Which City player that you saw had the earliest City debut?

[Eddie Hitler]

Gentlemen, fasten your anoraks.

A discussion about how far back you know your football on another thread made me wonder which City player that I had seen play had the earliest debut.

There is going to be a big fracture point in 1982 but prior to that there were some very long club careers and I wondered how far we could push this back.

In my first game (Oct 1979, home to Arsenal) Trevor Tainton played and his first game for the club was an impressive twelve years earlier:

September 1967, home to Carlisle.

That's 54 years; easily beaten I would have thought.

[Robbored]

Jeez……..I absolutely no idea!

My first game at AG aged 12 was in 1967. John Atyeo was playing and I didn’t even remember him. Too busy messing around and eating sweets………..…..

[cidered abroad]

August 18 1951

City v Newport County

Peter John Walter Atyeo.

[cidered abroad]

 

Jeez……..I absolutely no idea!

My first game at AG aged 12 was in 1967. John Atyeo was playing and I didn’t even remember him. Too busy messing around and eating sweets………..…..

Sorry but Atyeo's last league match was against Ipswich on 10 May 1966.

[Midlands Robin]

 

Jeez……..I absolutely no idea!

My first game at AG aged 12 was in 1967. John Atyeo was playing and I didn’t even remember him. Too busy messing around and eating sweets………..…..

Or was it because John Atyeo played his last game for City in May 1966?

[CodeRed]

I started going in 1966/67*so the season after Big John retired unfortunately so the earliest would be Alec Briggs and Gordon Parr who both debuted in 1957.  Of course many on OTIB with have seen John Atyeo play who made his debut in 1951/52 season.

 

* the memory is hazy after 55 years but the team that year was mostly:

Gibson Ford Briggs Parr Connor Low Derrick Clark Bush Quigley Peters

[Eddie Hitler]

 

I started going in 1966/67*so the season after Big John retired unfortunately so the earliest would be Alec Briggs and Gordon Parr who both debuted in 1957.  Of course many on OTIB with have seen John Atyeo play who made his debut in 1951/52 season.

 

* the memory is hazy after 55 years but the team that year was mostly:

Gibson Ford Briggs Parr Connor Low Derrick Clark Bush Quigley Peters

I'm amazed that you know that without recourse to a reference book!

[Northern Red]

My first game was 1991 v Blackburn. Without checking, I would suspect it was Andy Llewellyn.

[CodeRed]

 

Jeez……..I absolutely no idea!

My first game at AG aged 12 was in 1967. John Atyeo was playing and I didn’t even remember him. Too busy messing around and eating sweets………..…..

Probably because he wasn't playing!...........Atyeo retired at the end of the 1965/66 season

[Robbored]

 

Sorry but Atyeo's last league match was against Ipswich on 10 May 1966.

That’s why don’t remember him then!

[Midlands Robin]

My first game was August 1992 (City v Sunderland). 

If he played then I expect it would have been Andy Llewellyn. 

[pongo88]

Gerry Gow and Chris Garland for me in the 60’s when they were both 17. (Not in the same match, as I recall)

[cidered abroad]

 

Gentlemen, fasten your anoraks.

A discussion about how far back you know your football on another thread made me wonder which City player that I had seen play had the earliest debut.

There is going to be a big fracture point in 1982 but prior to that there were some very long club careers and I wondered how far we could push this back.

In my first game (Oct 1979, home to Arsenal) Trevor Tainton played and his first game for the club was an impressive twelve years earlier:

September 1967, home to Carlisle.

That's 54 years; easily beaten I would have thought.

Do you mean the players in the first match we saw or the earliest debut which is what I put in the previous post.

If you mean the players in the first side I saw then here goes. I assume none played before the war.

Dennis Roberts, Ivor Guy, Arnie White who all made their league debuts on August 31, 1946-47

[cidered abroad]

 

Duplicated post

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by cidered abroad

[pillred]

It was a long time ago 1970, 71?? and it was only a pre season friendly but I saw a raw 17 year old make his debut and score for city against Juventus (yes really) the name Gerry Gow.

Edited November 22, 2021 by pillred
punctuation

[nick jones of hereford]

My first game was on 5 November 1960 when City had their record win, it was the first round of the FA Cup and our opponents were Chichester.

we won 11-0 with Atyeo scoring five goals 

[Eddie Hitler]

 

Do you mean the players in the first match we saw or the earliest debut which is what I put in the previous post.

If you mean the players in the first side I saw then here goes. I assume none played before the war.

Dennis Roberts, Ivor Guy, Arnie White who all made their league debuts on August 31, 1946-47

 

Well that but specifically the player you saw play who had the earliest debut for City. So it would be the last season or so of someone who had been a City player for a long time; or possibly had played for City before moving to other clubs and had returned like Louis Carey.

Depending upon how much you want to hit the books this may not necessarily mean that player was in the first match you saw as they may have been injured.

I didn't follow this up for mine because after that first game it was another two years before my next game (not my choice!).

[SydneyCity]

I started watching City at AG in 88 and for some reason the player/debut that always stuck in my head was the goalkeeper, Wayne Brown.

This thread prompted me to Google it and I can say with certainty that I remembered it all wrong. In my head I was a kid and he was absolutely amazing. In reality, it was 1994, he was only a few months older than me me and his debut was his one and only game. I knew he didn’t play much, but based on how I remember him playing, he definitely deserved more time on the pitch.

[Sir Geoff]

I have read the question several times and still don't understand it. But to follow others my first game was at the start of the 70/71 League season vs Sunderland and I am led to believe (although I was 8 yrs old and had no idea) but a certain Gerald Gow made his league debut....... or that may have been when the Dolman Stand made its debut, happy to be corrected on either.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Sir Geoff
Extra text

[Eddie Hitler]

 

I have read the question several times and still don't understand it. But to follow others my first game was at the start of the 70/71 League season vs Sunderland and I am led to believe (although I was 8 yrs old and had no idea) but a certain Gerald Gow made his league debut....... or that may have been when the Dolman Stand made its debut, happy to be corrected on either.

I've clarified two posts above.

If your first game was John Atyeo's last (or you think that you saw him play!) then that links you back to the date of his debut performance for the club.

If you saw him in 1966 you were then watching a player who first played for City in 1951.

 

To give it a bit more colour I saw Ray Wilkins play for QPR several times in the mid 90s where I was watching a player who had been captain of Chelsea in 1975; I was watching the same player who had led Chelsea through the 70s in a wholly different era for football.  Though widening it to "any player, any club" seemed to be a bit random.

[southside]

 

I have read the question several times and still don't understand it. But to follow others my first game was at the start of the 70/71 League season vs Sunderland and I am led to believe (although I was 8 yrs old and had no idea) but a certain Gerald Gow made his league debut....... or that may have been when the Dolman Stand made its debut, happy to be corrected on either.

The Dolman definitely made its debut that day, a 4-3 win

[Red-Robbo]

 

I have read the question several times and still don't understand it. But to follow others my first game was at the start of the 70/71 League season vs Sunderland and I am led to believe (although I was 8 yrs old and had no idea) but a certain Gerald Gow made his league debut....... or that may have been when the Dolman Stand made its debut, happy to be corrected on either.

 

It must've been the same for me, but being so young I was probably more interested in the sweets I could devour at the match. My memories if the matches I attended as a young kid are very hazy.

[Tin Soldier]

1977 Kevin Mabbutt, forget who against. Scored 3 goals away against Man U in 1978. Gained national attention as not many had achieved that.

[Silvio Dante]

 

I've clarified two posts above.

If your first game was John Atyeo's last (or you think that you saw him play!) then that links you back to the date of his debut performance for the club.

If you saw him in 1966 you were then watching a player who first played for City in 1951.

 

To give it a bit more colour I saw Ray Wilkins play for QPR several times in the mid 90s where I was watching a player who had been captain of Chelsea in 1975; I was watching the same player who had led Chelsea through the 70s in a wholly different era for football.  Though widening it to "any player, any club" seemed to be a bit random.

It took me a couple of reads to get it - it’s similar to how far you can go back in city history in the fewest steps but using the “fan” as the start point (as we’re all current). So in your example you go from now back to Tainton, and Tainton then takes you back another x years.

If we were doing players, it’d be something like Vyner to Bryan to Carey and so on.

That it?
 

 

[slartibartfast]

 

Gentlemen, fasten your anoraks.

A discussion about how far back you know your football on another thread made me wonder which City player that I had seen play had the earliest debut.

There is going to be a big fracture point in 1982 but prior to that there were some very long club careers and I wondered how far we could push this back.

In my first game (Oct 1979, home to Arsenal) Trevor Tainton played and his first game for the club was an impressive twelve years earlier:

September 1967, home to Carlisle.

That's 54 years; easily beaten I would have thought.

Beat me to it, I was there for that one. I think the earliest was Chris G in 66 v Preston, but I believe he had to wait a while for his second.

[slartibartfast]

 

I have read the question several times and still don't understand it. But to follow others my first game was at the start of the 70/71 League season vs Sunderland and I am led to believe (although I was 8 yrs old and had no idea) but a certain Gerald Gow made his league debut....... or that may have been when the Dolman Stand made its debut, happy to be corrected on either.

No, Gow made his debut last game of previous season away at Charlton. I'm pretty sure Merrick made his debut away at Sheff U...

[Eddie Hitler]

 

It took me a couple of reads to get it - it’s similar to how far you can go back in city history in the fewest steps but using the “fan” as the start point (as we’re all current). So in your example you go from now back to Tainton, and Tainton then takes you back another x years.

If we were doing players, it’d be something like Vyner to Bryan to Carey and so on.

That it?
 

 

Yup.

[cidercity1987]

First match, 0-0 against the Gas in 1999. At a guess the earliest debut from that line up would have been Tinnion in 1993

[22A]

 

Gerry Gow and Chris Garland for me in the 60’s when they were both 17. (Not in the same match, as I recall)

Gerry Gow for me too.

I also remember Geoff Merrick becoming the youngest Captain in the country when he was just 21.

[cityexile]

Its a bit of a tangent, but on the topic of debuts this made me smile from the weekend. Has all the signs of a lower league club going 'o no...quick, see what we have to hand in the fridge...'

https://thejjreport.com/sport/crewe-man-of-the-match-zac-williams-16-awarded-jaffa-cakes-and-ready-salted-crisps-as-hes-too-young-for-champagne/

 

[slartibartfast]

1 hour ago, Tin Soldier said:

1977 Kevin Mabbutt, forget who against. Scored 3 goals away against Man U in 1978. Gained national attention as not many had achieved that.

Stoke seems to ring a bell with me ?

[slartibartfast]

3 hours ago, CodeRed said:

I started going in 1966/67*so the season after Big John retired unfortunately so the earliest would be Alec Briggs and Gordon Parr who both debuted in 1957.  Of course many on OTIB with have seen John Atyeo play who made his debut in 1951/52 season.

 

* the memory is hazy after 55 years but the team that year was mostly:

Gibson Ford Briggs Parr Connor Low Derrick Clark Bush Quigley Peters

Later that season came Chris Crowe and Hughie Mac.

[Red-Robbo]

Pity we don't still have @Aizoon with us.  (Although hopefully still "with us" in the land of the living)

I think he remembers before Billy Wedlock put that weight on...

[redysteadygo]

My debut was 1956 so players would have been, Ernie "Ginger" Peacock, Jack Bailey, Cyril Williams and Ivor Guy who all made their debuts in 1946.

 

[Sleepy1968]

3 hours ago, Robbored said:

That’s why don’t remember him then!

Surely it was down to not being able to hear the teams announced over the tannoy?

[RedEd73]

Debut match City v Mansfield Town in February 1987. I think Steve McLaren made his city debut? City lost 2-1. I'm guessing, but probably earliest city debut would have been Andy Llewellyn or Rob Newman?

[where's the joy]

Started watching in 67 with a 3-3 home draw against our old enemy Hull, all the goals in the first half. 

Then on April 4th 1970 in a 2-1 away defeat at Charlton Athletic I went to see a certain Mr Gerry Gow make his debut

Only Micky Mellon has come close to matching his energy for a right sided midfielder but Gow could tackle like a tank

God rest his soul

[Oh Louie louie]

My first game was a pre season friendly with chelsea.

Mr lee rogers, made his debut same time as me in leauge games.

[Davefevs]

5 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Beat me to it, I was there for that one. I think the earliest was Chris G in 66 v Preston, but I believe he had to wait a while for his second.

Probably Garland for me, as I saw him when he returned in early 80s…abd I first started going in 78.

[oldstandrobin]

First Game 18th April 1959 v Leyton Orient. John Atyeo dominated. 

[flipflopcity]

I thought it was Chris Garland.. at 16 on the wing under Fred Ford but Google says it is Marvin Brown becomes the youngest player to represent City at 16 years 71 days when comes on as a sub in a Worthington Cup tie at Nottingham Forest.

[flipflopcity]

I watched from the Grandstand Enclosure railings

[Simon bristol]

Im thinking joe joedan might figure in this for some of us?

as an aside, im sure i saw recently, that stanley matthews, peter shilton and buffons careers all over lap at some point, and thats probably 80 years or so.

[archie andrews]

5 hours ago, RedEd73 said:

Debut match City v Mansfield Town in February 1987. I think Steve McLaren made his city debut? City lost 2-1. I'm guessing, but probably earliest city debut would have been Andy Llewellyn or Rob Newman?

pretty certain newman made his full debut v fulham feb 82....llewelyn later pre season 82/83

[Red Shadow]

Gordon Parr and Alec Briggs were in the team when I started going in 67-68. Both made their debut in 1957.

Edited November 22, 2021 by Red Shadow

[Lanterne Rouge]

Not a City debut but most certainly a City player, Norman Hunter`s debut for Leeds was in September 1962 (just before, I think, Terry Cooper)

[slartibartfast]

On 22/11/2021 at 17:45, Davefevs said:

Probably Garland for me, as I saw him when he returned in early 80s…abd I first started going in 78.

C G returned in the 76-77 season from Leicester.

[Davefevs]

4 minutes ago, slartibartfast said:

C G returned in the 76-77 season from Leicester.

I can’t really remember him, but he was injured a lot, seem to recall him going out on loan, and I saw him on his return.

[slartibartfast]

On 22/11/2021 at 12:44, slartibartfast said:

No, Gow made his debut last game of previous season away at Charlton. I'm pretty sure Merrick made his debut away at Sheff U...

I've been corrected GM made his debut away at Villa,last game of previous season.

[slartibartfast]

On 22/11/2021 at 10:59, CodeRed said:

 

 

* the memory is hazy after 55 years but the team that year was mostly:

Gibson Ford Briggs Parr Connor Low Derrick Clark Bush Quigley Peters

I understand why you say mostly, but point of order..........Quig & Clark never played in the same line up as they were both a part of a swap deal with Hudders .

[stephenkibby.]

Might have seen Merrick's debut at Aston Gate.

My first game was  England v Wales schoolboys. Merrick was captain that day would have been in 66 i think .

[Atyeo's lift]

On 22/11/2021 at 14:41, redysteadygo said:

My debut was 1956 so players would have been, Ernie "Ginger" Peacock, Jack Bailey, Cyril Williams and Ivor Guy who all made their debuts in 1946.

 

I'm about the same. The first game, sorry to say, which I remember was the 3-4 defeat by the Gas in the FA Cup in January1958, but I'd been going for a year or two before that.

[Oh Louie louie]

Yes, joe jordans debut, he put a few extra bums on seats that day.

What a game, doncaster didnt know what hit them!

[Oh Louie louie]

In that era, im sure i went to a away match and somebody scored first minute of debut?

Gavin im thinking?

[Sweeneys Penalties]

6 hours ago, Oh Louie louie said:

In that era, im sure i went to a away match and somebody scored first minute of debut?

Gavin im thinking?

No idea but remember Joe Royle having a carnival of his own on his debut against Middlesbrough when he netted 4

[archie andrews]

17 minutes ago, Sweeneys Penalties said:

No idea but remember Joe Royle having a carnival of his own on his debut against Middlesbrough when he netted 4

Was billy woof playing for boro? 

[CodeRed]

14 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

I understand why you say mostly, but point of order..........Quig & Clark never played in the same line up as they were both a part of a swap deal with Hudders .

Yes, you're right it was a swap. Thanks just the players I remember playing most often,....Ray Savino also played a few games and possibly a very young Gerry Sharpe ( although that may have been as season later). Certainly Chris Crowe and Hugh McIlmoyle arrived later that season as well. 2 great signings.

 

[Davefevs]

15 minutes ago, archie andrews said:

Was billy woof playing for boro? 

Dogged player

[Kingswood Robin]

I started watching in 1983, so I think the answer is Tom Ritchie (Ritchie, John Shaw and Terry Cooper were the oldies back then). That got me thinking about any player I saw play against us that might have had an earlier debut for City and came up with Ray Cashley. There may have been other ex city players we played against in the early 80s that debuted for City before Ray Cashley, not sure. The absolute earliest league debut for someone that also played for City I imagine is Terry Cooper in the early 60s. I think Tommy Hutchinson played against us in the 80s and he must go back fair time.

[soultrader]

Whoever had a debut for a 12 oclock kick off

 

Cant remember any matches starting before then

 

[Galley is our king]

Think my first game (aged 7), was 61/62.

Not a clue who we played, I just enjoyed sat stamping my feet making a noise in the old timber stand where the Dolman is now.

Gibson Ford Briggs Parr Connor Low I remember so the first player to make his debut could have been Trevor Jacobs or Danny Bartley???

That old stand was terrible but the tannoy system was brilliant