The Kippax last stand!
On 30 April 1994, one of English football's most famous and much loved stands enjoyed one last hurrah...It’s staggering to think that the Kippax terrace – City’s last substantial standing area b...
The Kippax last stand! On 30 April 1994, one of English football's most famous and much loved stands enjoyed one last hurrah... It’s staggering to think that the Kippax terrace – City’s last substantial standing area before Maine Road became an all-seater stadium – was last used 32 years ago today.
The Kippax was different and gave Maine Road something most other top clubs didn’t have – a terrace that ran the length of one side of the pitch rather than behind one or both of the goals. Every ground had its terraced area – United had the Stretford End, Liverpool had The Kop, Aston Villa had the Holte End, Chelsea had The Shed... but most or all were situated behind a goal that the hosts would like to attack in the second half.
That meant the visiting team could enjoy at least one half or relative respite before facing the banked terrace at the opposite end – but not at Maine Road where the home support was massed alongside the pitch in both halves. Worse still for visiting teams, ‘The Scoreboard End’ - which later became the North Stand, was also a terraced stand up until the early 1970s, so there was no escape! WE ARE THE KIPPAX!
In glorious colour... There were two open-sided corner terraced areas, too, but these were uncovered. In fact, the Kippax was originally known as the Popular Side after Maine Road opened its doors in 1923 and it wasn’t until a roof was finally fitted in 1956 that the stand was instead named after Kippax Street which ran along the back of the terrace.
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