Darren Nadin's Website » darren

Why Bon Jovi sent me to Barnsley

darren — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:44:54 +0000

July 2008, and Manchester City had a UEFA cup qualifying round tie against EB/Streymur of the Faroe Islands. Not a problem, that is until Jon Bon Jovi gets involved. Yes, Bon Jovi had a concert already arranged at the City of Manchester Stadium, and the pitch wasn’t going to be ready in time for the game, so another venue was needed. Local grounds such as Oldham and Bolton were suggested, but eventually it was Barnsley who stepped in.

Having been to many pre-season games with City, a trip to Yorkshire in July to see the blues play wasn’t a new experience. But this was my first visit to Oakwell. Blues fans on my left, a handful of dedicated Streymur fans opposite, and Barnsley fans eager to see UEFA Cup football at heir home to my right made for an interesting atmosphere. Never before had I been to a game with 3 different sets of fans.

City were 2-0 up from the first leg, and healthy scoreline was expected for this leg too. Danny Sturridge, Elano and Darius Vassell all peppered the Streymur goal in the opening few minutes, while Vedran Coruka and Martin Petrov both hit the bar. A very defensive Streymur managed to keep city at bay though with keeper Rene Torgard making some excellent saves. Half time arrived and it was goalless. While the tie was looking safe, it probably wasn’t Mark Hughes ideal start to his first “home” game as City manager.

Second half started, and City came out quick and strong. An unmarked Martin Petrov scored the first goal a few minutes in after a neat cross from Darius Vassell. Expectation grew but Streymur were resolute. As the tie went on, the pace of the game dropped to that of a pre-season friendly. Darius Vassell eventually got his reward with City’s second goal in injury time making it 2-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate.

A decent night in unfamiliar home surroundings, and a spirited display from the team from the Faroe Islands. Credit to the Streymur fans that came over, and similarly to the City fans that made their way over to the Faroe’s for the first leg (including those that travelled from Scotland on a fishing trawler!).

City Line Up: Hart, Corluka, Dunne, Richards, Ball, Fernandes (Hamann 62), Johnson, Elano, Petrov (Etuhu 69), Vassell, Sturridge (Evans 70).

FA Cup Final – City at Wembley again

darren — Sat, 21 May 2011 11:33:51 +0000

Photos and videos from the FA Cup Final on 14th May 2011 when City beat Stoke 1-0 to lift the FA Cup with a goal from Yaya Toure.

View the whole set on my Flickr page

View all the videos on my YouTube page

City at Wembley

darren — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:26:20 +0000

Photos and videos from the FA Cup Semi Final on 16th April 2011 when City beat United 1-0 with a goal from Yaya Toure.

The City team being announced at Wembley :

MCFC Training

darren — Mon, 02 May 2011 14:21:02 +0000

Some old photos from training at MCFC’s Carrington Training Ground, taken in September 2003

Click here to view the full set on Flickr

Shed Seven on Tour

darren — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:13:28 +0000

Excellent to see that Shed Seven are touring again in December 2011.

More details at http://www.shedseven.co.uk

Marc Vivien Foe

darren — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:36:00 +0000

Photos from the Marc Vivien Foe tribute outside Maine Road in 2003

Maine Road

darren — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:54:50 +0000

Tour of Maine Road in 2002

See the full set on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenmcfc/sets/72157623442280094/

MCFC away at West Brom 2002

darren — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:47:12 +0000

City away at West Brom in Nov 2002

See the full set on flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenmcfc/sets/72157623442229896/

Shed Seven On Tour

darren — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:16:57 +0000

On tour in December – great band to see live