1998–99 Manchester City F.C. season
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| 1998–99 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Joe Royle |
| Second Division | 3rd (promoted via playoffs) |
| Play-offs | Winners |
| FA Cup | Third round |
| League Cup | Second round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Shaun Goater (17) All: Shaun Goater (20) |
| Highest home attendance | 32,471 vs York City 8 May 1999 Division 2 |
| Lowest home attendance | 8,595 vs Darlington 15 December 1998 FA Cup 2nd round |
| Average home league attendance | 28,261 |
The 1998–99 season was Manchester City's first season in the third tier of English football.
The club was able to make an immediate return to Division One, thanks to a play-off final victory over Gillingham in a penalty shootout, having scored two goals in added time to turn around a 2–0 scoreline with 89 minutes of normal time played. The dramatic victory ensured that City's first season in English football's third tier ended in promotion, bringing some success to the club after two relegations in three seasons.[1]
Team kit
[edit]The team kit was produced by Kappa and the shirt sponsor was Brother.
The home shirt for the season was a slightly darker shade of blue than the traditional City sky blue known as 'Laser Blue'. While the home shirt was generally well received, it was the away kit that would take on a special significance to Manchester City fans. While the luminous yellow and navy blue stripes were peculiar, with the yellow in particular somewhat garish and never having even been worn before by City, the shirt took on a whole new meaning when it was worn for the 1999 Football League Second Division play-off final. Although this game technically marked the lowest ever league finish in Manchester City's history, instead the incredible circumstances by which City were able to win - having conceded the first two goals of the game in the last ten minutes of normal time, before getting two goals of their own in injury time, and then winning a penalty shoot-out - in fact mark this game as one of the proudest moments of the club's history.
As a result, the kit instantly went from being an average if slightly unusual shirt to being one of the most iconic symbols of the club's history. There have been frequent if uncoordinated calls for the shirt to be brought back as an away kit in future seasons, though as yet the design has largely been forgotten by the club's successive kit manufacturers. However, the 2024–25 away kit that is designed by Puma had brought back the iconic yellow and navy blue stripes kit based on that season's away kit to commemorate 25 years since the Play-off final victory.
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Home |
Away
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Season summary
[edit]City's first-ever season in the third tier got off to a bright start, with the team losing only one of their first six matches and topping the table after a victory over fellow third tier newcomers Macclesfield Town. After that, however, City would only win three more league matches before Christmas, as the heavily overhauled squad struggled to come together, with injuries only compounding the situation. The club would hit its lowest ebb after an embarrassing 2–1 loss to York City in their final pre-Christmas fixture, a result which left them 12th in the table and led to fans calling for Royle's sacking.[2]
The board kept faith with Royle, however, and were rewarded with only two more losses all season, with the highlights of the season's second half being a 3–0 win against league leaders Fulham, a 6–0 away win over Burnley, and a 4–0 win over Lincoln City, who had beaten City earlier in the season. City's poor first half of the season, combined with the form of runaway leaders Fulham and second-placed Walsall meant that an automatic promotion challenge was never seriously on the cards, but they secured third place on the final day of the season, and also exacted revenge on York City for their earlier humiliation by thrashing the Minstermen 4–0, condemning them to relegation.
City faced off against Lancashire rivals Wigan Athletic in the first round of the play-offs, and a pair of tense matches ended with a 1–1 draw in the last competitive fixture at Wigan's Springfield Park ground, followed by a 1–0 victory at Maine Road, setting the stage for a Wembley Stadium showdown with Gillingham.
The play-off final was goalless for 82 minutes, before the Gills struck a pair of late goals that looked to have ensured that City would be spending a second successive season in Division Two. However, City themselves then scored a dramatic pair of injury-time goals (the second of which came in the 95th minute) to take the match to extra time. No further goals resulted in the next half-hour, leading to a penalty shoot-out. The Gills were able to convert only one of their penalties, while City scored three, ensuring that they returned to Division One at the first time of asking.
In the FA Cup, City beat Halifax Town first, then Darlington in a replay with an extra time winner, before losing to Wimbledon by a single goal. In the League Cup, City played very well against Notts County and won the second leg 7–1, but in the next round Derby County eliminated City by a single goal at Maine Road after a draw in the first leg.
Competitions
[edit]Second Division
[edit]League table
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fulham (C, P) | 46 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 79 | 32 | +47 | 101 | Promotion to the First Division |
| 2 | Walsall (P) | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 63 | 47 | +16 | 87 | |
| 3 | Manchester City (O, P) | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 82 | Qualification for the Second Division play-offs |
| 4 | Gillingham | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 80 | |
| 5 | Preston North End | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 78 | 50 | +28 | 79 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted
Results summary
[edit]| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 82 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 14 | +24 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 31 | 19 | +12 |
Source: [1]
Matches
[edit]| 8 August 1998 1 | Manchester City | 3–0 | Blackpool | Manchester |
| Goater Bradbury Tskhadadze |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Graham Frankland |
| 14 August 1998 2 | Fulham | 3–0 | Manchester City | London |
| Beardsley Lehmann |
Stadium: Craven Cottage Referee: Mick Fletcher |
| 22 August 1998 3 | Manchester City | 0–0 | Wrexham | Manchester |
| Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Graham Laws |
| 29 August 1998 4 | Notts County | 1–1 | Manchester City | Nottingham |
| Hendon |
Goater |
Stadium: Meadow Lane Referee: Terry Heilbron |
| 2 September 1998 5 | Manchester City | 3–1 | Walsall | Manchester |
| Goater Dickov |
Rammell |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: David Laws |
| 8 September 1998 6 | Manchester City | 2–1 | Bournemouth | Manchester |
| Allsopp Dickov |
Fletcher |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Trevor Jones |
| 12 September 1998 7 | Macclesfield Town | 0–1 | Manchester City | Macclesfield |
| Goater |
Stadium: Moss Rose Referee: Ken Leach |
| 19 September 1998 8 | Manchester City | 1–1 | Chesterfield | Manchester |
| Bradbury |
Reeves |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: John Brandwood |
| 26 September 1998 9 | Northampton Town | 2–2 | Manchester City | Northampton |
| Peer Corazzin |
Dickov Goater |
Stadium: Sixfields Stadium Referee: Clive Wilkes |
| 29 September 1998 10 | Millwall | 1–1 | Manchester City | London |
| Harris |
Bradbury |
Stadium: The Den Referee: Matt Messias |
| 3 October 1998 11 | Manchester City | 2–2 | Burnley | Manchester |
| Goater Allsopp |
Payton Cooke |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Roger Furnandiz |
| 12 October 1998 12 | Manchester City | 0–1 | Preston North End | Manchester |
| Parkinson |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Mick Fletcher |
| 17 October 1998 13 | Wigan Athletic | 0–1 | Manchester City | Wigan |
| Goater |
Stadium: Springfield Park Referee: David Pugh |
| 20 October 1998 14 | Lincoln City | 2–1 | Manchester City | Lincoln |
| Battersby Austin |
Holmes |
Stadium: Sincil Bank Referee: Paul Rejer |
| 24 October 1998 15 | Manchester City | 0–1 | Reading | Manchester |
| Williams |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Phil Richards |
| 31 October 1998 16 | Manchester City | 2–1 | Colchester United | Manchester |
| Horlock Morrison |
Dozzell |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Michael Pike |
| 7 November 1998 17 | Oldham Athletic | 0–3 | Manchester City | Oldham |
| Horlock Morrison |
Stadium: Boundary Park Referee: Scott Mathieson |
| 10 November 1998 18 | Wycombe Wanderers | 1–0 | Manchester City | High Wycombe |
| Simpson |
Stadium: Adams Park Referee: Paul Taylor |
| 21 November 1998 19 | Manchester City | 0–0 | Gillingham | Manchester |
| Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Gurnam Singh |
| 28 November 1998 20 | Luton Town | 1–1 | Manchester City | Luton |
| Doherty |
Morrison |
Stadium: Kenilworth Road Referee: Anthony Bates |
| 12 December 1998 21 | Manchester City | 0–0 | Bristol Rovers | Manchester |
| Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Roy Pearson |
| 19 December 1998 22 | York City | 2–1 | Manchester City | York |
| Connelly Dawson |
Russell |
Stadium: Bootham Crescent Referee: Bill Burns |
| 26 December 1998 23 | Wrexham | 0–1 | Manchester City | Wrexham |
| Wiekens |
Stadium: Racecourse Ground Referee: Trevor Jones |
| 28 December 1998 24 | Manchester City | 2–1 | Stoke City | Manchester |
| Dickov Taylor |
Sigurðsson |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Alan Butler |
| 9 January 1999 25 | Blackpool | 0–0 | Manchester City | Blackpool |
| Stadium: Bloomfield Road Referee: David Laws |
| 16 January 1999 26 | Manchester City | 3–0 | Fulham | Manchester |
| Goater Taylor Horlock |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Andy Hall |
| 23 January 1999 27 | Walsall | 1–1 | Manchester City | Walsall |
| Watson |
Pollock |
Stadium: Bescot Stadium Referee: Mick Pierce |
| 29 January 1999 28 | Stoke City | 0–1 | Manchester City | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Wiekens |
Stadium: Britannia Stadium Referee: Clive Wilkes |
| 6 February 1999 29 | Manchester City | 3–0 | Millwall | Manchester |
| Dickov Cooke Horlock |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Terry Heilbron |
| 13 February 1999 30 | Bournemouth | 0–0 | Manchester City | Bournemouth |
| Stadium: Dean Court Referee: Brian Coddington |
| 20 February 1999 31 | Manchester City | 2–0 | Macclesfield Town | Manchester |
| Goater Taylor |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Alan Wiley |
| 27 February 1999 32 | Chesterfield | 1–1 | Manchester City | Chesterfield |
| Reeves |
Crooks |
Stadium: Saltergate Referee: Graham Frankland |
| 6 March 1999 33 | Manchester City | 0–0 | Northampton Town | Manchester |
| Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Matt Messias |
| 9 March 1999 34 | Burnley | 0–6 | Manchester City | Burnley |
| Horlock Morrison Goater Allsopp |
Stadium: Turf Moor Referee: John Kirkby |
| 13 March 1999 35 | Manchester City | 1–2 | Oldham Athletic | Manchester |
| Taylor |
Reid Duxbury |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: John Brandwood |
| 16 March 1999 36 | Manchester City | 2–1 | Notts County | Manchester |
| Brown Cooke |
Stallard |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Mike Dean |
| 20 March 1999 37 | Colchester United | 0–1 | Manchester City | Colchester |
| Goater |
Stadium: Layer Road Referee: Rob Styles |
| 27 March 1999 38 | Reading | 1–3 | Manchester City | Reading |
| Scott |
Cooke Goater |
Stadium: Madejski Stadium Referee: Paul Rejer |
| 3 April 1999 39 | Manchester City | 1–0 | Wigan Athletic | Manchester |
| Cooke |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Steve Baines |
| 5 April 1999 40 | Preston North End | 1–1 | Manchester City | Preston |
| Basham |
Brown |
Stadium: Deepdale Referee: Kevin Lynch |
| 10 April 1999 41 | Manchester City | 4–0 | Lincoln City | Manchester |
| Dickov Horlock |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Mark Warren |
| 14 April 1999 42 | Manchester City | 2–0 | Luton Town | Manchester |
| Dickov Vaughan |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Phil Richards |
| 17 April 1999 43 | Gillingham | 0–2 | Manchester City | Gillingham |
| Cooke Horlock |
Stadium: Priestfield Stadium Referee: Rob Styles |
| 24 April 1999 44 | Manchester City | 1–2 | Wycombe Wanderers | Manchester |
| Goater |
Baird Devine |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Mark Cowburn |
| 1 May 1999 45 | Bristol Rovers | 2–2 | Manchester City | Bristol |
| Roberts Cureton |
Goater Cooke |
Stadium: Memorial Stadium Referee: Steve Bennett |
| 8 May 1999 46 | Manchester City | 4–0 | York City | Manchester |
| Dickov Horlock Jeff Whitley Allsopp |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Andy D'Urso |
Playoffs
[edit]Semi-finals
[edit]| 15 May 1999 First leg | Wigan Athletic | 1–1 | Manchester City | Wigan |
| Barlow |
Dickov |
Stadium: Springfield Park Referee: Alan Wiley |
| 19 May 1999 Second leg | Manchester City | 1–0 | Wigan Athletic | Manchester |
| Goater |
Stadium: Maine Road Referee: Terry Heilbron |
Final
[edit]| 30 May 1999 Final | Manchester City | 2–2 (3–1 p) | Gillingham | London |
| 15:00 | Horlock Dickov |
Asaba R. Taylor |
Stadium: Wembley Attendance: 76,935 Referee: Mark Halsey |
FA Cup
[edit]Matches
[edit]| 13 November 1998 First Round | Manchester City | 3–0 | Halifax Town | Manchester |
| Stadium: Maine Road |
| 4 December 1998 Second Round | Darlington | 1–1 | Manchester City | Darlington |
| 15 December 1998 Second Round replay | Manchester City | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Darlington | Manchester |
League Cup
[edit]First round
[edit]| 11 August 1998 First Leg | Notts County | 0–2 | Manchester City | Nottingham |
| 19 August 1998 Second Leg | Manchester City | 7–1 (9–1 agg.) | Notts County | Manchester |
| Stadium: Maine Road |
Second round
[edit]| 16 September 1998 First leg | Derby County | 1–1 | Manchester City | Derby |
| 23 September 1998 Second leg | Manchester City | 0–1 (1–2 agg.) | Derby County | Manchester |
| Stadium: Maine Road |
Squad
[edit]Goalkeepers
[edit]Defenders
[edit]Lee Crooks
Andy Morrison
Murtaz Shelia
Danny Tiatto
Gerard Wiekens
Midfielders
[edit]Jeff Whitley
Attackers
[edit]Shaun Goater
References
[edit]- ^ Moore, Nick (17 April 2019). "When Manchester City were rubbish: how the 1998/99 season changed a football club's destiny". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Marshall, Tyrone (19 December 2018). "The day Man City hit an all-time low by those who were there". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 22 March 2022.