Once a blue always a blue #3

Happy 31st birthday Nicky Weaver.

Nicky Weaver will always be remembered as the hero from the shoot-out against Gillingham, the man who completed the work of Kevin Horlock and Paul Dickov. With his saves from Paul Smith and Guy Butters he sent us back up into the second tier in what remains the greatest match in the history of the club. Naturally it was Weaver's finest moment for City but that doesn't mean it was the only part of his story here. In many ways he was the Joe Hart of his day, a promising English teenager recruited from an unfashionable lower league club, and like Hart he found himself quickly in the fray. He starred in both of the consecutive promotion seasons under Joe Royle - like Hart, making his way into the England U21s, and looked set to be a real star of the future. He held on as first choice as we were relegated under Royle and then promoted under Keegan, but the arrival of Peter Schmeichel in summer 2002 signalled that Weaver was no longer first choice. The presence of Schmeichel, David Seaman and David James as well as a series of knee injuries meant that he played just one game for City in the next four seasons before Stuart Pearce made him first choice for the dismal 2006/07 campaign. It was heartening to see him in goal again for City, but he could not maintain his place and in 2007 he left on a free transfer to Charlton Athletic. After a spell at Dundee United he is now back in the Premier League as back-up to Brian Jensen at Burnley.

Nicky Weaver MCFC 1998-2007 205 games.

Once a blue always a blue #2

Happy 37th birthday Gerard Wiekens.

The first of a trio of brave, consistent Dutch servants City have had over the last twelve years, Gerard Wiekens - like Shaun Goater - was a pillar of consistency and composure throughout a difficult time. He joined while Frank Clark was in charge, but slotted quickly into the side and was central to the side that went down to the third tier before - alongside Andy Morrison - dragging the side out of the division the next year. He was a key feature of that Joe Royle side that won consecutive promotions. Like Shaun Goater, he could never quite do it in the top flight but he was a faithful servant as Kevin Keegan took us back up in 2001/02. He hung around for a bit longer before returning to Veendam in 2004.

Gerard Wiekens MCFC 1997-2004 195 starts, 9 goals.

Once a blue always a blue #1

This is a new blog feature: recognising favourite former players on their birthdays. It's inspired by this.

Happy 40th birthday Shaun Goater!

Who better to kick off 'Once a blue...' than the Goat? Probably the most popular centre forward of the modern era, he joined when we were in the process of relegating ourselves to the third tier in March 1998. He couldn't save us that year, but over the next two seasons he hit 40 in 83 league games as we came flying back up to the Premiership, including the crucial goal in the play-off at Maine Road against Wigan Athletic. He could never quite do it in the Premiership - although his robbing Gary Neville and scoring at Maine Road is one of the great 21st century MCFC moments - but he still banged them in during the Keegan promition season of 2001/02. He went on to play for Reading, Coventry City and Southend United before returning to Bermuda.

Shaun Goater. MCFC 1998-2003. 189 starts, 103 goals.