Growing up as a Manchester City fan in the late 1990’s was a turbulent occupation. A seemingly endless stream of calamitous lows that eventually transformed into renewed hope as the new millennium approached. It might seem perplexing to have a hero from a period that the club sunk to its lowest ever position in the Football League, however, the part this player had in the initial resurgence of Manchester City makes him a worthy hero.
Nicky Weaver was signed as an 18-year-old in 1997 for £200,000 from Mansfield Town after Goalkeeping Coach Alex Stepney made a recommendation to Manager Frank Clark. It wasn’t until the 98/99 season, by which time Joe Royle had taken over the managerial reigns, that Weaver started to make his name. Weaver made his debut for City at home to Blackpool on the opening day of the season. He kept a clean sheet in a 3-0 win, and would go on to keep 26 in 55 appearances over the course of the season. That was a then Club record.
Whilst that is a record any goalkeeper would be proud of, it was by no means Weaver’s biggest contribution to City’s success that season. His heroics in the 1999 Division 2 Play-Off Final shootout against Gillingham earned City an immediate return to Division 1 and gave fans a sense of hope, the likes of which hadn’t been seen for many a year. If the penalty saving exploits weren’t enough, Weaver then embarked on the craziest of celebrations. Arms flailing, legs spinning, Nicky beckoned his teammates towards him as he leapt over the advertising hoardings, sprinting around the outskirts of the Wembley pitch past the thousands of City fans. Eventually, he ended up in a heap on the pitch where the rest of the squad bundled on top of him. Delirium on the pitch, delirium in the stands. City fans had a new hero, I had a new hero. We all had hope again.
From then on he was established as City’s Number 1, and he remained so until the 2001/02 season where he fell afoul of injury problems. He was eventually replaced by Peter Schmeichel as City were promoted back to the Premier League. Weaver stayed at City as a back-up until 2005, when he was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday. He played one final season in a City shirt in 2006/07 before joining Charlton Athletic on a free transfer after making 207 appearances for City across 10 years.
I was lucky enough to meet Nicky at Hillsborough in 2012 whilst he was at Sheffield Wednesday. It was one of those special moments for a football fan, and one I will never forget. Without him, and the rest of that 98/99 squad, we wouldn’t have what we have today. We are fortunate to have a world-class team, with world class facilities and world class owners and backroom staff and for that we have people like Weaver to thank.
It is without a doubt in my mind that he is a City legend.
