The Etihad has become synonymous with Manchester City’s recent success, but rewind 20 years ago, and fans associated the club with a totally different identity.
The current European and Premier League champions have played at the old City of Manchester Stadium built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games since the summer of 2003.
The final game at Maine Road was played in 2003GETTY
But anyone born before the millennium will remember that before their move to the modern arena, City played their games at Maine Road on Moss Side.
The club spent 80 years there after moving from their former ground Hyde Road when a fire in its 4,000 seat stand prompted its sale for tramway development.
Maine Road, designed as a ‘Wembley of the North’, became City’s new ground, with it going on to have a capacity of 35,000 at the time of closing.
The road it was built on, approximately three-and-a-half miles south of the Etihad, was originally called Dog Kennel Lane, which would have been some name for a football stadium.
But in the 1870s the Temperance movement, which owned land on the road, pressured the local authority to rename it Maine Road.
This is believed to have been due to the Temperance movement in Maine in the United States, otherwise known as Maine law, which made the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol illegal.
A brickworks on that street was later redeveloped into Maine Road football stadium, with City moving in in 1923. So if you’ve ever wondered why their ground was called ‘Maine Road’, there you go.
A local newspaper at the time said: “Dog Kennel Lane took its name from the kennel where hounds were kept. It stood on the right-hand side at the bend about a thousand yards from Moss Lane, opposite to the road which tracked off to the left and led to Demesne Farm.
“The common name of this lane is so ‘common’ and unattractive that when the Temperance Company bought the Trafford land they asked the local board to change the name to Demesne Road, and the subject was compromised by calling it Maine Road out of compliment to the Temperance principles of the petitioners.”
In 1994, in response to the Taylor report which required all-seater stadiums after the Hillsborough Disaster, City redeveloped the Kippax terrace.
Maine Road was slap bang in the middle of the houses on Moss Side in the south of ManchesterGETTY
The Kippax stand replaced the Kippax terrace that was demolished in 1994 following the Taylor reportGETTY
It was transformed into a three tier and six floor stand, also called the Kippax.
It offered 10,178 seats, and most interestingly, was the highest stand in the country.
St James’ Park away end – eat your heart out!
Unlike a lot of modern stadiums today, Maine Road had the old school feel combined with its newer features.
The Kippax was largely detached from the other stands, making it a perfect view for when Oasis played Maine Road in 1996.
The lifelong Man City fans performed there as part of their (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Tour.
The Maine Road gigs were described by Creation Records boss Alan McGee – the man who signed Oasis – as a ‘religious spectacle’, saying the band’s fans were more ‘disciples’ than music lovers.
Oasis played at Maine Road in 1996GETTY
Hundreds camped outside the walls of Maine Road to get their hands on one of the 80,000 tickets costing £17.50 each. Today’s fans would love to have paid that much this time round!
David Bowie also performed at Maine Road, as well as The Rolling Stones, Simple Minds, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Bryan Adams, Jean Michel Jarre, Dire Straits and Guns N’ Roses.
As well as musical icons, Maine Road hosted a number of iconic moments in Man City’s history.
Before the arrival of Sheikh Mansour in 2008, Man City had trophies to their name, but were in a more humble position, particularly during the Maine Road years.
The new housing development at the old Maine Road site honours the old centre spotGETTY
In fact, four years before they left Maine Road, they were playing in League One then known as the Second Division.
Their former ground saw them win the top flight in 1937 and 1968. It also hosted them lifting the second division, now known as the Championship, title trophy in 2002.
Now, 21 years on and Maine Road has been demolished and is now a housing development.
But the remains of the City of old are still there, with the centre spot honoured on a patch of grass in the middle of the estate, as well as roads named after the club, such as Blue Moon Way.
A stadium that hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches hasn’t been easily forgotten by those old enough to have witnessed it.
