On 7 May 1994 Manchester City 1:1 with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough to end a disappointing League campaign which probably marked a significant change in our fortunes.
For much of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s there had been a buoyancy about Manchester City as a predominantly youthful side had earned promotion to the top flight and then achieved great things, cementing a series of top 5 finishes whilst playing largely joyful attacking football.
But it was during the 1993/94 season when things started to change for City and the feeling on the terraces began to steal away from the optimism of recent years towards darker thoughts.
Peter Reid was one of my favourite City Managers and he had organised our team into the best I could recall in my young adult life. We seemed to have an interesting blend of youth and experience which was allowing City to punch above their weight in terms of performance. This, however, was a team hampered by off the pitch upset and limited resources.
More from Man City Editorials
- Phil Foden Scores Opener for England Against Scotland
- The FA Cup 1904; Manchester City’s First Trophy Ever
- Scandal Erupts: Raival’s Star Winger Antony Faces Accusations of Assault
- Man City Reigns Supreme in Ballon d’Or Nominations, Argentina Shines on National Stage
- Louis van Gaal Drops Bombshell: Accuses Argentina of World Cup 2022 Conspiracy!
City panicked after 3 defeats in the first 4 games of the new campaign and hastily sacked Peter Reid – whose recent achievements were quickly overlooked. The Chairman, Peter Swales, replaced Reid with Brain Horton from Oxford United and things began to slip.
Our second home League win of the season did not arrive until 8 December 1993 when City beat Everton thanks to a single goal by Carl Griffiths. It was this general lack of goals which served to define this whole season but Peter Swales had a unique way of seeking to address this decline. At Christmas he sold our best player, David White to Leeds United.
The campaign began to turn to a drudge as City struggled to claw results out of games and the poor form at times threatened to become terminal for our position within the top flight. Luckily a run of three back to back wins in April 1994 helped to secure our position in the League and we ended the season in 16th place.
This 16th place in the table meant we finished just 3 points above the relegation spots.
So 25 years ago for Manchester City marked something of a turning point from excitement towards a gradual erosion of our Club. The season which followed saw us sack Brain Horton and appoint Alan Ball, eventually finishing one place further into the relegation battle. The following season saw us start our plummet down the divisions to our lowest ebb.
Of course all of these bad times were worth suffering when you take into account the glory we currently enjoy!