The first time ever I…..

Went to Maine Road.

Now seems like a good time to tell you about the academy, considering it hosts it last game today against Southampton, we move to Eastlands for the beginning of next season.

I'm going to apply a little poetic licence here. The first time I went, my only memory is the Wagon Wheel. The first time I took an interest and was bitten by the City bug was 13th of October 1979. We played Nottingham Forest and beat them 1:0 I think Kaziu Dayna scored. As we walked out of the dark tunnel into the afternoon light of the stadium all the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, it was an amazing feeling and one that still gets me every time I go. We sat in the Platt lane just to the left of the goal; my dad thought that the Kippax was a bit rough for me. I remember looking over and seeing the seething mass on the terrace, and the songs that came from there, urging everyone else to get behind the team. I eventually ended up with a season ticket for the Kippax, my love affair started that day and ended one Saturday against Chelsea, when I was one of the last people to walk out of that old terrace the day it saw it's last game. When we scored against Forest the noise was unbelievable, I looked up at my dad and saw him giving the V's to Brian Clough. In the seventies City played Forest at Maine Road whilst Manchester was hit by a bus strike, there was a capacity crowd and Cloughie said he would crawl on his hands and knees up the M6 for support like that. If only ! I went home after the game buoyed by our victory and certain that I wanted to go every week.