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City have moved onwards and upwards, and Keegan was in no doubt that the victory at Millwall was crucial. But he was undaunted and, together with wife Jane and two pals, they set about finding a way to see the game they weren't allowed to attend. We had really good players, who were always going to score goals, and Keegan was perfect for that team.” But what happened that night, as fans racially abused City players Shaun Wright-Phillips, Shaun Goater, Ali Benarbia and Eyal Berjovic, helped to cement the team together and spark a winning run which sent the Blues careering to the Football League title. The first time we scored, there were people turning round and staring at me – some of them with F Troop masks on, trying to intimidate me.”
It was my first goal but it was great to score there because of all the abuse they were giving our lads,” said Wright-Phillips. “So to put one past them, and for us to beat them at The Den was exceptional – it’s just a pity the City fans weren’t there.” One of those fans was Sean Riley, a City fan who had not missed a game for 12 seasons and was desperate to keep his record intact. He managed to find a way in and continue an unbroken run of loyal support only broken by another fan ban – when he failed to get in to CSKA Moscow in 2014.It was nowhere near as scary as it used to be and I warmed up with a smile on my face even though one thug in particular was, forgive the pun, trying to get my goat, but failing, of course.
Shaun Wright-Phillips got his first goal, we got a win, and that was a major result. There were others, of course, after that, but that was probably the turning point for me.” The Rileys made their way out of the stand to get some refreshment, and spotted a fellow Blue, one of an estimated 30 to 40 who got in that night, by hook or by crook. The supporters had left the game early and carefully removed the windscreen wipers from the away fans’ coaches and, as it was raining, it meant the transport was unusable. We were sitting next to a lad who looked like a student, with John Lennon glasses and a duffel coat, who was with his dad and grandad. We didn’t let on we were City fans, but we were chatting with them about football . It was a terrible atmosphere – it wasn’t the entire crowd but it was bad. They probably thought it gave their team an edge but I’m not sure it did, it just wound up the City players a bit more.”I didn't cry... I only told the truth": The strange and confused day Manchester City signed 'the new Pele' Him and Shaun Goater had got all the racist crap, and just played through it. They ignored it, for what it was, and did their stuff on the pitch. The journalist and his daughter were so upset by the constant racial abuse being dished out to the City players that he asked a steward if they could leave their seats and go to the family stand.
Every game was a bit of them against us for City at that time – the Blues were a scalp. And they had the former England manager and European Footballer of the Year in charge, so no matter where they were, everyone wanted to take them down.” Read More Related Articles Up in the stand, Sean Riley was busy containing his glee: “It was Shaun's first goal, so I can say I was there to see that. He wouldn't speak to me about it... and I wouldn't speak to him about it': Micah Richards on the dark side of the game he loves After Palace, City went on a remarkable run, winning 19 of the remaining 24 games, winning the league by ten points and scoring 108 goals, with the brilliant Goater netting 32 of them. We tried to join in, just to avoid anyone looking at us – in the end we probably over-egged it a bit!” says Sean.The City fans who quietly made their way out of the game managed to contain their joy – for a while. In fact, 30 to 40 City fans HAD managed to find their way into the ground, blending in with the locals, desperate not to miss a match which would prove to be a turning point in the season.
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