MANCHESTER CITY
GUIDE TO FOOTBALL PROGRAMMES
ISSUE NO 8 - 1953/54
WELCOME TO ISSUE 8 OF MY MANCHESTER CITY PROGRAMME GUIDE, THIS ISSUE DEALS WITH ONE OF THE HARDEST AND EXPENSIVE SEASONS TO COLLECT IN POST WAR COLLECTING OF MANCHESTER CITY PROGRAMMES - SEASON 1953/54.
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FOR HOME PROGRAMMES IT WAS THE FINAL SEASON OF THE OLD "BLUE & WHITE" ISSUES AND THEY ALSO SEEM TO BE THE HARDEST SEASON OF THE "BLUE & WHITE" ISSUES TO KEEP IN GOOD CONDITION - EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE THE YOUNGEST POST WAR SEASON ISSUES TO GET. ALSO WITH 53/54 SEASON THERE ARE A NUMBER OF HOME ISSUES THAT ARE VERY RARE INDEED - INFACT SOME OF THE HOMES ARE MUCH HARDER THAN THEIR EQUIVALENT PROGRAMME AWAY. AT LEAST THERE ARE NO POSTPONED ISSUES TO WORRY ABOUT OF THE 27 FIRST TEAM ISSUES THAT WERE PRODUCED FOR HOME GAMES. AS WAS USUAL THROUGHOUT THE PREVIOUS 7 SEASONS POST WAR THE FORMAT OF THE PROGRAMME REMAINED THE SAME WITH "MAINE ROAD GOSSIP" FEATURING INFO BEHIND THE SCENES AT CITY, ALONG WITH THE FLASHBACK SECTION AND AWAY CLUB INFO WITH THE TEAM LINE UPS AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE. THE 27 HOME PROGRAMMES COVERED THE NORMAL 21 HOME LEAGUE FIXTURES, THE FACUP GAME AGAINST TOTTENHAM AND 5 1ST TEAM FRIENDLY'S. THE NUMBERS OF THE FRIENDLY'S WILL BE COVERED FURTHER ON IN THIS SECTION. |
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THE TOTTENHAM FACUP GAME IS NUMBERED NO 18 NOT TO BE CONFUSED AS HAS OFTEN BEEN THE CASE IN THE PAST WITH THE LEAGUE GAME WHICH IS NUMBERED NO 23 (INSIDE PAGE PICTURED ABOVE) AND IS WORTH A LOT MORE. PROBABLY AROUND £300 MORE AS THAT IS HOW MUCH THE LEAGUE GAME GOES FOR THESE DAYS, IT IS THE RAREST LEAGUE GAME FOR CITY POST WAR.
DURING THIS PARTICULAR SEASON THERE WERE QUITE A FEW WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON GAMES WHICH FEATURED VERY LOW CROWDS, WITH THE LOWEST BEING TOTTENHAM - 10,841. ANOTHER RARE HOME GAME IS THE FOLLOWING GAME AGAINST LIVERPOOL - THIS IS WORTH OVER £100 ALSO.
OTHER RARE HOME GAMES ARE THE OPENER AGAINST WOLVES, SUNDERLAND EARLY IN THE NEW YEAR, BLACKPOOL - ANOTHER WEDNESDAY GAME AND THE FINAL HOME GAME AGAINST CHARLTON. ALL THESE YOU WOULD EXPECT TO FIND ON OFFERS LISTS. ALL THE OTHER REMAINING HOME GAMES WOULD BE LIKE 52/53 SEASON AROUND £8 TO £14 EACH.
A SELECTION OF AWAY PROGRAMMES FROM 1953/54 SEASON
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WITH CITY'S AWAY PROGRAMMES AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THESE ARE ACTUALLY A BIT CHEAPER TO GET HOLD OF THAN THE HOMES WHICH MAKES A CHANGE!!
THERE WASN'T TO MUCH FOR CITY'S AWAY FOLLOWING TO CHEER THOUGH AS PER THE PREVIOUS SEASON WITH ONLY 4 WINS IN ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING SEASON WHERE THEY FINISHED IN 17TH POSITION.
PROBABLY ONE OF THE HARDEST PROGRAMMES TO GET ALSO COINCIDED WITH THE BEST GAME OF THE SEASON FOR CITY - AWAY TO SUNDERLAND WITH CITY WINNING 5-4.
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THE SUNDERLAND PROGRAMME WOULD PERHAPS FETCH TOWARDS £40 TO £50 ON OFFER. OTHERS THAT ARE HARD TO OBTAIN WHICH ARE AROUND THE £30 AREA ARE SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY, WHICH WAS THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON AND ALSO THE GAME AT AYRESOME PARK AT SUNDERLAND'S NEIGHBOURS MIDDLESBORO, ANOTHER HARD PROGRAMME. MAN.UTD, CARDIFF AND BURNLEY HAVE ALSO BECOME DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN OR QUITE EXPENSIVE TO GET HOLD OF. WEST BROM, SHEFF UTD AND WOLVES ALL FEATURED ABOVE ARE ANOTHER THREE PROGRAMMES WHICH ARE NOT THAT READILY AVAILABLE, THESE WOULD PROBABLY BE AROUND THE £20 MARK. ANOTHER £30 PROGRAMME THOUGH IS FOR THE FACUP GAME AGAINST BRAFORD PARK AVENUE WHICH CITY WON 5-2 TO PROGRESS INTO THE 4TH ROUND - THE PROGRAMME IS PICTURED OPPOSITE AND ALTHOUGH ITS NOT AS STRIKING A FRONT COVER AS THE PROGRAMME AGAINST THEM IN 46/47 IT STILL HAS THAT SOMETHING ABOUT IT!! MOST OF THE OTHER AWAY PROGRAMMES ARE QUITE EASY TO COME ACROSS AND LIKE THE HOME GAMES ARE AVAILABLE ON LISTS BETWEEN £8 AND £15. |
BELOW IS 53/54'S FRIENDLY AND MINOR CUP GAMES AND IF A PROGRAMME (*) WAS PRODUCED
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FRANKFURT PUBLIC PRACTICE MATCH HEARTS FENERBAHCE CELTIC BARROW ADMIRA VIENNA MANCHESTER UNITED ARMY XI EAST FIFE BURY OLDHAM ATHLETIC PRESTON NORTH END MANCHESTER UNITED "A" LIVERPOOL MANCHESTER UNITED BAYERN MUNICH FURTH NUREMBERG STUTTGART FSV WURNBURG FRANKFURT WUPPERTAL COMBINED XI |
A H H H H H H H A H A A A A A H A A A A A |
02/08/53 15/08/53 14/10/53 21/10/53 28/10/53 04/11/53 25/11/53 16/12/53 05/01/54 20/02/54 09/03/54 13/03/54 24/03/54 20/04/54 26/04/54 28/04/54 09/05/54 12/05/54 15/05/54 16/05/54 19/05/54 |
TOUR GERMANY (*) PUBLIC PRACTICE MATCH (*) FRIENDLY (*) FRIENDLY (*) FRIENDLY (*) LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 1ST ROUND (*) FRIENDLY (*) MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL (*) FRIENDLY FRIENDLY (*) FRIENDLY (*) FRIENDLY (*) LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP 2ND ROUND (*) GILCRYST CUP FINAL (*) LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL FRIENDLY FOR HENSHAWS (*) TOUR GERMANY (*) TOUR GERMANY TOUR GERMANY TOUR GERMANY (*) TOUR GERMANY (*) |
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WELL WHAT A BETTER PLACE TO START OF THE FRIENDLY'S PROGRAMME SECTION FOR 53/54 THAN WITH THE OPENING FRIENDLY OF THE SEASON AWAY AT FSV FRANKFURT (PICTURED OPPOSITE). A QUITE MAGICAL PROGRAMME AND MY OLDEST AWAY FRIENDLY ABROAD. BERT TRAUTMANN ON HIS VISIT TO MY HOUSE A FEW YEARS AGO HAS ALSO SIGNED THE FRONT COVER WHICH YOU CAN JUST ABOUT MAKE OUT. ITS IMPOSSIBLE WITH BERT'S SIGNATURE ON THE FRONT TO PUT A TRUE VALUE BUT I'D GUESS TOWARDS £300. THE PROGRAMME ITSELF IS 12 PAGES AND VERY WELL PRODUCED BY THE GERMAN CLUB. NEXT ON THE LIST WAS ANOTHER OF THE PUBLIC PRACTICE MATCHES BETWEEN 1ST TEAM - BLUES AND 2ND TEAM MAROONS - YET AGAIN THIS WAS A RESERVE STYLE 4 PAGE ISSUE AND AGAIN WOULD COST YOU OVER £50 TO OBTAIN. THERE WAS A YOUTH TEAM FRIENDLY PLAYED AGAINST AN FA YOUTH XI TEAM, ALTHOUGH APARENTLY A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED BUT THERE ARE NO OTHER DETAILS OF DATES ETC. THIS SEASON THOUGH WAS UNPARALELLED WITH OTHER SEASONS EVEN NOW IN REGARDS TO HOME FRIENDLY'S. THIS IN THE MAIN WAS DUE TO THE NEW FLOODLIGHTS THAT CITY HAD INSTALLED AND CITY INVITED A NUMBER OF CLUBS TO |
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TRY THE LIGHTS. IN ALL 5 CLUBS VISITED CITY FOR HOME FRIENDLY'S. THESE WERE GAMES AGAINST THE FOLLOWING INCLUDING IN BRACKETS THE ISSUE NUMBER OF THE PROGRAMME FOR THE MATCHES PLAYED: HEARTS (7), FENERBAHCE (9), CELTIC (10), ADMIRA VIENNA (13) AND EAST FIFE (20).
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THE GAMES PRODUCED SOME BRILLIANT FOOTBALL FROM CITY AND ALSO REFLECTED IN THE SCORES - HEARTS 6-3, FENERBAHCE (TURKEY) 5-1, CELTIC 1-1, ADMIRA VIENNA (AUSTRIA) 3-2 AND EAST FIFE 2-1. ALL THE PROGRAMMES WERE STANDARD 1ST TEAM ISSUES AND FEATURED A BIT MORE INFO ABOUT OUR OPPONENTS AND A TEAM GROUP OF THEM. ALL 5 OF THE PROGRAMMES ARE ALL AROUND THE SAME AMOUNT TO GET HOLD OF WHICH IS £20. CITY'S OTHER 3 HOME FRIENDLY'S OR MINOR CUP GAMES ARE ALL VERY DIFFICULT TO GET HOLD OF. FIRSTLY THERE WAS BARROW IN THE LANCASHIRE |
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SENIOR CUP, UNKNOWN AS TO WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE BUT I'D IMAGINE THAT AS IT WOULD BE RESERVE STYLE IT WILL BE 4 PAGES ALONG WITH THE MANCHESTER SENIOR CUP GAME AGAINST MAN.UTD. THE FINAL HOME MATCH THAT SEASON WAS ALSO AGAINST MAN.UTD AND IS PICTURED ABOVE RIGHT, THE MATCH WAS IN AID OF THE HENSHAWS BLIND AS IT STATES FROM THE PROGRAMME COVER HEADLINE "CITY UNITED FOR GOOD CAUSE". THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST FRIENDLY HOME GAME PROGRAMMES TO COLLECT AND WOULD ALSO FETCH AROUND £300 IF AVAILABLE. IT IS ANOTHER RESERVE STYLE 4 PAGE ISSUE.
THE AWAY'S ARE JUST AS HARD, JUST AFTER THE NEW YEAR CITY PLAYED THE ARMY XI - I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE GAME WAS PLAYED AS IT WAS'NT AT MAINE ROAD BUT NO ONE KNOWS IF A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED. THE FINAL FRIENDLY'S PLAYED ON ENGLISH SOIL THAT SEASON WERE BOTH QUITE LOCAL AFFAIRS WITH GAMES AT BURY AND OLDHAM. AGAIN BOTH ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN, BURY IS THE HARDER OF THE TWO AND WOULD FETCH TOWARDS £150 WHERE AS OLDHAM WOULD BE ABOUT £130. THE OLDHAM PROGRAMME SEAMS AS IF ITS ONE OF THEIR NORMAL LEAGUE ISSUES AND HAS 8 PAGES.
THE OTHER GAMES ON ENGLISH SOIL WERE MINOR CUP GAMES. ONE OF THE GAMES WAS AGAINST MAN.UTD'S "A" TEAM IN THE GILCRYST CUP FINAL - A PROGRAMME WAS PRODUCED AND WOULD BE VERY HARD TO OBTAIN. NOT QUITE AS HARD, IF EVEN A PROGRAMME EXISTS, IS FOR THE LANCASHIRE SENIOR CUP SEMI FINAL AGAINST LIVERPOOL. BOTH WOULD EASILY BE OVER £100. THE OTHER MINOR CUP GAME AGAIN IN THE OVER £100 BRACKET WAS AWAY AT DEEPDALE AGAINST PRESTON (PICTURED ABOVE LEFT). THE PROGRAMME IS JUST A SINGLE CARD WITH THE TEAMS ON THE FRONT AND JUST AN ADVERT ON THE BACK.
DURING MAY CITY VISITED GERMANY AND PLAYED IN 5 END OF SEASON GAMES, OF THE 5 GAMES PLAYED 3 PROGRAMMES WERE PRODUCED FOR THE GAMES AGAINST BAYERN MUNICH, FSV WURNBURG FRANKFURT AND A WUPPERTAL COMBINED XI. ITS POSSIBLE THAT PROGRAMMES EXIST FOR THE OTHER GAMES AGAINST FURTH NUREMBERG AND STUTTGART BUT LIKE THE OTHER 3 IF AVAILABLE THEY WOULD ALL GO FOR OVER £200.
ALL IN ALL 53/54 IS A VERY EXPENSIVE SEASON'S PROGRAMMES TO COLLECT IN THE WORLD OF MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL COLLECTORS!!
