time when he would actually be faced with the problem of selecting two of the four decent strikers he had on his books!
Interestingly, City’s first goalscorer against Plymouth, Andy Hinchcliffe, was being watched by Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish. Already the Blues were aware that almost all the wealthiest British clubs of the period were keen on City’s headline grabbing young players. Only four months later Rangers manager Graeme Souness arrived at Maine Road to watch the game against Swindon. He paid to sit in the North Stand, and watched the exploits of Paul Stewart while covering half his face with a scarf to hide his identity! It didn’t work. A Sunday People reporter spotted the Rangers manager and his assistant, Walter Smith, and forced the pair to leave before they attracted further attention.
For a while the interest in the achievements of City’s young players was high and this meeting with Plymouth certainly gained more headlines for them. The goalscorers that night for City were: Andy Hinchcliffe, Paul Lake, Paul Stewart and Tony Adcock (3).
Subscribers can find out more about the 1987-88 season by reading my 4,000 word feature on it below. Enjoy!
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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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The series of features covering the 1980s for Manchester City continues with a reminder of a day when City chairman Peter Swales made a huge mistake. This cutting is from this day (2 December) in 1989 and refers to the Blues’ attempts to appoint Joe Royle as manager. However, by the time this article was published Swales had already messed things up.
He’d appeared on Granada TV’s Kick Off programme on the Friday night saying how he wanted Oldham boss Royle to replace Mel Machin. Unfortunately, Oldham had a game that night and Swales’ comments on TV helped inspire a series of emotional pleas and chants for Joe Royle not to leave Boundary Park. Their game basically became a Joe Royle tribute night and the emption of that night meant City did not get their man. At the time City fans would call days like this ‘Typical City!’ as cock-ups by the chairman and his supporting directors dogged the club’s development.
Note the comment about Tony Book in the image. These were the days when he often was dragged into managing the team on a temporary basis.
If you want to know more about that weekend 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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A new daily series of articles for subscribers started earlier this month covering the 1980s. This is a seasonal journey through a truly important decade in the history of Manchester City Football Club. Today’s article is a 8,000 word long read on the 1989-90 season. Enjoy!
Subscribe to get access – Monthly
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate below which gives greater access and works out much cheaper.
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (above) or £20 a year (here) to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.
A new daily series of articles for subscribers started earlier this month covering the 1980s. This is a seasonal journey through a truly important decade in the history of Manchester City Football Club. Today’s article is a 4,100 word feature on the 1988-89 season. Enjoy!
Subscribe to get access – Monthly
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate below which gives greater access and works out much cheaper.
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (above) or £20 a year (here) to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.
A new daily series of articles for subscribers started last week covering the 1980s. This is a seasonal journey through a truly important decade in the history of Manchester City Football Club. Today’s article is a 4,000 word feature on the 1987-88 season. Enjoy!
Subscribe to get access – Monthly
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) to access everything posted since 1 October 2022 or there’s a special annual rate below which gives greater access and works out much cheaper.
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (above) or £20 a year (here) to access everything posted since the site was created in December 2020. This special rate works out about £1.67 a week and gives access to everything posted, including PDFs of 3 of my books.
The 8th of October marks the anniversary of one of those ‘one game wonders’ who played for Manchester City. On this day in 1988 defender Bill Williams made his one and only appearance for City’s first team when he came on as substitute for Mark Seagraves in the Blues’ 1-0 defeat at Ipswich Town. He did make seven reserve appearances but that game at Ipswich was the only first team appearance.
It was a strange situation because City had signed him from Stockport where he had developed a good reputation in defence and as captain. Asa Hartford was the Stockport boss at the time and was sorry to see Williams leave but told the press that he couldn’t do much because of the glamour associated with City.
Williams returned to Stockport on 1 December and fans of both clubs seemed confused. At Edgeley Park County fans were delighted he’d returned but at Maine Road rumours circulated. City had sold him back to County for a discount price and had managed to get special dispensation off the League – back then a player could not be sold back to his original club within the same season.
There were rumours that Williams had a business (painting and decorating if my memory is correct – anyone remember?) and that by joining City he needed to spend more time training etc. than at County and that, ultimately, that meant he couldn’t earn as much at Maine Road as he had while working for himself and playing at Stockport. I’m not certain if that is true but that’s the rumour that circulated.
Whatever the situation, City lost money on the deal and Williams became a one hit wonder for the Blues.
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This brief comment says everything you need to know about the 23 September 1989 Manchester derby. This was how the New York Post reported on Manchester City’s bargain basement Blues defeated United’s expensive Reds.
Subscribers can read about the 1989-90 season here:
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