David Dale

Why Blue?

I was born in Timperley, in the days when it was still Cheshire, of a mad keen Manchester-born City father and a southern-born mother with no sporting interests at all. Most of my dad’s family support City, so it was a foregone conclusion that I would too. The one major exception is my uncle Jack (dad’s oldest brother) who supports the Trafford All-Stars, but we forgive him.

One of the worst things in my life was when we all moved south, to Luton, so that we could be nearer my mum’s family. That was in 1965, while City were regrouping in the Second Division. I hadn’t started visiting Maine Road then, but I know now that if we’d stayed in Timperley I’d be much happier. Just to rub salt in, my mum left us in 1968 (what a year!), so we didn’t need to be in the miserable south anyway.

I think it was the following year, during a weekend at a friend’s house in Bramhall, that I went to my first football match. It was the lad’s eighth birthday and he was desperate to go to see his favourite team at home – you’ve guessed it, my first match was at the Swamp! The Rags beat Burnley (remember them?) for all it matters. That’s still the only time I’ve been there.

By this time I had the strip, the pictures, the pennants and everything else I could lay my hands on re. City. All I needed now was a match programme. With the regular visits to Manchester, visiting family, it eventually came about that my dad finally took me to Maine Road. I can only vaguely remember the day – we either beat Nottm. Forest 4-1 or West Ham 4-3. I can remember the excitement though, the shear joy of being there.

I’ve probably only seen City about 100 times in the thirty-odd years since then, and about thirty of those matches have been away games, mostly in London or at Luton. Some of my finest memories, though, are of City matches – Sunderland at Maine Road in the 1973 cup, 2-2; our first away win of the 1978/79 season, White Hart Lane, February 1979, 3-1 (Peter Barnes’ finest game); other games at White Hart Lane include 1-3 (August 1990), 1-0 (November 1991), 1-2 (April 1995); 42,000+ at Maine Road to see us lose 0-2 to Sheffield Weds., 198?, in the (old) Second Division.

My greatest memories are of Wembley. My dad got tickets from Luton Town for the 1976 League Cup final. Great day, shame we were in the Newcastle end. All those strange young men in butcher’s coats! But in many ways the greatest day in my life, after the births of my sons, was at Wembley last year. It was my oldest son’s eighth birthday and was to be his first match. I really wanted that to be at Maine Road, but what the hey, Wembley’s a fair second best.

On the day there was confusion over the tickets, and to cut a long story short we ended up in the old Post Office (a pub) in Wembley High Street. There must have been 200 City fans in there from all over the world – an Irish couple from the USA took my Joshua’s photo in his face paint after the game – if you’re reading this, we’re still waiting for the prints. The atmosphere in the pub was unbelievable, although Joshua fell asleep during the second half! When Horlock scored he asked me to put him on my shoulders if City scored again. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that it was too late now, so tried to smile and promised to do that. When Dickov scored he was on my shoulders in a flash, and then he was passed around the pub above everybody’s heads! Now he’s bitten, there’s no way back for him. I feel like half my job as his father is done.

And that, for me, is what it’s all about. My grandad passed it to my dad, who passed it to me. Now I’m passing it to my sons – the inexplicable passionate love for MCFC, and everything and everybody connected with the club (and it is a club, not a PLC). I may be more of an armchair fan now than I was before, but when time, money and away ticket availability allow, I’m there. But I’ll never lose that passion.

First printed in: MCIVTA Newsletter #584 on