A FOOTBALL fanatic from Middlewich wants all Manchester City fans to come out of hiding and cheer the Blues to promotion this season.

Graham Moore, a Maine Roader for almost 30 years, has been given the job of raising awareness of the Middlewich and District branch of the supporters club - which has nearly 100 members - as it approaches its first birthday.

It attracts members from all over Cheshire, including Middlewich, Winsford, Crewe and Northwich, but Graham feels there must be more out there who need to come out and show their true colours.

He said: "There must be so many Man City fans in the area who don't know we exist.

"Our branch enables all City fans to keep in touch with events at Maine Road. We run organised transport to many away games and have generally provided locally-based City fans with an opportunity to meet each other.

"We get together, have a laugh, a drink and talk football. All Manchester City fans in the locality are welcome to join."

Despite the embarrassment of relegation to Division Two in May, some consolation was gained when Graham and friends got one over on one of their former City heroes, who regularly attends the meetings.

He explained: "When Paul Power came to a meeting last March we had a vote to see who thought we would go down.

"He didn't agree with us, he was convinced we would stay up - but we could see the writing was on the wall."

But Graham has ditched the pessimism, convinced that his team's form this season will carry them back up and erase those relegation blues.

He added: "We'll definitely go up this season. Stoke have made a good start, but I've got no doubts we'll go up.

"Fulham are the only team to beat us but that was only because we lost a defender early on - and it was the only game this season Joe Royle hasn't had a defender on the subs' bench!"

Meetings are usually held once a month at the Boars Head in Middlewich, the next one being on Sunday, September 20, at 7.30pm.

At least two first team members are expected to attend, probably Lee Bradbury and Tony Vaughan.

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