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Opening Day Memories

Sargent Pepper

By Sargent Pepper
in Football Chat

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Northamptonshire Red

Northamptonshire Red

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First game in the championship against QPR back in 2007. I was sat in the East End with my American ex-wife and her friend, after a bit of handbags with the QPR fans, I seem to remember a youth team from Florida being announced onto the pitch (Beach FC?!) which was followed with chants of "Who the ****ing hell are you!?" from the City fans. Their parents were sat in front of us, looking slightly concerned....

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Fodbarmyarmy

Fodbarmyarmy

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To be fair, the Arsenal fans were pretty good about it. Patronising beforehand, but generous afterwards.

Ha.....the ones that chased us around Highbury flats were not I can assure you.... had to run up many stairs and hide behind many walls that afternoon I can tell e.....and not easy to run with flares 2" heels and scarves hanging from your wrist and 5 button waistband.........good times though....

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Aizoon

Aizoon

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Ha.....the ones that chased us around Highbury flats were not I can assure you.... had to run up many stairs and hide behind many walls that afternoon I can tell e.....and not easy to run with flares 2" heels and scarves hanging from your wrist and 5 button waistband.........good times though....

Are you sure it wan't the fashion police?

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22A

22A

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Memories off the top of my head;

1972 1-1 away to Brighton. A four nil win over Mansfield kicked off the 1983/84 season. 1986/87 Owen ran out onto the pitch for the opening game with a paper bag over his head as he had missed in a penalty shoot out at Wembley in May. 1990/91 Blackburn Rovers were the visitors and were 1-0 up at half time. In the second half Aizlewood equalised only to see Blackburn retake the lead. Then Bob Taylor scored twice and Nicky Morgan hit another for a 4-2 victory. The 1992/93 season began at home to Portsmouth with four players under suspension, Mark Aizlewood, Ray Atteveld, Wayne Allison and Leroy Rosenior. Dennis Smith experimented with a 5-2-1-2 formation. Dziekanowski was the odd one linking midfield with attack. After three minutes he was the first player in the country to score. Guy Whittingham then scored twice, only for Cole to equalise before the interval. The final score was 3-3 as Whittingham and Cole both scored again. Andy Leaning was replaced in goal by Keith Welch as he was having trouble with the new back pass rule. 93-94 Wolves had spent nearly £3 million on new players to launch a promotion push, but on the day the damage was done by their stalwart. Steve Bull scored twice in a 3-1 win. Mark Shail had been signed from Yeovil a few months before and was Captain. 18 year old Mike Wyatt and 17 year old Matt Hewlett, a pair of Bristolians made impressive debuts in this game. The 95-86 season was only 12 seconds old when Blackpool took the lead at Ashton Gate. The two Australians, Seal and Agostino, showed the remainder of the team what effort was required and 20 minutes later Seal equalised from 20 yards out. The first fixture of 97-98 was at Grimsby and three new signings made their debuts. Steve Torpey gave City the lead, but was stretchered off after 20 minutes with Colin Crambe substituting for him. The 1999/2000 season began at Reading with over 4,000 travelling fans in attendance. Reading scored after 15 minutes; Lavin stopped another Reading attack by upending a home player, which resulted in a torrent of abuse from the Reading fans. Lavin then deliberately kicked the ball at some of them, and stewards had to prevent a pitch invasion. The referee sent Lavin off which led to fights breaking out. Tinnion equalised with a late penalty, but Reading rallied with their second goal just before the end. Tony Pulis announced that Lavin’s career was over, but the player testified that he merely meant to hit a hoarding and he remained a City player. Tommy Doherty had returned from long term injury and Jones was paired with Tony Thorpe for the opening fixture of 2001/02 at Northampton who had Keith Welch in goal and old adversary Marco Gabbiadini playing up front. Thorpe scored a hat trick in the first 26 minutes of the season and City won 3-0. The 2002-03 season began with a 2-0 win against Blackpool with Peacock and Murray scoring. A year later, it transpired the club had been in talks to bring a pair of Under 21 Internationals to Ashton Gate, Lee Miller, a free scoring Scottish forward from Falkirk and Luke Wilkshire, an Australian midfielder, from Middlesbrough. This was heartening to the supporters who had seen all other 2nd division clubs strengthening their squads whilst City, seemingly, did nothing. They each cost £300,000 and went into the team for the opening game of the 2003/04 season, which was home to Notts County. Lee Peacock scored twice, then Miller made it 3-0. Luke Wilkshire was putting some good crosses in from the right wing and hit the bar with one of them. Lee Matthews came on as a substitute for the first time in nearly a year and scored two more to secure an emphatic 5-0 win. This was followed with a 4-1 triumph, albeit after extra time, over Swansea in the League Cup. The 2004/05 season started poorly beginning with a disappointing home draw against Torquay. Three years before they only avoided dropping out of the League on the last day of the season, but now under the managership of Leroy Rosenior, they had won promotion. After an hour Leroy Lita gave City the lead to the relief of over 14,000 spectators. In the 72nd minute a Torquay player stumbled over the ball and the referee awarded them a penalty which was duly converted. Joe Anyinsah, who had graduated from City’s Academy team had both a header and a shot cleared off the line by the Torquay defence. 2005-06 began with a draw followed by two defeats with City not scoring until the fourth game of the season and on September 10th came a 7-1 defeat at Swansea. Having won their opening game of 06-07, City lost their next three league games and exited the League Cup in the first round at Cheltenham who had a number of former City players in their side. 2007; City paid £1 million to Swansea for their striker Lee Trundle and then snapped up Marvin Elliott from Millwall who also sold City Darren Byfield. Tamas Vasko was signed for a year long loan from Ujpest of Hungary. The season began with a pair of draws followed by a defeat at S****horpe. City then won at Hillsborough and Coventry to go top of the Championship. The 2008-09 season began with a spate of injuries. At Blackpool, Basso was replaced by Chris Weale at half time. 2009-10 started with some controversy. In the opening game at Preston, City survived a first half battering and then took a 2-0 lead in the second half. Preston pulled one back towards the end when the Referee signalled four minutes of stoppage time. He allowed six minutes though and at the end awarded Preston a penalty which they converted to equalise. 2010; Steve Coppell assumed managerial duties during the Summer and he made two signings early on; Adomah from Barnet and midfielder Kaliffa Cisse from Reading. City had a run of disappointing results in their pre season friendlies, but at the end of July City made three signings in one day; Bradley Orr went to QPR and in return City received Jamaican international defender Damion Stewart, whilst another defender, Nicky Hunt, arrived from Premiership Bolton. Most sensationally though, City also signed the England goal keeper David James from Portsmouth on a free transfer who were in financial difficulties and needed to reduce their wage bill. Finally two days before the season began, following an injury to Nicky Maynard, City signed Welsh international Sam Vokes on loan from Wolves. City did in fact have seven first choice players absent for the opening day and Vokes went off injured after half an hour. Millwall won 3-0 despite City having most of the play. Both teams had a player sent off in the 2nd half and that evening when the next England squad was announced, David James was omitted from it. A few days later City travelled to League 2 side Southend for the League Cup 1st round and twice took the lead only to lose 3-2. Two days later Manager Coppell not only resigned, but retired from management completely. 2011-12 started as had the previous season with a 3-0 home defeat, this time at the hands of Ipswich and City went out of the League Cup to a team from a lower division for the fourth consecutive year.

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Taylor10

Taylor10

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For those that were there nothing could top the Arsenal match. I used to live next door to an Arsenal fan and he went to that game, Arsenal fans still talk about it, one of the biggest away followings ever seen at Highbury!

My old man was there.

Said it was incredible and still talks about it now.

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RedM

RedM

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22A, what a memory. A great read, it all came flooding back. Some good, some bad but it just shows there is nothing like the first game of the season. In one way or another I guess we will make history tomorrow.

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22A

22A

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Two I missed from that litany posted earlier. As mentioned by others that 1-0 at Highbury. Ritchie chased a ball seemingly going out of play, and centred it for Big Cheese to tower above the Arsenal defence and head into the net.

1970 was a thriller; home to Sunderland and the scoring went; 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 4-3.

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Red Skin

Red Skin

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3-3 with Pompey back in....dunno 92/93? Jacki hit a screamer. Not sure if that was the opening day of the season or our first home fixture of the season but it sticks in the memory.

Cracking day that. Back then it was always shorts and cider in the sun pre-match at the Pump House. Think I was in the Open End that day and we had a downpour at some time during the game. Jacki & Cole (I think) were on fire that day.

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Cunnyfunt

Cunnyfunt

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Earliest opening day memory for me is a 1-1 draw with Blackpool who scored after about 12 seconds. Sam Allardyce was in charge of Blackpool I believe.

Not a paticularly special opening day, just one I remember. Didn't get to that many and the most recent ones haven't been spectacular.

Definitely enjoyed the game vs QPR in 07-08, despite their late equaliser.

We seemed to get Blackpool a few times on the opening day around that era. I remember we beat them 2-0, August 2002. A couple of late goals from Peacock and Murray.

The first opening day match I attended was in 1994. A 0-0 vs Sunderland. We went on to get relegated. Eeek

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22A

22A

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Not personal memories, but from the history book.

7th Sept 1901, City's first ever League season. The first game was a 2-0 win at Blackpool (yep, we frequently play them on opening day). 2 days later City lost 3-0 at Port Vale, but the following Saturday the first home game saw City beat Stockport 3-0.

1905-06 started with a 5-1 defeat at Man U, but City then won the next fourteen games in a run of 20 wins and four draws.

1906-07 (City's first game in Div 1) was a 2-1 home defeat to Man U.

1919-20 City played Bury H & A on the first two Saturday's of the season and City won both 1-0.

1946-47 (the first season after WW2) Aldershot 4 - City 3, but City won ten and drew three of the next 13 games.

1951-51 - Atyeo's debut and William's return from WBA. Both scored in a 3-0 win over Newport.

1954-55 the first 13 games were played without defeat.

1964-65 City scored 31 goals in the first eight games.

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