v. Sheffield United (2022/23)

The decision to retain the unprecedentedly popular ‘Blackout’ 2021/22 change kit as the 2022/23 third kit meant that City had two kits, primary and third, with black shorts and socks. What’s more an EFL rule change at the start of 2021/22 effectively outlawed alternate shorts: short clashes were no longer considered an issue and so clubs could now register three kits and that’s it, there would be no more registering a fourth pair of shorts, such as the amber alternates City used on occasion.

That caused a problem for the game at Sheffield United, not with the shorts, it no longer mattered that both sides had black ‘home’ shorts, but the black socks were the issue. So, City wore the white socks from the white-red-white change kit, which didn’t look too bad from afar, but in photographs you notice the red band on the socks, a colour that doesn’t appear on the primary kit.