Mancastor City
| Full name | Mancastor City |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1894 |
| Ground | Traine Road, Mancastor, England |
| Capacity | 47,000 (in 1984) |
| Manager | Billy Atfield (1984-85) |
| League | FA Premier League |
Mancastor City are a fictional football team in the British comic Champ, which appeared in the We are United strip (1984-86). The name is a reference to Manchester City FC. The club's nickname is The Lions. A team named almost identically as ‘’Mancaster City’’ was mentioned in Ben Leiper’s story ‘’This Goalie’s got guts’’.
History
The club had a glorious past with 7 league titles. In 69/70 City reached the UEFA Cup final and in 75/76 they won their last FA Cup. In 79/80 they played in the FA Cup final against United and lost 4-3 in a thrilling game (Tommy Taylor scored while Peter Watson was also playing).
On 14 April 1984 at Hillsboro Stadium in Sheffield, City faced Riverton United in the FA Cup semifinal. Gordon Clarke's goal was equalized by one from Josh Tee and four days later City beat United by 2-0 at the same stadium (Dinger Bell and John ? scored). A month later they won the FA Cup against Notts Forest at Wembley (2-0). They also finished 2nd in the league behind Southpool.
In 84/85 they played in the FA Cup semifinal against Riverton United hoping to appear at Wembley once more. Gordon Clarke was a free-scoring midfielder, a goalscoring threat having netted 18 goals by the time of that semifinal in the 84/85 season, while international Peter Watson was the club’s captain and was also captaining England (reference to David Watson). Watson had already played for City for 10 years, signing in 1975. The other star of the team was club-record signing Steve Francis as a reference to Trevor Francis. City also had a great league run trailing leaders Southpool by 4 points (finished second at the end).
Honours
Note that all records are fictional, as of the 1984/85 season.
League
- First Division: 7 titles
- 1898, 1909, 1934, 1936, 1958, 1965, 1979
- Runners-up: 1984
Cups
- FA Cup: 4
- Winners: 1911, 1936, 1948, 1976
- Runners-up: 1980
- League Cup: 1
- 1974
European
- UEFA Cup:
- Runners-up: 1970
Colours and kits
The club colours were red and white.
Rivalries
It is possible that City had a rivalry with crosstown side ‘’Mancastor United’’ which was mentioned in the Champ. It was the first professional club for Hedgehog Jones in 1982.
Stadium
City played at the Traine Road (reference to Maine Road) of 47,000 capacity.
Records
Note that all records are fictional, as of the 1984/85 season.
- Highest record fee paid: £1,365,000 for Steve Francis in November 1979
- Highest record fee received: £965,000 for Andy Daley in August 1980
- Most capped player: Peter Watson (58 caps for England)
Notable players
Peter Watson- Steve Francis
- Andy Daley
- Gordon Clarke
- Dinger Bell
- Tommy Taylor
Notable managers
- Billy Atfield
