in april 1908 he signed for first division manchester city, making his debut on 21 april against bristol city, a match which finished goalless. in his first full season at the club he made 27 appearances and was the club's second highest goalscorer with 15 goals, which included three hat-tricks. however, manchester city finished second-bottom in the first division, and holford again suffered relegation. in the 1909–10 season holford won a second division championship medal as his club made an immediate return to the top flight. though he had been an ever-present in 1912–13, holford lost his place in the first team in the 1913–14 season, making all but three of his 15 appearances in the first ten weeks of the season. he made his last appearance for manchester city on 13 april 1914 against newcastle united, giving him a final total of 183 appearances and 38 goals for the club.