There ain’t no party like a Manchester City party, it seems, with some big celebrations last night following the club’s FA Cup victory against Manchester United.
Players were seen swigging beers in their pants while other staff at the club did belly slides through the dressing room at Wembley.
And then, weirdly, they were congratulated by Sir Elton John himself, who offered hugs to every player in turn.
If you’re going to look anywhere for the Manchester City post-match party scenes, it’s straight to Jack Grealish, who always seems to be at the heart of the chaos (who could forget his antics at the parade last year?)
On his Instagram stories, Grealish nicely summed up the celebrations in the dressing room after their 2-1 victory.
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He showed the players singing along to Wonderwall by Oasis and swigging Asahi, saying to the camera ‘Get it down ya!’.
Then he cuts to a video of Brandon Ashton, Man City’s kitman, doing topless belly slides across the floor.
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Manchester City dressing room celebrations. Credit: Instagram, @jackgrealishManchester City dressing room celebrations. Credit: Instagram, @jackgrealish
At one point, Ederson (wearing a blue afro wig) is seen lubricating the floor with more Asahi, like some weird beer-soaked version of Curling.
Egged on by Erling Haaland and John Stones, Brandon strips down to his underwear and keeps sliding around, at one point travelling all the way under the benches, at which point Grealish hilariously shouts: “Oi, watch my Gucci bag, f***ing hell!”
Once the dressing room party was over, it was off to the airport, where the entire team ambushed none other than Sir Elton John.
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On the strangely star-studded runway, the legendary musician – who had just finished his third gig at the AO Arena – stood in position offering hugs to each Man City player in turn.
Videos shared by the club show the bewildered Kevin de Bruyne, Manuel Akanji, Kyle Walker, Nathan Ake, and Julian Alvarez each taking turns for a cuddle, while Phil Foden stopped to take a selfie with the rock music great.
Then the lads all surround Elton to serenade him with his own iconic song, Your Song.
The surreal videos even captured the moment Pep Guardiola is left awkwardly hanging with his hand up when he offers Elton a high-five.
There’s now just one week to go until the Champions League final, when Manchester City will seek to cinch the treble.
Featured image: Instagram, Manchester City
Sport
More Greater Manchester football matches called off as Storm Goretti sets in
Danny Jones
Yet more scheduled football matches in Greater Manchester and the surrounding regions have been postponed and/or cancelled due to Storm Goretti.
The increasingly cold, blustery and icy conditions moving over from France and across more parts of the UK have already caused schools to close, flights to be grounded, and plenty more disruption.
Another such inconvenience has come in the form of live sports, large swathes of which now look like they simply won’t be taking place.
One of the latest to be called off is Salford City‘s upcoming game against Swindon Town in the FA Cup this weekend, with various other games involving teams up and down the footballing pyramid now facing uncertainty over whether their third-round fixtures will go ahead as planned.
Ironically, this is just the tip of the iceberg, if you’ll pardon the very obvious pun.
Another game that was called off late last week, between Chadderton and FC Isle of Man, is yet to be rescheduled; the same is true of Rochdale AFC’s meeting with Brackley Town, Radcliffe v Oxford City, as well as games involving Bury, Stockport Town, Irlam, Cheadle Town, Prestwich Heys and more.
Other nearby outfits, such as Chorley, Warrington Rylands and Ramsbottom United, just to name a few, are also still unsure of when their next game will be.
In many cases, it is simply a matter of the grounds being largely or completely frozen and deemed unfit for use following pitch inspections.
Oldham Athletic – which has already been hit with plenty of snow and frost – yesterday confirmed that their Notts County clash wouldn’t be going ahead due to that very reason.
With winds of up to 90 miles per hour also being reported, yellow and even red weather warnings have been issued across various parts of the country, with people being urged to check their routes home from work by local authorities.
Storm Goretti should start calming down this evening (Fri, 9 January) and into Saturday morning, but the after-effects could still play havoc over the next few days.
For instance, over in Cheshire, Macclesfield FC are going so far as to call on nearby residents to help clear their playing surface from heavy snowfall.
So, if you’re in the area and fancy helping out, they could sure do with your help.
VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED
Macclesfield FC are once again requesting the help of the fanbase and the local community to help clear the remainder of the compacted snow from the surrounding areas of the https://t.co/fL99QEEJ4D Stadium.
Addressing the supporters on social media, Forrester wrote: “Thank you to all involved at Bolton Wanderers FC for my time at the club.
“A special club with unbelievable people that work within. Also, a massive thank you to the fans for all of the support throughout.”
His sign-off has been met with plenty of love and well-wishers, as plenty have cited his numerous injury problems – including a ‘freak fall’ which required surgery – as having unfortunately hampered his progress with the Wanderers.
One fan commented, “When fit, he was definitely a first-team starter. But had such bad luck with injuries, he missed more than he played for us.
“Best of luck to Will; it’s probably the right decision for both parties. Such a shame.”
Forrester – originally from Alsager (a town located near Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe) – has become Leyton Orient FC’s first signing of the January transfer window.
Will Forrester has penned a two-and-a-half-year deal and becomes the O’s first January signing of 2026 🙌
While he joins the club on a two-year deal, his transfer fee remains undisclosed.
Having said that, his wages are expected to be towards the higher end of player salaries at Brisbane Road, with the third-tier side still sitting dangerously close to the drop zone in 20th place.
Touching on his arrival via an official club statement, Forrester said: “I’m very happy to have signed here. The mindset and the goals the club want to accomplish in the coming years makes this move very exciting, and I can’t wait to get started.
“Speaking to the gaffer, he has outlined his expectations of me, and I want to help push us forward. I know the challenges of reaching the play-offs the year before and want to help the lads get back on track as quickly as possible.”
You can see his first full interview as a member of The O’s down below.
Daisy Jackson -
4th June 2023 
