Esme morgan
MANCHESTER DERBY SPOTLIGHT
The Manchester derby is just days away, and it promises to be an historic occasion.
A crowd of over 40,000 is expected through the terraces at the Etihad Stadium for Sunday 11 December’s 12:30 (UK) kick-off, as two of the Barclays Women’s Super League’s title rivals do battle on the biggest stage.
It’ll be a particularly poignant moment for one member of the squad – lifelong City fan Esme Morgan.
From imitating a fan favourite in her back garden to making her senior debut just days after receiving her GCSE results, it’s already been a journey to remember for one of our own…
“[Supporting City] runs in the blood. My dad actually grew up a bit of a United fan, but once he was engaged to my mum there was no way that was going to continue!"
It would be fair to assume that only the staunchest of City supporters will recall a 6-2 triumph over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday 18 October 2003.
But a young Esme Morgan, celebrating her third birthday by watching her first-ever match, was captivated.
And almost two decades later, those levels of affection, passed down from her mum’s City-mad side of the family, have shown no signs of faltering.
“I just remember the noise was far too much for me - my mum had cotton wool balls to put in my ears,” she beams when reflecting on that triumph over the Trotters.
“But I remember the result and being in awe of the players. Shaun Wright-Phillips stood out for me and from that moment on he was my favourite player growing up.
“[Supporting City] runs in the blood. My dad actually grew up a bit of a United fan, but once he was engaged to my mum there was no way that was going to continue!
“All her side of the family are blues. I was never given a choice to be honest, I was planted in City shirts from the moment I was born.
“I didn’t used to be allowed to go to the derbies though - if the atmosphere was too rowdy when I was younger, my mum and dad didn’t want me getting stuck in any argy-bargy or anything!
“[But] I’ve got so many good memories of watching derbies as a fan and I always look forward to playing in them or being in and around the squad for them.
“The atmosphere is always so exciting. You get a sense of tension and a build-up in the air around the city that something big is going to happen at the weekend.”
As she alludes to, it was Shaun Wright-Phillips – roughly Morgan’s current age at the time – who stole the show for Kevin Keegan’s side on the day.
The winger cancelled out Kevin Nolan’s opener for the visitors with a delightful, dinked finish and would double his tally early in the second half.
And although he was sent off for a second bookable offence just five minutes after completing his brace, he had already left a lasting impression on Morgan.
Wright-Phillips’ exploits on that day in 2003, not to mention his performance and goal in a 4-1 win over Manchester United five months later, cemented him as one of the young defender’s childhood idols.
She reflects: “As a kid you just love people who add a bit of spark to the game, and that was him.
“He was lightning, he just used to whizz past people, he was so quick.
“I remember when he scored that goal in the derby [4-1 win in March 2004] and did the robot celebration.
“I used to score in the garden and practice that. I was completely inspired by him and his ability.”
Fast forward to August 2017 and Morgan has gone from dreaming of a spot in the City team to becoming one of the first names on the team sheet.
After impressing in the youth ranks following a successful trial at under-16 level, the young defender was selected for a pre-season trip to France for the Toulouse International Ladies Cup, making her debut against Lyon.
A first appearance against the reigning European champions and the undisputed dominant force of Women’s football at the time is no small feat, but that reality reaches new levels of grandeur when considering that Morgan was just 16 at the time.
Indeed, the defender’s senior bow came within days of receiving her GCSE results!
Her time in academia is still in full flow, undertaking a remote learning course at Manchester Metropolitan university in Sports Science.
The 22-year-old is always keen to promote the importance of education, but it’s something that she does with a typically light-hearted and mildly self-deprecating demeanour.
“I’ve always been a bit of a geek,” she laughs when talking about balancing her footballing ambitions with her studies.
“I actually quite liked doing my [GCSE] studying. I would come home after training, and I would be revising.
“At that time, I would have been in the Academy, so when my dad would drive me over to Manchester for training, I would have my flash cards and stuff, doing my revision on the way.
“I have always liked learning stuff, so I found that balance quite easy really, which I suppose is quite unusual.”
That openness to learn and improve has served Morgan well across her nascent career, particularly when the defender was side-lined for almost an entire year with a lower leg fracture.
Thankfully, she has gone on to make a full recovery and once again firmly establish herself at both Club and international level, but her feet remain firmly planted.
For all of her impressive achievements and the excitement around the heights she could reach in the beautiful game, that grounded mentality means she is always trying to help the next generation in the pursuit of their own dreams and ambitions.
A key element of Morgan’s endeavours away from the pitch are focused on bridging that gap in any way possible, while also giving something back to the community.
“When they first asked me if I wanted to take it on, I’ll admit I was really shocked,” she explains about her role as a patron of Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
“I’m still so young and didn’t think I’d be able to have an impact, but I did immediately want to take it.
“I felt such a debt of gratitude to them. If I was injured, they were always so caring and friendly and assured me I’d be able to get back to doing what I loved which is playing football within a few weeks.
“I want other children to have the opportunity to follow their dreams. There are children who have a lot more serious illnesses or injuries than I did, and I want them to have the best opportunity to pursue whatever it is they want to do.”
It’s that collective ethos and level of maturity which made Morgan’s first time as City captain – in a 3-0 victory at Reading in November 2022 – seem like a natural transition despite her tender years.
From celebrating like her City favourites in the garden to leading her childhood Club out onto the pitch, the 22-year-old is well and truly living the dream.
Her reflections at full-time following that victory over the Royals demonstrate the emotion behind that latest milestone perfectly: “I saw my parents after the game and my mum said my nana would be so proud.
“I thought she was going to make me cry.
“My family are all such big blues so to represent the Club every week let alone be captain is incredible.
“Today was really special.”
In another universe, Esme Morgan may well have looked to pursue a different career path.
But from hearing her talk about the Club and listening to the depth of her knowledge, she is, first and foremost, an avid City supporter – one that feels the dizzying highs and gut-wrenching lows just as keenly as any fan on the terraces.
Injuries or suspensions aside, it’s likely that Esme will play an important role for City in our historic derby against Manchester United.
If we’re able to get the better of our cross-city rivals, in front of an expected crowd of over 40,000, you wouldn’t bet against Morgan’s celebrations being the most passionate in the Etihad.
CITY V UNITED: ETIHAD DERBY
City welcome Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday 11 December.
Kick-off is scheduled for 12:30 (UK), with tickets selling fast for our third-ever women's match at the Etihad.
We hosted Everton there back in May 2014, before welcoming our local rivals in September 2019, when Caroline Weir’s wonder strike saw us run out 1-0 winners in front of what was then a WSL record crowd, and what remains a club record of 31, 213 fans.
With almost 40,000 tickets already sold, it promises to be another historic occasion.
You can secure your tickets online by visiting: www.mancity.com/tickets/womens or by calling: +44 (0)161 444 1894.
Built with Shorthand