MANCHESTER City will be leaving their Maine Road home for the City of Manchester Stadium this summer.

The game between City and Wanderers on Noivember 30 is the last between the two at the ground which the Blues have occupied for almost 80 years.

The first game the pair contested ended 1-1 on September 8, 1923 with John Reid Smith scoring for the Whites.

It was just the third league match at Maine Road at the beginning of a season which saw Huddersfield take the old First Division title with Bolton in fourth.

Bolton had to wait until 1938 for their first win at Maine Road, two years after they had suffered a 7-0 humiliation by City.

There have been just five clashes between the two at Maine Road in the last 36 years but the most recent meeting was in April 2000, which Joe Royle's Blues won 2-0 on the way to promotion from the First Division.

Altogether Bolton have won seven of the 33 games between the two at Maine Road, with City having claimed 18 victories.

Here we reproduce reports of three of the most significant games Wanderers have featured in at the famous old ground.

BOLTON vs Everton

Saturday, March 21,1953

Wanderers fend off Everton's fightback

THE day broke fine and sunny for the 24,000 Bolton fans who swamped into Manchester by train and gaily decorated coach for the Maine Road semi-final.

It seemed the whole city was en fate as rival supporters with all manner of blue-and-white manifestations chaffed one another good-humoredly and cheered loudly.

A tremendous greeting was given to Wanderers as they emerged first.

Nat Lofthouse almost put Bolton ahead in the first minute after he had been supplied by Langton, but defender Jones cleared.

Wanderers took the lead in curious fashion when wingman Holden seemed to cross, but to the astonishment of the players and crowd the ball swerved in flight and hit the back of the net.

Bolton made it two through Moir, who finished from close range. Things got worse for Second Division Everton when injured Hickson was forced to leave the field, leaving Everton reduced to ten men.

Wanderers made it four before half time, with Lofthouse scoring twice.

His first came after a forward push from Holden that left Bolton's centre forward clear.

He headed the ball down, raced on and placed his shot into the far corner. Lofthouse was again on target when he brushed past Jones and placed the ball out of O'Neill's reach.

By the start of the second period Hickson had returned and Everton were back to full strength.

Parker got Everton on the scoresheet with a header, which was followed by a goal by Farrell to make it 4-2. Parker then scored a further header with nine minutes remaining, and instead of a runaway victory and an easy last lap for Wanderers they were forced to play out an exciting battle to prevent a replay or even a defeat.

BOLTON WANDERERS: Hanson; Hartle, Higgins, Wheeler, Bell; Barrass, Holden, Moir, Hassall, Langton; Lofthouse.

EVERTON: O'Neill; Lindsay, Clinton, Farrell, Lello; Jones, Eglington, Parker, Cummins, Buckle; Hickson.

BOLTON vs MAN CITY at MAINE ROAD

Saturday, March 22, 1958

WANDERERS headed for Wembley again after the semi-final win at Maine Road.

Rovers had gone ahead through Dobing, but a double from Ralph Gubbins - standing in for Nat Lofthouse - was enough to put Wanderers into the FA Cup final for the second time in five years.

A bitter, cold wind made things unpleasant for the capacity crowd of 75,000, many of whom were at the ground at noon.

Blackburn started well and came close to taking the lead with a Ronnie Clayton free-kick but Gubbins was proving a handful, and an exchange of passes between himself and Holden resulted in a chance for Stevens.

Rovers went ahead after Hartle had given away a corner. The ball came into the jaws of the goal and Dobing's header entered the net just inside the post.

The Blackburn fans were jubilant but to general surprise Wanderers came away to net the ball twice in as many minutes. The first one was the result of a pass pushed into the Rovers' penalty area with the defenders claiming offside but Gubbins went on to dribble round Leyland and score. Gubbins then scored again with a curious, if brilliantly taken, strike. It resulted from a Banks free-kick, trapped by the Bolton centre-forward, who turned it inside the post.

Rovers' defenders were left bewildered and there was almost a third when Stevens beat Eckersley and crossed, but neither Parry or Gubbins could get a touch.

WANDERERS: Hopkinson; Hartle, Banks; Hennin, Higgins, Edwards; Birch, Stevens, Gubbins, Parry, Holden.

BLACKBURN: Leyland; Eckersley, Taylor, McGrath, Clayton; Woods, Vernon, Stephenson; McLeod, Dobing, Douglas.

Thursday, April 11, 1997

Champs on cloud nine

MAINE Road became Colin Todd's 'Utopia' as Bolton clinched the First Division Championship for the first time in their history, with victory over City.

After guaranteeing promotion earlier against QPR, goals from Mixu Paatelainen and Scott Sellars wiped out Georgi Kinkladze's opener.

"We've won the Championship in the style of Champions," said Todd as his team pushed their runaway lead to 20 points.

Kinkladze put City in front from a free kick but Mixu Paatelainen, who had replaced the injured John McGinlay, equalised against the run of play, cashing in on a defensive mix-up.

The visitors' dressing room was a cauldron of action at half-time as Todd rallied his troops and the real Wanderers appeared for the second period.

Ten minutes later and star performer Scott Sellars scored the winner with a goal worthy of claiming a title. Paatelainen had nodded on a Branagan clearance to the former Leeds midfielder. Sellars turned past Kit Symons twice before he drilled an angled shot across Wright.

Wanderers then did what they have done all season by building an impregnable wall in front of Branagan's goal

With 10 minutes to go the Bolton fans chanted "Stand up for the Champions!" and hundreds of City fans obliged until you realised that they were getting up and walking out in despair.

WANDERERS: Branagan; McAnespie, Fairclough, Taggart, Phillips; Pollock, Frandsen, Thompson, Sellars; Blake, McGinlay (Paatelainen).

MAN CITY: Wright; Brightwell, Symons, Kernaghan, Ingram (Atkinson); Summerbee, McGoldrick, Brannan, Horlock; Kinkladze, Rosler.