In the latest instalment of our series profiling supporters and their own special passion for City, we chat to Ollie Anglesea, frontman for Wigan band The Lilacs.
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A loyal, long time City season card holder, Ollie has been following the club since a very early age.
There through both the good times and bad, Ollie admits following the journey the Club has embarked on during the Pep Guardiola era has been a real privilege.
What are your earliest memories of going to watch City?
My dad took me and my brother to see City vs Liverpool at home in 2005 (I would have been 5).
We won 1-0, from memory. Always good beating Liverpool! Talk us through a typical match day… If it’s a weekend game, it usually means getting in nice and early and heading to Mary D’s (City pub, of course).
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Then I’ll meet up with a few pals from my block and watch the Blues. How has supporting and watching City changed or improved your life? Honestly, it’s been massive.
Supporting City has always been a big part of who I am, and it’s given me something to look forward to every week and a proper sense of belonging.
It’s connected me with people I’d probably never have met otherwise, and no matter what’s going on in life, there’s always that buzz around the club to keep you going.
It’s more than just football really, it’s family, it’s home.
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What is your community of City fans like around you — family, friends, social media? Living in Wigan, as I’m sure you can imagine, means we’re also surrounded by fans of the two Red teams but there’s a City supporters’ pub called The Delph Tavern, which just so happens to be my local. How much have you enjoyed watching this incredible team under Pep Guardiola in recent years? It’s just been surreal. We’ve had so many amazing memories that will last a lifetime.
The standout, of course, being the Treble season, but I think beating Aston Villa 3-2 to win the Premier League in 2022 was also so special. The next best thing to 93:20. As far as the actual football on the pitch is concerned, I think it goes without saying that what we’ve created is just special to watch.
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What does being a City fan mean to you? As a City fan growing up in an area where everyone supported both red teams (in fact, I was the only City fan in my school), it was never easy, especially when we were losing to teams like Middlesbrough 8-1. Now, to see everything we’ve achieved means everything to me, and no doubt to every other City fan who sat through those tough times.
I think those days will always be part of us, giving us that feeling of never quite knowing what’s going to happen next. But I wouldn’t change that for the world. I love this club and the community we’re all part of. 🩵
The Lilacs play a sell-out show at the Manchester Academy on Saturday, November 22.
You can keep up to date with the latest news from the group on their Instagram feed @thelilacsofficial