cityguide7

MANCHESTER CITY

GUIDE TO FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES

ISSUE NO 7 - 1952/53

WELCOME TO ISSUE 7 OF MY MANCHESTER CITY PROGRAMMES GUIDE - THIS ISSUE COVERS THE 1952/53 SEASON. ON THE PITCH IT WAS A DISASTEROUS SEASON FOR THE BLUES AS THEY SPENT ALL BUT THE FINAL DAY OF THE SEASON IN THE BOTTOM 2. THEIR PENULTAMATE GAME AGAINST BLACKPOOL WAS WON THUS ENSURING THAT WHATEVER HAPPENED IN THE FINAL MATCH AT CHELSEA THEY WOULD BE SAFE. NOT SURPRISINGLY CITY LOST AT CHELSEA WHO WERE ALSO IN RELEGATION TROUBLE AND DUE TO THERE WIN SURVIVED ALSO!! THE SEASON NEVER GOT GOING FOR CITY AND THEY WERE VERY LUCKY TO RETAIN DIVISION ONE STATUS - THEY WON 1 OF THERE OPENING 16 GAMES!!

ON THE PROGRAMME SCENE CITY RETAINED THERE FRONT COVER - THE "STONE-DRI" ADVERTISEMENT BEING ON THE FRONT STILL RETAINING THE UNOFFICIAL TAG OF "SPONSORS".

THE PROGRAMME WAS STILL 8 PAGES!! AND STILL HAD ALL THE SAME FEATURES AS THE PER THE PREVIOUS 6 SEASONS!! COME ON CITY!! "MAINE ROAD GOSSIP" WAS STILL THE OPENING INSIDE PAGES ALONG WITH INCLUDING A FLASHBACK FEATURE ON A PREVIOUS FIXTURE WITH CITY'S OPPONENTS OF THE DAY. THIS REPLACED THE POPULAR "OUR FAVOURITES" FEATURE FROM THE PREVIOUS SEASON.

EVERYTHING ELSE REMAINED THE SAME WITH THE MIDDLE PAGES HAVING DETAILS OF THE VISITORS AND TEAM LINE UPS AND PAGES 6 AND 7 GIVING FIXTURE AND RESULT INFO.

FOR 1952/53 SEASON THERE WAS 24 FIRST TEAM ISSUE'S PRODUCED, THESE CONSISTED OF THE USUAL 21 LEAGUE FIXTURES + 2 CUP GAMES AGAINST SWINDON AND LUTON. YES WE ACTUALLY GOT PAST THE 3^RD ROUND FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 47/48 - BUT WE GOT KNOCKED OUT IN THE 4^TH!!! THE RESULT OVER SWINDON STILL REMAINS ARE HIGHEST EVER POST WAR HOME FACUP VICTORY - CITY WON 7-0 AGAINST THE WILTSHIRE CLUB.

WHAT'S THE MISSING PROGRAMME NUMBER I HERE YOU SHOUT? THERE'S ONE YOU HAVEN'T MENTIONED!! WELL THIS IS THE ONE OPPOSITE WHICH WAS FOR THE POSTPONED GAME BETWEEN OURSELVES AND PRESTON ON 27^TH DECEMBER 1952.

AS PER ALL THE OTHER ISSUES IT IS NUMBERED AND IS VOLUME 47 ISSUE NO 13. THE PROGRAMME VALUE OF THIS I WOULD EXPECT TO BE IN THE REGION OF BETWEEN £75 AND £100 AND IS VERY HARD TO OBTAIN AS ALL POSTPONED PROGRAMMES ARE.

MOST OF THE OTHER HOME PROGRAMMES ARE FAIRLY EASY TO COME ACROSS AND WOULD IN THE MAIN GO FOR ANYTHING BETWEEN £8-£15 ON LISTS.

THE HARDEST THOUGH TO COME ACROSS ARE CHARLTON, DERBY, CHELSEA, STOKE AND MIDDLESBORO. THESE 5 GAMES WERE ONE AFTER ANOTHER DURING THE WINTER MONTHS AND IT WAS AT A TIME THAT CROWDS WERE DROPPING OFF MAINLY DUE TO CITY PLAYING CRAP!!

THE HARDEST OF THESE THOUGH ARE THE STOKE AND CHELSEA GAMES - THESE WERE THE LOWEST 2 GATES - I'D EXPECT BOTH IF THEY CAME UP TO GO ON OFFER AND FETCH £40-£50.

A SELECTION OF AWAY PROGRAMMES FROM 1952/53 SEASON

AS IN PREVIOUS SEASONS THE AWAYS ARE STILL HARD TO COME ACROSS AND IN REGARDS TO COST VARY QUITE DRAMATICALLY IN SOME CASES.

SUNDERLAND AND MIDDLESBOROUGH ARE THERE AGAIN FOR THE SAME OLD REASONS BUT OTHER HARD ONE'S TO COME ACROSS ARE THE OPENING GAME OF THE SEASON AT STOKE (PICTURED ABOVE) ALONG WITH THE FIXTURE AT VILLA PARK AT THE END OF OCTOBER.

AGAIN ALSO MAN.UTD FEATURE AS A HARD ONE TO GET, THIS AND ALL THE ONES ABOVE WOULD FETCH BETWEEN £20 AND £30 MAYBE HIGHER IF SOMEONE REALLY WANTS IT.

DERBY COUNTY'S GAME AGAINST CITY IS ANOTHER HARD PROGRAMME TO COME ACROSS I'D IMAGINE THIS ONE WOULD CERTAINLY BE OVER £30 - IT NEVER SEEMS TO COME UP VERY OFTEN AND IF AVAILABLE WOULD BE ON AN OFFERS LIST. DERBY WERE IN DEEP TROUBLE WHEN THIS FIXTURE WAS PLAYED AND THERE WAS ONLY A CROWD OF JUST OVER 15,000 PRESENT. AT LEAST THEY HAD SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT THOUGH AS DERBY WON 5-0 BUT WE HAD THE LAST LAUGH AS THEY WERE RELEGATED INSTEAD OF US!!!

THE MOTHER OF ALL PROGRAMMES FOR THIS SEASON THOUGH WAS THE AWAY FIXTURE AGAINST BLACKPOOL - PICTURED OPPOSITE. THIS PROGRAMME IS DEFINITELY A £100 PLUS PROGRAMME. IT WAS ONE OF THE LAST 6 REMAINING PROGRAMMES I REQUIRED SINCE THE WAR - IT IS THAT HARD!!!

I WAS FORTUNATE TO DO A SWOP DEAL BUT EVEN THE COPY I GOT HAD CELLOTAPE ON THE FRONT COVER AND THROUGHOUT - I SENT THE PROGRAMME OFF THOUGH TO BE RESTORED AND AS YOU CAN SEE THERE IS NO TRACE OF THE MESS IT WAS IN.

BELOW IS 52/53'S FRIENDLY AND MINOR CUP GAMES AND IF A PROGRAMME (*) WAS PRODUCED

PUBLIC PRACTICE MATCH

LIVERPOOL

SOUTHPORT

PRESTON NORTH END

OLDHAM ATHLETIC

CHESTER CITY

16/08/52

22/10/52

24/02/53

08/04/53

23/04/53

06/05/53

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

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 1^ST ROUND (*)

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 2^ND ROUND

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL (*)

MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL

LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP FINAL (*)

THERE WAS NOT MUCH ACTIVITY ON THE FRIENDLY FRONT FOR SEASON 52/53. THERE WAS ONLY THE SEASONAL PRACTICE MATCH BETWEEN THE BLUES AND MAROONS. AS USUAL A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED - PICTURED OPPOSITE AND WAS IN THE USUAL RESERVE STYLE 4 PAGE FORMAT - VOL 7 NO 1. ANOTHER HARD TRIAL GAME PROGRAMME TO GET AND I WOULD IMAGINE THAT IT WOULD BE IN THE VALUE OF £50 PLUS.

ELSEWHERE ON THE FRIENDLY AND MINOR CUP FRONT WAS JUST THE GAMES PLAYED IN THE MANCHESTER AND LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUPS.

FOR BOTH OF CITY'S HOME LANCASHIRE CUP GAMES PROGRAMMES WERE PRODUCED AGAINST LIVERPOOL (VOL 7 NO 8) AND PRESTON (VOL 7 NO 22). BOTH ARE EXTREMELY HARD TO GET AND WOULD BOTH FETCH TOWARDS £100 EACH IF NOT HIGHER IF THEY WERE AVAILABLE.

2 OF THE OTHER MATCHES AGAINST SOUTHPORT (LANCS CUP) AND OLDHAM (MANCS CUP) BOTH AWAY I HAVE NO INFORMATION AS TO IF A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED BUT IF THERE IS I'D GUESS THAT THESE WOULD ALSO FETCH OVER £100.

THE ONLY OTHER MATCH WAS THE LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP FINAL AWAY AT CHESTER, A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED AND AGAIN ITS HARD TO GET - I RECENTLY BID £75 FOR IT ON AN OFFERS LIST SO AGAIN ANOTHER £100 PLUS PROGRAMME. CITY ACTUALLY WON THE CUP WHICH BECAME THE 5^TH OCCASION THEY'D WON IT.