<P> A church cricket club had been formed in 1875, but no equivalent for the winter months existed . To rectify this, and as part of Rector Arthur Connell's general push to intervene in social ills, church wardens William Beastow and Thomas Goodbehere started a church football team called St Mark's (West Gorton) (sometimes written as West Gorton (St Mark's)) in the winter of 1880 . </P> <P> The team's first recorded match occurred on 13 November 1880, against a church team from Macclesfield . St. Marks lost the match 2--1, and only won one match during their inaugural 1880--81 season, with a victory over Stalybridge Clarence in March 1881 . </P> <P> City gained their first honours by winning the Second Division in 1899; with it came promotion to the highest level in English football, the First Division . They went on to claim their first major honour on 23 April 1904, beating Bolton Wanderers 1--0 at Crystal Palace to win the FA Cup; City narrowly missed out on a League and Cup double that season after finishing runners - up in the League but City became the first club in Manchester to win a major honour . In the seasons following the FA Cup triumph, the club was dogged by allegations of financial irregularities, culminating in the suspension of seventeen players in 1906, including captain Billy Meredith, who subsequently moved across town to Manchester United . A fire at Hyde Road destroyed the main stand in 1920, and in 1923 the club moved to their new purpose - built stadium at Maine Road in Moss Side . </P> <P> In the 1930s, Manchester City reached two consecutive FA Cup finals, losing to Everton in 1933, before claiming the Cup by beating Portsmouth in 1934 . During the 1934 cup run, Manchester City broke the record for the highest home attendance of any club in English football history, as 84,569 fans packed Maine Road for a sixth round FA Cup tie against Stoke City in 1934--a record which still stands to this day . The club won the First Division title for the first time in 1937, but were relegated the following season, despite scoring more goals than any other team in the division . Twenty years later, a City team inspired by a tactical system known as the Revie Plan reached consecutive FA Cup finals again, in 1955 and 1956; just as in the 1930s, they lost the first one, to Newcastle United, and won the second . The 1956 final, in which Manchester City beat Birmingham City 3--1, is one of the most famous finals of all - time, and is remembered for City goalkeeper Bert Trautmann continuing to play on after unknowingly breaking his neck . </P>

When did man city get promoted to the premier league