Happy 76th Birthday to popular former City midfielder Asa Hartford who appeared over 250 times in the shirts during two spells at the club Asa Hartford's Manchester City story is one of football's greatest tales of resilience. In 1972, a £170,000 move from West Bromwich Albion to Leeds United collapsed after doctors claimed they had found a hole in his heart. Two years later, City chief scout Ken Barnes dismissed those fears, famously saying: "If he's got a hole in the heart, then there's something wrong with all of us." Tony Book agreed, and City signed Hartford for £210,000 in August 1974. Leeds' loss was very much City's gain. Despite battling injuries throughout his career, Hartford made more than 300 appearances across two spells at Maine Road. A tenacious midfielder with real quality on the ball, he helped City reach the 1976 League Cup Final and produced one of his finest displays in the unforgettable 4-0 FA Cup victory over Manchester United, scoring a career-best 12 goals that season. His commitment and determination made him a fans' favourite, and in 1978-79 he was deservedly voted City's Player of the Year. Although Malcolm Allison surprisingly sold him in 1979, Hartford returned under John Bond two years later and gave City another two excellent seasons before injury eventually caught up with him. He later returned to Maine Road as a coach in 1995, proving that while Leeds doubted Asa Hartford's heart, Manchester City never did