The 2009 Vodacom Challenge will not be Manchester City’s first visit to South Africa. The famous English club first appeared on our shores 16 years ago.

Football was very different back in 1993 when The Citizens, then coached by former England international Peter Reid, came to South Africa ahead of the 1993/94 English Premiership campaign. The Premiership had just completed its very first season and City had finished a creditable ninth, ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea. The top five included the likes of Norwich City (third) and Queens Park Rangers (fifth), two clubs who were relegated as the years rolled on.

The Man City touring squad included big names such as giant striker Niall Quinn, goalkeeper Tony Coton, tough-tackling midfielder Steve McMahon, winger David White, defender Keith Curle and a young Gary Flitcroft - all players who would be fondly remembered when their playing days were over.

The opening match was against Santos at the Athlone Stadium, a game that club stalwart and now club COO Edries Burton, remembers very well.

“It was a very competitive match, not what you would maybe expect from a pre-season friendly,” Burton says. “But then I guess we probably wanted to show them a thing or two and they were not the kind of team to lie down and take it. Peter Reid was a very tough player and his teams were physical.”

“I still have a picture of me tackling Steve McMahon, which is one of my favourites. I remember there was a lot of eyeballing and going chest-to-chest, and that told us they were not in South Africa for a holiday. Niall Quinn scored the goal for them if memory serves.”

But Burton says that however physical the game might have been, the true character of the Manchester City players came out afterwards.

“We had a function with them in Sea Point – you know, a couple of cooldrinks – and they were excellent! They were happy to talk to us about their experiences; they were very approachable and very chatty. Even a guy like McMahon, who I had been having a battle with in the game, was happy to talk to me like nothing happened.”

“I remember having a long chat with [Jamaican international] Fitzroy Simpson that night and we actually have stayed good friends since. They were a great bunch of guys.”

From Cape Town the tour moved up to Durban and a meeting with what was then Chatsworth Rangers (later to become Manning Rangers) at the Chatsworth Stadium. This time the score line was 1-1, but the game was just as competitive according to former Rangers star Clinton Larsen, who is now assistant coach at Maritzburg United.

“They had very good side with Peter Reid as coach, David White, who was in the England set-up at the time, Tony Coton and Steve McMahon, who was a great player for Liverpool and then City,” Larsen says.

“But we gave a good account of ourselves and scored a cracking goal from our Peruvian import Gerson Arroe. He beat one or two defenders and then slammed the ball into the top corner from about 25 yards. It was real quality.”

“It was a very entertaining game between two teams who liked to play good football and it was a great experience for our younger players to see how the international stars went about their business.”

And Larsen echoes the story of Burton and the after-match hospitality of the visitors.

“The highlight for me was definitely what happened after the game. We went to dinner with the City players and they were telling us all sorts of stories about the game in England and how things were done that side.

“They were happy to sit with us and talk all night and I think that speaks a lot about the characters in that side. They were very friendly and excellent sportsmen,” Larsen adds.

Things would not work out too well for the side though as Reid was sacked four games into the 1993/94 season and replaced by Brian Horton. City would go on to finish 16th that year, winning just nine of their 42 games. Interestingly enough, Santos were also relegated from the then National Soccer League in 1993, while Chatsworth Rangers finish eighth in the 20-team division.