Tag Archives: Paul Hince

30 Years Ago: Paul Hince Highlights City Humour

On this day (20 November) in 1995 this report of the Sheffield Wednesday-Manchester City game played on 18 November 1995 was published. It’s by former City player Paul Hince, who appeared during City’s 1967-68 League title winning season. Hince’s reports often highlighted the unusual or the different and he tended to notice the feelings of the fans. Here he talks of City fans chanting about winning the League in a season when Alan Ball guided the Blues to depressing failure.

For those interested Steve Lomas netted for the Blues in this match. If you’re interested, you can now read more on City’s 1995-96 season below. This was a hugely significant season and the following subscriber article is almost 5,500 words long.

Yes, I know but we can look back and remember from a position of relative comfortability now! As with many of these subscriber features it contains material from interviews I’ve performed with key figures from that time.

Here’s the 5500 word article on that season:

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The 1960s: 1967-1968 Leeds v Manchester City

On this day (23 March) in 1968 came a game between two title challenging teams – Leeds Utd and Manchester City. The view was that this game could knock City out of the title race if it went Leeds’ way. So what happened? Here’s film of the game:

You can find out more aboutthe potential impact of this game by reading this subscriber article on Manchester City during the 1967-68 season. If you’d like to read this 7,600 word article (yes, 7,600 words on one season!), plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.

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The 1960s: Summerbee Treble

On this day (31 January) in 1968 Manchester City defeated Reading 7-0 in a FA Cup replay. As the players left the field the Elm Park tannoy announcer claimed:  ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, you have just seen one of the greatest teams England has produced in a long time.’

Goalscorers were Mike Summerbee (3), Colin Bell, Tony Coleman, George Heslop and Neil Young. This photo is of the Bell, Lee & Summerbee statue at the Etihad today.

Dozens of letters arrived at Maine Road commenting on City’s performance.  Many Reading fans wrote in saying they could have watched the Blues all night.  Other letters arrived commenting on how well behaved the City supporters were, while fans themselves commented on the cheerfulness of the Reading police.  

These points may seem trivial today, but in 1968 football had already begun to enter its hooligan period.  Football supporters had started to be seen as trouble causers and incidents of violence, or of vandalism, soon found their way into national newspapers.  Although City supporters were never totally blameless, during the late 1960s Blues fans continued to gain commendations rather than condemnation.

You can read more on this remarkable, trophy winning season below. If you’d like to read this 7,600 word article (yes, 7,600 words on one season!), plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.

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The 1960s: 1967-1968 Congratulations

Continuing the series of features on the 1960s, here’s a subscriber article on Manchester City during the 1967-68 season. A trophy winning season. If you’d like to read this 7,600 word article (yes, 7,600 words on one season!), plus all other articles on the site, then please subscribe (see below). As with most of the other features in this series it includes words from interviews I have performed with those who were there.

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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £3 per month (cancel anytime) or sign up for a year at the discounted price of £20 per year (works out £1.67 per month). Subscribers access the 1000+ articles posted so far and the others scheduled during the life of your subscription.

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The 1990s: 1993-1994 Swales Out

The series of articles covering Manchester City in the 1990s continues today with the 1993-94 season. It was such an important (and at times complicated season) that this article on that season is over 9,000 words long. It’s like a book in itself! It’s available to subscribers, so why not subscribe and relive this extraordinary season? As with all these 1990s subscriber features it contains material from interviews I’ve performed with key figures from that time. In particular this one contains quotes from Peter Swales and Francis Lee which they discussed with me personally.

Here’s the 9000+ word article on that season:

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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.

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This series of articles and features will run throughout March with indepth articles some days and smaller ‘on this day’ style posts on others. There will be flashbacks to great games, players and more. Every day in March will offer something to enjoy.

Subscribers will get access to everything, while some on this day material will be free for all to view.

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Paul Hince

I was sorry to hear the news of Paul Hince’s death. I met him a few times over the years and in 2002 did a small feature in the Manchester City match programme about him. The game was against another of his clubs, Charlton. Here is that small piece as written at the time with a few quotes from Paul:

16/11/2002 Charlton article

Maine Man – Paul Hince

Born: Manchester, 2nd March 1945

City debut: v West Bromwich Albion (h) 25/3/1967 (Scored twice in a 2-2 draw)

City Appearances: FL: 7 apps. 4 goals

FLC: 4 apps.

TOTAL: 11 apps. 4 goals.

Against Crewe we featured Stan Bowles and today our Maine Man is another player from the late sixties who is more familiar to City supporters for events off the pitch.  Whereas Bowles was a frequent headline grabber, Paul Hince became a headline writer and is featured here because of his connections with both City and Charlton and because of his role as a City-loving journalist. 

Hince would be the first to admit he is never likely to feature in a list of great players, nor is he to be regarded as a key member of City’s squad, however he did appear and score during City’s 1967-8 Championship season and has chronicled events at Maine Road for the Manchester Evening News while demonstrating his passionate support for the Blues.

When Hince made his debut in 1967 he had an immediate impact:  “I scored two goals in a minute, but the ironic thing is that in between those goals I missed a much easier chance!  Ralph Brand set me up beautifully.  All I needed to do was chest it down but I decided to go for a spectacular header.  I thought I’d make an impression…  I did… I totally missed the ball!”

Despite the goals, Hince wasn’t retained in the side.  It was the busy Easter period and Hince had already played in a number of important reserve matches causing manager Joe Mercer to rest him.  The following season he returned to the first team for a run of six consecutive League games early in the season:  “I was running on pure adrenaline when I played in those games and the 3-0 win at Coventry was by far my best performance.  It’s certainly the one I’m most proud of, but in the match at Arsenal two weeks later I suddenly ran out of adrenaline.  I was exhausted and seemed to be chasing the game.  I was substituted of course.  Francis Lee was signed shortly afterwards and I knew I had to move on.

“I went to Charlton and, although I didn’t play well, I was delighted with the way the fans treated me.  The Charlton supporters were genuinely nice people and when my wife gave birth they bought us romper suits and other baby items.  We really appreciated their support, but on the pitch I was trying too hard.  Eddie Firmani – the manager – used to tell me to slow down.  So did the other players – Graham Moore, Keith Peacock, and the rest.  All good people, but I couldn’t correct it. 

“Although I enjoyed the support and the players, I did miss Manchester, and when the chance came I moved to Bury.  I was back into my journalism by this point – I worked on the South East London Mercury while at Charlton – and my writing career was what I focused on.”

Hince went on to become a highly respected journalist with the Manchester Evening News and spent a very enjoyable time covering the rise of Oldham Athletic before being asked to cover City:  “I loved my time covering Oldham.  The club had progressed a great deal while I was writing about them and I was delighted for them.  Being a City fan – I used to walk to Maine Road from Gorton to get in for free at three-quarter time when I was a boy – meant that I was always destined to cover the Blues.  City were a brilliant club to cover and I had a great relationship with Peter Reid and Brian Horton.”

Hince became the paper’s Chief Sportswriter around the time of Alan Ball’s departure but still focuses on the Blues whenever he can.  He remains a loyal City fan and, although he jokes about his role in City’s history he deserves his place as a Maine Man.