A HOST of the most illustrious names from City's glittering past were all under the same roof last night as the Blues launched their Manchester Evening News sponsored Hall of Fame.

Six hundred guests, including current boss Kevin Keegan, were on hand at the Eastlands stadium to toast the greats as 15 footballing heroes became the first inductees.

Celebrity fans and broadcasters John Stapleton and Susan Bookbinder introduced the hugely popular awards - dubbed the `Bernards' in honour of long serving club secretary Bernard Halford - that will become an annual event.

Players representing all the eras since the birth of the Blues back in 1892 were voted into the Hall of Fame by tens of thousands of supporters using the M.E.N., its website Manchesteronline, and City's own official site.

Mr Halford, author Ian Penney, Susan Bookbinder, City Magazine editor David Clayton, and M.E.N. City reporter Chris Bailey were the five judges who, under chairmanship of club historian Gary James, voted in three wild cards after fans had chosen the `starting eleven'.

First man to be inducted in the pre-1910 section was Billy Meredith. Once of Northwich Victoria, he was the game's first real superstar and had two careers with the Blues from 1894 until 1905 and 1921-24.

Despite being embroiled in an alleged bribery scandal and joining arch rivals United, winger Meredith eventually became a player-coach before finally saying goodbye in a testimonial as a 50-year-old. He played 366 league games and scored 145 goals. His 98-year-old daughter Winifred was there to receive the award on his behalf.

Tommy Johnson was the man who emerged as the biggest vote winner from the 1911-1927 era. It is little wonder since his career spanned no fewer than 11 seasons.

He clocked up 353 appearances scoring 166 goals including a record 38 during one season. Amazingly only capped twice by England, Johnson was a member of the 1926 FA Cup final side and the one that won promotion a year later.

Eric Brook was number one in the 1928-35 list. He was another terrific servant to City bagging 177 goals in 491 games to make him the club's all-time leading scorer and fifth in the appearance table. He is unlikely to lost either position any time soon. An England international, he scored in four consecutive games for his country in the 1933/34 season.

Curiously Brook was often seen between the Blues posts deputising for injured keepers and it is one of that specialised ilk that won the voting in the 1936-1950 category.

Frank Swift was known as Frying Pan hands and became England goalkeeper after starting his career with a Blackpool gasworks side. He went on to make 369 league and cup appearances for the Blues and at the end of a glittering career became a respected sports journalist. Tragically he was killed in the Munich Air Disaster that robbed United of some of their greatest players.

Roy Paul was next player honoured. A fiercely determined character, Paul played a major role in the two FA Cup finals in the mid 1950s and emerged victorious from the 1951-57 group.

A coal miner in his early days, Paul played 293 times for City and won 33 caps for his country.

Illness kept Bert Trautmann away from last night's dinner but he was a runaway winner in the 1958-65 category.

The German ex-paratrooper spent time in a prisoner of war camp in Ashton-in-Makerfield but won over the hearts of the City fans during a wonderful Maine Road career that spanned 545 games.

He even has an FA Cup final named after him after he played on with a broken neck in the 1956 triumph over Birmingham City.

Tony Book rose to the top from the 1966-71 nominees. A part-time bricklayer in his semi-professional days, Book was a late starter in the top flight but more than made up for it. Book, who won national player of the year honours, made 306 appearances for City and went on to manage the club to a League Cup success in 1976.

There was only ever going to be one victor in the 1972-77 section and that was `the King' Colin Bell. Bought from neighbours Bury, Bell racked up 48 England caps and was the driving force behind the great Blues side of that decade.

Nicknamed Nijinsky he could run all day, was a prolific goal scorer and knew how to defend. He would surely have been one of England's most capped and greatest ever midfielders had he not suffered a serious knee injury in a derby match in 1975. He was 29 at the time and in his prime and although he made an emotional comeback he couldn't reach the same heights eventually bowing out with 489 games under his belt and 152 goals.

Joe Corrigan shared a dressing room with Bell for many years and he became the third goalkeeper in the eleven inductees by winning the 1978-83 poll.

Currently goalkeeping coach at Liverpool, Big Joe fought his way through a mistake-ridden early part of his career to be an England goalkeeper and endeared himself to all City fans with his determination and application.

He stayed with the Blues for 16 seasons and played 592 times winning two League Cup and a European Cup Winners Cup medal as well as his nine England caps.

Paul Lake would also surely have gone on to represent his country many times had his career not been cruelly ended by injury.

The Denton-born midfielder drew favourable comparisons with the great Bell during the early part of his career and was a member of the Blues' all-conquering youth side of the mid 1980s.

Unfortunately his playing days ended with a horrendous knee injury sustained in September 1990. He managed only 130 league games for the Blues but left an indelible impression that saw him top the list for 1984-91.

The final category was for players 1992-2002 and this was a close-run affair won in the end by Irish striker Niall Quinn just ahead of a second German international Uwe Rosler.

Quinn joined the Blues from Arsenal in Howard Kendall's reign and responded with a goal on his debut against Chelsea in March 1990 and went on to notch 66 in 183 appearances. He enjoyed further success with Sunderland and the Republic of Ireland and famously donated the £1m raised by his testimonial season to charity.

The panel's three extra choices were all people who polled vast numbers of votes, but were unlucky to be in a section with an outstanding winner all three men made a wonderful contribution to the Blues starting with Peter Doherty.

The midfielder was without doubt one of the most complete footballers in British soccer.

With him in the side, the Blues won the title by three points in 1936-37, scoring 107 goals of which the red-haired star claimed thirty making him top scorer.

Next to be included was Francis Lee one of the most popular players ever to don sky blue.

He made his League debut for Bolton against City at Burnden Park at 16 years of age and moved to City in 1967 for £60,000.

Lee had been Bolton's top scorer in three of his seasons there and was to repeat that feat five times with City including three consecutive seasons from 1969-70 onwards. He made 320 appearances and bagged 143 goals.

Less successful perhaps, was his chairmanship of the club. He was in the forefront of a campaign to oust the late Peter Swales and was appointed chairman on February 4, 1994 but resigned during the 1997-98 season.

Lee's great pal Mike Summerbee was the final name to go into the Hall. Summerbee was the second player brought to Maine Road by new manager Joe Mercer in 1965. He was signed on August 20 for a fee of £35,000 from Swindon Town.

Over the course of the following five seasons he helped City win an incredible four top class competitions, although he was unfortunate to miss out through injury City's last great final of the period, the ECWC decider in Vienna. His City career lasted until June 1975 when he left for Burnley and then Stockport.

Also honoured was last night was another all-time great Roy Clarke who became the first recipient of the lifetime achievement award. Clarke is famous for playing in three different divisions of the Football League in three consecutive games!

More importantly he scored the goal that took City to the 1955 Cup final but missed the decider with a knee injury.