cityguide5

MANCHESTER CITY

GUIDE TO FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES

ISSUE NO 5 - 1950/51

ISSUE 5 COVERS ANOTHER SEASON FOR CITY IN DIVISION TWO BUT THIS WILL BE THE LAST SEASON IN DIVISION TWO THAT’S COVERED FOR A WHILE AS IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1963/64 THAT THEY APPEARED AGAIN.

THE 1950/51 SEASON IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SEASONS FRONT COVERS FOR CITY OF THE OLD "BLUE & WHITE" ISSUES THAT WERE PRODUCED UPTO 1953/54 SEASON. DON’T ASK ME WHY!! I JUST LIKE THE FRONT COVER!!

AGAIN THE PROGRAMME CONSISTS OF 8 PAGES, STILL PRICED AT TWOPENCE AND CARRIES ON AGAIN WITH THE SAME FEATURES AS PER PREVIOUS SEASONS WHICH ARE CLUB GOSSIP ON PAGES 2 AND 3, VISITORS INFO ON PAGE 4 AND TEAM LINEUPS ON PAGE 5. THE REMAINING PAGES COVERS THE FIXTURES AND QUIZ PAGE AND THE BACK PAGE AGAIN COVERS TRAIN TRIPS FOR BRITISH RAILWAYS FOR FUTURE AWAY GAMES FOR CITY.

THE HOME PROGRAMMES ARE REASONABLY EASY TO COME ACROSS EXCEPT PROBABLY FOUR OF THEM. THESE ARE THE GAMES AGAINST CARDIFF - FIRST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON AND ALSO ON A WEDNESDAY, SWANSEA - ANOTHER WEDNESDAY GAME WITH THE ATTENDENCE ONLY BEING AROUND 10,000, NOTTS COUNTY WHICH WAS PLAYED ON A MONDAY AND Q.P.R. WHICH WAS ALSO REASONABLY POORLY ATTENDED.

THE ABOVE 4 WOULD ALL EXPECTED TO BE SEEN ON OFFERS LISTS ALONG WITH THE LEEDS HOME PROGRAMME AS LEEDS IS A WELL COLLECTED CLUB AND WOULD GO FOR MORE THAN THE OTHER LEAGUE ISSUES FROM THIS SEASON. THE SWANSEA COULD QUITE EASILY FETCH AROUND £30-£40 WHILE THE OTHERS WOULD REACH AROUND £20.

ALL THE OTHER LEAGUE GAMES PROGRAMMES IF AVAILABLE AND IN GOOD CONDITION WOULD ALL BE AROUND £10-£15. THERE'S NO FA CUP PROGRAMMES THIS SEASON BUT UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S A POSTPONED PROGRAMME FOR THE VISIT OF QPR WHICH WAS POSTPONED ON 30^TH DECEMBER AND NUMBERED NO 13. THIS IS VERY RARE AND I'D IMAGINE IT TO FETCH TOWARDS £150 MAYBE MORE ON AN OFFERS LIST.

A SELECTION OF AWAY PROGRAMMES FROM 50/51 SEASON

CITY'S AWAY PROGRAMMES ARE A NICE DIFFERENT SELECTION OF PROGRAMMES DUE TO CITY BEING IN DIVISION TWO AFTER AN ABSENCE OF 3 SEASONS AND WITH IT BEING A SEASON IN DIVISION TWO SOME CAN BE QUITE HARD TO OBTAIN.

BY FAR THE HARDEST IS CITY'S LAST AWAY GAME IN DIVISION TWO AGAINST NOTTS COUNTY, IT IS ONE OF THE ONLY TWO AWAY PROGRAMMES I NEED TO COMPLETE MY COLLECTION. I HAVE ALREADY FAILED ONCE WITH A BID OF £105 SO YOU CAN PUT IT HIGHER THAN THIS!! WHAT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE IS THAT THERE'S ALSO A BLOODY POSTPONED PROGRAMME AS WELL!!! NEEDLESS TO SAY I DON’T HAVE THIS EITHER. THIS IS EVEN HARDER THAN THE PLAYED GAME, UNBELIEVEABLY I KNOW A COLLECTOR WHO'S GOT THE POSTPONED PROGRAMME BUT NOT THE PLAYED GAME. THE DATE OF THE POSTPONED GAME INCIDENTLY WAS 23^RD MARCH.

OTHER NIGHTMARE ONES TO GET HOLD OF ARE THE AWAY GAMES AT PRESTON - FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON, AND GRIMSBY ON A WEDNESDAY - RESULT 4-4 !! MUST HAVE BEEN THE BEST EVER GAME AT BLUNDELL PARK SO EVERYONE'S KEPT THE PROGRAMME!! BOTH OF THESE ARE CERTAINLY OVER THE £50 MARK.

ITS NOT JUST THE ABOVE THAT ARE HARD TO COME BY, MOST OF THE OTHERS ARE ALL HARD IN THERE OWN WAY. CARDIFF AND DONCASTER ARE AROUND THE £30 MARK, LEICESTER AND SWANSEA ARE TOWARDS £40.

LEEDS AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED BEING WELL COLLECTED CAN FETCH A GOOD PRICE AND SOME OF THE OTHERS INCLUDING QPR, BLACKBURN, BARNSLEY, BIRMINGHAM, CHESTERFIELD, BURY, LUTON WOULD ALL FETCH BETWEEN £20 TO £25.

OF THE REMAINDER WHICH ARE MAINLY THE LONDON CLUBS SUCH AS BRENTFORD AND WEST HAM THESE WOULD BE ANYTHING BETWEEN PROBABLY £7 AND £15. MOST OF THEM ALL THOUGH WOULD STILL MAINLY BE ON DEALERS OFFERS LISTS. MOST OF THE TEAMS THOUGH THAT FEATURE IN THIS SEASON ARE QUITE POORLY SUPPORTED CLUBS WITH THE ODD EXCEPTION, AND ARE NOW MAINLY IN THE NOW DIVISIONS 2 AN 3 AND IN DONCASTER'S CASE NOT EVEN IN THE LEAGUE ANYMORE. THUS THEY ARE NOT WELL COLLECTED CLUBS IN THE PROGRAMME LEAGUES EITHER.

CITY HAD ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING SEASON IN THE FA CUP AND WERE DRAWN AWAY AT BIRMINGHAM AND LOST 2-0. THIS WAS THE THIRD GAME ON THE TROT AGAINST BIRMINGHAM AFTER PREVIOUSLY PLAYING THEM HOME AND AWAY IN THE LEAGUE. THIS PROGRAMME IS FAIRLY HARD AND WOULD BE AROUND £20 TO GET HOLD OF.

BELOW IS 50/51'S FRIENDLY AND MINOR CUP GAMES AND IF A PROGRAMME (*) WAS PRODUCED

PUBLIC PRACTICE MATCH

BARROW

SOUTHPORT

HEARTS

BURY

MANCHESTER UNITED

BURY

ST HELENS TOWN

MANCHESTER UNITED

FC WACKER

12/08/50

19/10/50

16/01/51

10/03/51

11/04/51

18/04/51

30/04/51

02/05/51

07/05/51

09/05/51

1^ST TEAM V 2^ND TEAM (*)

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 1^ST ROUND (*)

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 2^ND ROUND

FRIENDLY (*)

MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL (*)

MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL REPLAY

FRIENDLY (*)

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL REPLAY

FRIENDLY (*)

CITY'S FRIENDLY AND MINOR CUP GAMES CONSISTED OF 10 MATCHES IN TOTAL. OF THESE ONLY 3 WERE FRIENDLY'S OR 4 IF YOU INCLUDE THE TRIAL GAME AT THE START OF THE SEASON - PICTURED OPPOSITE. THE PROGRAMME AGAIN CONSISTS OF 4 PAGES WITH THE BACK PAGE HAVING THE TEAMS (BLUES - 1^ST TEAM AND MAROONS - 2^ND TEAM) ON THEM. THE OTHER PAGES INCLUDING THE FRONT PAGE COVERS CLUB TOPICS THAT HAVE OCCURRED DURING THE CLOSE SEASON AND ALL THE PLAYING STAFFS STATISTICS.

THE OTHER FRIENDLY HOME GAME WAS RIGHT AT THE END OF THE SEASON AGAINST FC WACKER FROM AUSTRIA. THIS IS ALSO A RESERVE TYPE ISSUE CONSISTING OF 4 PAGES AND PRICED AT ONE PENNY. THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST 1^ST TEAM FRIENDLY HOME GAMES TO ACQUIRE SINCE THE WAR. THE MATCH ITSELF WAS ARRANGED AS PART OF THE FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN WHICH WAS TAKING PLACE AT THAT TIME. CLUBS FROM MANY COUNTRIES CAME OVER TO ENGLAND TO PLAY IN FRIENDLY GAMES AND THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE MATCHES. CITY WON THE GAME 2-1 BUT THAT'S THE ONLY CONSOLATION FOR ME AS I STILL REQUIRE THE PROGRAMME AND CURRENTLY IT WOULD FETCH BETWEEN £150 TO £200. ON TWO OCCASIONS NOW I HAVE BEEN A DISTANT SECOND IN THE BIDDING STAKES SO MAYBE THE NEXT TIME IT APPEARS WHICH WOULD CERTAINLY BE ON AN OFFERS LIST IT WILL BE THIRD TIME LUCKY.

THE OTHER FRIENDLY'S WERE BOTH AWAY AT HEARTS - PICTURED OPPOSITE AND ST HELENS TOWN AGAIN.

THE HEARTS PROGRAMME IS UNUSUAL IN THAT IT FOLDS OUT FROM THE FRONT COVER INTO 8 PAGES THUS NOT REQUIRING THE NEED FOR A STAPLE OR INDEED HAVING THE PROBLEM IN HAVING THE PROGRAMME WITH A RUSTY STAPLE. A VERY NICE PROGRAMME FOR A FRIENDLY. THIS WOULD BE AROUND £20 - £30.

ST HELENS TOWN'S PROGRAMME THIS SEASON WAS ONLY 4 PAGES AND HAS NOT HAD MUCH EFFORT PUT INTO IT AT ALL. PROBABLY AS MUCH EFFORT AS CITY PUT INTO ARRANGING A TEAM FOR THE SEASON BEFORE AS LAST SEASON'S FRIENDLY WAS VIRTUALLY FULL OF RESERVES AND THAT'S THE REASON THAT CITY PLAYED THEM AGAIN THIS SEASON AS ST.HELENS COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SIDE THAT WAS PUT OUT. THIS IS JUST AS HARD AS THE 49/50 FRIENDLY AND WOULD FETCH MORE AROUND £125.

CITY'S OTHER 6 GAMES WERE IN THE ANNUAL MANCHESTER AND LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUPS. REGARDING THE MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP THERE WERE 2 GAMES AGAINST BURY DUE TO THE

FIRST BEING DRAWN 2-2. NO ONE'S AWARE OF IF A PROGRAMME EXISTS FOR EITHER THE HOME OR AWAY GAME BUT IF SO WOULD BE EXTREMLY RARE.

FOR CITY'S GAMES IN THE LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP THERE ARE 2 KNOWN PROGRAMMES THAT EXIST WHERE AS THE OTHER 2 AGAINST SOUTHPORT AWAY AND MAN.UTD AWAY NOTHING IS KNOWN AGAIN. THE 1^ST ROUND GAME AGAINST BARROW AWAY THERE IS A PROGRAMME WHICH IS VERY HARD TO OBTAIN AND AGAIN WOULD BE IN THE £100 RANGE. THE OTHER KNOWN PROGRAMME IS FOR THE HOME GAME TO MAN.UTD WHICH AGAIN IS EVEN HARDER TO GET AND IF AVAILABLE YOU WOULD HAVE PLENTY OF OPPOSITION FROM UNITED COLLECTORS, THIS COULD EVEN BE BETWEEN £200 - £300.