City made the short trip to Boundary Park for our final game of an eventful 1991/92 season. A strong home record had seen us threaten to finish in the top three, only derailed by a four-game winless run through March, including defeats at QPR and Nottingham Forest. With finishing positions all pretty much decided there was little to play for. Leeds had already been declared champions, with United secure in second. The biggest game of the day was at Kenilworth Road as troubled Luton took on fellow relegation candidates Notts County.
Wearing a classic maroon strip, and with the Rochdale Road End terraces crammed with an army of travelling supporters, City fielded an extremely attacking line-up, with Niall Quinn, David White, Mike Sheron and youth team product Adie Mike all starting, with the young forward, who'd go on to carve out a career in the non-leagues, making his debut aged nineteen.
A battered Boundary Park pitch, only installed for a year once promotion had been secured the previous May, didn't have too much effect on what turned out to be an excellent game. After much of the early exchanges the home side took the lead through midfielder Nick Henry after a cross from the left by winger Rick Holden, the player would coincidentally sign for City that summer to replace Michael Hughes who moved to French side Strasbourg. Rick's cross tricked through bodies evading most before a poor prod out by Ian Brightwell, playing at left-back, fell at Henry's feet who lashed home.
The leveller came through the young debutant Mike, and would prove one of only two goals he'd score for the senior team before joining Stockport three seasons later after loan spells at Bury and in Sweden with Linköpings. Picking up a lofted ball from centre-half Keith Curle, Mike controlled well, turning his man one way and the other and getting his effort away which trickled under the body of Latics goalkeeper 'Lucky' John Keeley, nicknamed so due to injuries and him running over the cat of teammate Ian Marshall!
By the time the interval had arrived we'd managed to edge into a lead. A corner from Fitzroy Simpson, making only his tenth appearance in a City shirt after arriving from Swindon, eventually fell to David White. His poke towards goal taking a couple of deflections and trickling across the line despite the presence of left-back Andy Barlow on the post. They all count!
The second-half saw a further four goals of varying quality. Firstly, White grabbed his second and City's third with another scrappy strike. Curle had knocked another searching ball for Quinn, the Irishman heading down into the path of White who completely missed his kick, luckily sending Barlow the wrong way. With Keeley bearing down on him the winger-turned-striker prodded home with his right foot.
The fourth and fifth goals were more ones to saviour. Firstly, Mike Sheron, another nineteen-year-old youth team striker with an eye for goal, who had made his debut earlier that season, cut in from the left wing before lashing a curling effort into Keeley's far corner. The cheeky Scouser would go on to make over a century of appearances for the club before a £1m bid was deemed enough to take him to Norwich in 1994.
White went on to grab his hat-trick, then his third for the Blues, collecting the ball from Simpson, marauding through two Oldham defenders, taking the ball wide, then similarly to Sheron's strike, cutting in and curling a cracking shot into the far post. Former City striker Paul Moulden grabbed a late second for Oldham, pouncing onto a ball from all of a yard after Coton spilled a Milligan attempt.
With Arsenal beating Southampton convincingly at Highbury, City had to make do with 5th place, Sheffield Wednesday grabbing third. Luton's victory over Notts County ensured relegation for both, Coventry and Norwich surviving despite both being beaten. Ipswich, Middlesbrough and big-spending Blackburn won promotion from the Second Division.
The likes of Megson, Pointon, Brennan and Redmond would leave the club that summer, the latter three all actually to that day's opposition, as both clubs geared up for their first campaigns in the newly-formed Premiership. 91/92 would probably be best remembered for a handsome 4-0 mauling of title-winners Leeds at Maine Road.
Team:
Coton, Hill, I.Brightwell, Vonk, Curle, McMahon, White, Simpson, Quinn, Mike, Sheron
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