Manchester City got the season off to a great start by scoring the first competitive goals of the new season (City’s goals). What was more notable than the result was the effort made by the some 200 City fans to get to the game.

Thomas Cook got the bidding off to a depressing start with an £885 price tag put on the match package tour. We requested a price quote from Atlantic Airways to charter a plane and it was rejected due to a lack of aircraft. Hmm somewhat sceptical, read on.

The most daring and City-esque travel itinerary was put together by the group of City fans who decided that boarding a 72ft fishing trawler from The Shetland Isles would be their best bet to under cut the air fares. This was an inspirational plan. To succeed would result in hero status. To fail would result in hero status. Either way it would be a damn good laugh! This is the stuff of legends (BBC Story)

They set off from Manchester making their way to Aberdeen. From there they took a ferry to the Shetland Isles, where they met the shrewd Scottish islander who has converted his 72ft fishing trawler into a Faroe Islands shuttle service for British football fans. Clever stuff. Scotland is forever getting drawn against the Faroes.

There is one major catch though. The Atlantic Ocean and a multitude of challenging weather systems stand in the way. Bad weather prevented the trawler from leaving port rendering the fans stranded. Enter The Sun newspaper and suddenly the airline with no spare aircraft is falling over itself with Thomas Cook to seize the marketing opportunity. They make it to the game and get to meet new manager Mark Hughes into the bargain!

The story is fantastic and reminds us that City’s cult following is alive and well. MCFCfans.com this month adds a video of the last day at Maine Road to the History Channel that brings a tear to the eye. If you are struggling to get enthused about the new season simply watch this video.

We have also started our push for an MCFC-based charity (MCFC Babies link) aimed at sponsoring youth teams around the world, inspired by the MCFC Babies in Ghana. Get in touch if you would like to be involved.

Can’t wait for the season to start. We're in for a corker.

MCFCfans.com

PS. Message for Magni Arge, President of Atlantic Airways, “Where did the spare plane come from?!”

Telegraph Faroe Story

The Sun Faroe Story