100 years on from Maine Road

On the 30th of August 1923, Manchester City opened the turnstiles of their new home, Maine Road, and this August would have seen the old ground reach a century.

My Dad has often told me about the tales of City’s home, Maine Road. A stadium that was hidden away amongst row upon row of terrace houses in Moss Side.

As a baby, I was carried around the ground in a papoose not long before its closure.

My Dad wanted to share with me the place that had played such a big part in his life.

Maine Road closed its turnstiles for the last time in 2003 - ending an 80-year stay.

Historian and Manchester City fanatic Dr Gary James joined me for a chat, and he took me back 100 years to when City moved to their old, iconic ground Maine Road.

The Farewell to Maine Road author told me about the club’s first ground, Hyde Road.

“It was on a street in Ardwick with boiler works on one side, railway arches on another, and stone works on the far side.”

The ground needed to be more fit for purpose, especially for an ever-growing football club.

“From the 1890s, the club was looking at moving,” Dr James added.

“There was a fire in the 1920s destroying the main stand at Hyde Road, which meant it had to happen sooner than later. They sped up the move and ended up at Maine Road.”

Maine Road was situated in Moss Side, an area that is now built up with houses, around what was the centre circle.

However, in the early 20th century, “it was growing quite a lot,” Dr James said as he flicked through some notes.

“It was a major gamble. Most City fans didn’t think Maine Road could become the club’s home.”

“I imagine that you can’t imagine anything other than the Etihad.” This really put it in perspective what it would have been like for the City fans back in the ’30s.

The match is where I go with my family, every other weekend. We go to the same chip shop and walk the same streets – the matchday routine is fundamental for supporters.

Around the same period, rivals United moved from Bank Street, an arena that parallels City’s current ground, The Etihad Stadium.

“Their move was a failure; they simply didn’t get the crowds they expected.

“It was the furthest any club had moved up to that point.”

City’s move to Maine Road was not as drastic as their Mancunian cousins. It also proved to be more of a successful relocation.

In Manchester City’s introductory match at Maine Road, there was an attendance of 58,000 – an unheard-of tally for the era.

“In that same season” Dr James paused, and as he grinned, I knew another impressive stat was coming my way. “76,000 were there at a game against Cardiff in the FA Cup.

“Which was, at the time, the largest crowd that had ever been on a club ground outside of London.

“The first one to beat it? Well, it was Maine Road ten years later in 1934!” Dr James chuckled in astonishment at his own findings.

The opinion of the City fans changed and proved the move was undoubtedly the right one.

In 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced that the country was at war.

This torrid period saw Maine Road store newspapers and butter under its terraces.

The club has a rich history of playing a massive role in its community. Their charitable foundation, City in the Community, was set up in 1986.

“It was officially established in 1986, but the actual community work was going on for at least a decade before that; it just wasn’t branded.”

“As we got to the 1980s and the 1990s, there were car parking issues and in the ’70s, hooliganism around the ground.”

“The stadium became more of a problem to the local residents, and there were big concerts there too.”

Despite the unrest amongst Maine Road’s neighbours, the club continued to work with the community and put on tea dances for older supporters and the Junior Blues group.

As the decades passed, the once ground-breaking epicentre for Manchester football became run-down.

Despite its downfall, the ground housed some of the City fans’ most treasured memories.

One City supporter, Vincent Kieran told me: “My fondest memory at Maine Road was the 3-1 win against United. Especially when Goater nicked the ball off Gary Neville and scored!”

Sadly the club had to relocate from their home. Dr James continued:

“It was allowed to lose its status over the last two decades because the investment stopped going into the stadium!

“The club said that to extend the corner between the Kippax and the Platt Lane stand was impossible because of the houses around.”

However, Dr James disputed that other grounds around the nation have managed to do what City’s board dismissed.

“You look at the Etihad now, but if the money stopped going into it one day, it would start to lose pace.

“Maine Road cemented City as a major club but sadly also signified how the club was mistreated by its owners in its last 20 years.”

Impressively the ground hosted England’s first-ever World Cup qualifying match in 1949, as well as holding Manchester United’s highest attendance in Europe back in the 1956/57 season – due to Old Trafford’s lack of floodlights.

“The last game at Maine Road was really emotional,” Dr James told me.

Blue’s fan, Kieran added: “We nicknamed the ground Pain Road. It was a pain getting beat by Southampton in the last game there, and the pain in my backside sat on the wooden benches in the Platt Lane end!”

However, after eight decades, the club confirmed the deal for the City of Manchester Stadium after the 1999 playoff victory.

The first few years at the club’s new abode “were very different” as “special moments didn’t happen regularly.

“But people forget that is probably down to there always being something to play for in the last five or six seasons.

“City had lost pace with the top four or five clubs, but we were also safe in that period; we were mid-table.”

The Etihad Stadium has since become one of the most modern stadiums in world football and has housed even more memorable moments in the club’s history.

As the football club celebrates the 100th anniversary of Maine Road, it is essential to reflect on the stadium’s legacy and remember what makes City, City.

The memories of the stadium will continue to be passed down from generation to generation of Citizens, ensuring that its legacy lives on.

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