Will players experiencing their first Manchester derby on Sunday, like Morgan Schneiderlin, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Anthony Martial, be able to comprehend what the occasion means?

I can only say from my point of view. If you ask any supporters who watched me live for Manchester City in the 1970s they will all say the same thing: “Rodney played for us.” That was the feeling from the Kippax.

It’s crucial, absolutely crucial, that the players realise just how important playing in a Manchester derby is. I’d only been in Manchester for two or three weeks after joining in March 1972 from Queens Park Rangers when I really understood the importance of the derby from the Man City fans’ point of view. The players, everybody but everybody, talked about the derby – Mike Doyle, a local lad, hated Manchester United – so it all came to me very quickly having come from down south. I realised what massive games they were. And it can be intimidating, absolutely. Over the years I’ve seen some magnificent games between Man City and Man United and that’s when big players step up and do big things.

When I joined I was the club record signing, costing City £200,000. Yet going into my first derby in April at Old Trafford the fee was never an issue for me: I was a substitute for the game, and I scored as soon as I came on.

In my first couple of weeks at Man City I wasn’t fit, I’d had a groin strain at QPR and was recovering when I signed so I was struggling for fitness and had been on the bench for several games. It was a midweek night, 12 April, Old Trafford was absolutely heaving and the atmosphere was incredible, incredibly intense. The score was 1-1 in the second half and Malcolm Allison, the manager, suddenly went: “Rodney, get warmed up.”

So I come out of the dugout at Old Trafford, wearing our bright new tracksuit, which were more like rain suits. So there I am, it’s pissing with rain in Manchester, I’m wearing a luminous tracksuit with the hood over my head, and the entire crowd, the Stretford End, started singing: “Rodney is a fairy, Rodney is a fairy.”

So it was pretty intense as the referee waved me on. Within minutes Mike Summerbee went down the right-hand side – Colin Bell was involved in the buildup, too – the ball was pulled back to the edge of the box and I smashed it low into the corner.

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The Man City fans went absolutely crazy. The veins in my throat felt like they were half an inch a wide. I can recall the smell of the turf, too – it was just magnificent, and we went on to win 3-1. It was really a remarkable, incredible experience, a dream because of all the components: being on the bench, the Man United fans slagging me off, the Man United players trying to kick me as soon as I came on, and of course how much it meant to the Man City supporters.

I got mobbed after the game and the fans started singing the old: “Oh Rodney Rodney Rodney!” That was my introduction to the derby and from that point I had four incredible years, a love affair with the Man City fans that I still enjoy.

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There’s another thing as well: a derby always seems to be a little bit quicker, with a bit more needle, the elbows are a bit sharper. I don’t know if that’s psychological or it’s a fact. But it always seemed that way to me.

Can Sunday’s match catch the new players by surprise? I’d love to say yes. But I don’t know the mentality of the modern player. I read things about players who come from abroad – that they just don’t get it. Whether it’s the Manchester derby, the north London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, or whatever, some players just don’t understand.

My first London derby was Fulham against Spurs at Craven Cottage. I remember it vividly. But there’s something that people out there, the fans, need to understand. The Manchester derby is something completely different and special regarding other games I played in. I played against Arsenal and Spurs and West Ham United and Chelsea and all the different teams in London – derbies for Fulham and QPR. But the Manchester derby is really special because it always seems the Man City fans – I can’t speak for Man United fans, obviously – seem to be so into it, and so there is no comparison.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Rodney Marsh, right, with manager Malcolm Allison after signing for Manchester City in March 1972. Photograph: R Brigden/Getty Images

Yet it’s not always the best players who decide the game. Absolutely not. A defender can be caught in possession, or a goalkeeper can make a blunder. The elements of a Man City-Man United derby are so dynamic and varied that goals can come from anywhere, mistakes can come from anywhere. We’ve seen those over the years. We’ve seen so many mistakes over the years. It’s not only on the top players, it’s on all the players.

My prediction for Sunday? I’m going Manchester City, 2-1.

Rodney Marsh played for Manchester City from 1972-76