Star of the original City slickers
WITH a haul of five pieces of silverware in just three years, Glyn Pardoe enjoyed the kind of glittering success expected of Manchester City’s megarich stars.
But quiet man Pardoe bagged his trophy trove back in the late Sixties, years before the Premier League champions were oil-rich City slickers, when footballers were paid hundreds of pounds a month, not hundreds of thousands a week.
The stalwart Blues full-back rarely scored but netted the goal that saw City win the League Cup in 1970. He also played a starring role in a memorable game of the 1967-68 season when City clinched the Division 1 crown, beating Newcastle away in a 3-4 thriller, and pipping Manchester United to the title on the last day – 44 years before they repeated that feat when City again famously stopped the premature celebrations of their bitter rivals.
Pardoe went on to win the FA Charity Shield in 1968, FA Cup in 1969 and the League Cup and Uefa CupWinners’ Cup in 1970.
Glyn was born and raised in Winsford, Cheshire where, encouraged by parents Leslie and Mary Pardoe, his fine amateur football displays quickly drew the attention of top clubs including Everton and City. He opted for the latter as his cousin Alan Oakes was on the Blues’ books – and stayed there his whole career.
A month before his 16th birthday Pardoe, playing up front, made his City debut, becoming the club’s youngest ever player – a record that stands to this day.
He flitted in and out of the team until establishing himself as a
regular and going on to play 378 games in 14 years. His career was brought to an abrupt halt in 1970 after suffering a double leg fracture in a Manchester derby following a horror tackle by George Best which sidelined him for two years. He rarely played after that.
Pardoe is survived by his wife Pat and their daughter Charlotte.