JIM'S COLUMN 10.4.10

Two weeks ago I reported the sad passing away of former City goalkeeper Charlie Ashcroft. Dave Walker of Allesley Park remembers Charlie for one of the most bizarre own goals of all time. In what was only Charlie’s third game for the City he was a member of the team getting a going over at Northampton Town’s County Ground – not an unusual occurrence back in the 1950s. City were 2-0 down after 35 minutes to the Cobblers when as the Coventry Telegraph match report describes it: ‘With all the field in which to place a harmless clearance Ashcroft weakly kicked the ball against the back of the unsuspecting (Roy) Kirk’s head and had the mortification of seeing his effort rebound 14 yards into an empty net’. The Cobblers scored another goal just after half-time and ran out 4-0 winners.

I also reported the death of another player from the 1950s, Charlie Dutton. Terry Hough sent me a lovely email. As a good friend of Charlie when he first came to Coventry, he was shocked to read that Dutton had passed away. They became good friends in the Fitting Shop at Binley Colliery where Terry was working, and as Charlie had previously worked in a colliery in his native Staffordshire the club fixed up a job at Binley for him.

Terry was best man at Charlie’s wedding but they lost touch after Charlie left City and moved away from Coventry. Terry played football for the Binley Welfare team in the Coventry & North Warwickshire league in the early 60s and remembers playing against Bobby Gould, Dudley Roberts and Mick Coop when they played for Modern Machine Tools who were the Coventry City junior side in that league.

George Hudson’s reappearance at Legends Day and his appearance on BBC CWR prompted Keith Ballantyne to ask if George ever scored against the Sky Blues for Tranmere Rovers. He did Keith, in an FA Cup Fourth Round replay at Prenton Park in 1968. City were held to a draw by Rovers at Highfield Road and in the replay Hudson and fellow striker George Yardley scored first half goals to send the Third Division side through to a plum tie with Everton in round five. George played for Tranmere for almost three years before hanging up his boots.

Gareth Robinson asked who played in goal for the Sky Blues during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons. City's goalkeepers for those two seasons were:

1994-95
Ogrizovic 33 league games
Jonathan Gould 7
John Filan 2

1995-96
Ogrizovic 25
Filan 13

Oggy’s appearance total was lower than usual owing to the broken leg he suffered in a friendly at Northampton in 1995. Gould and the Australian Filan filled the position until Oggy was fit to resume in the autumn of 1995.

Bob Weeks has obtained a picture of the Midland (Coventry) Telegraph Cup winners of 1908 but there is no mention of the name of the team. He was wondering if any readers know the winners of the competition for that year. Amongst the players featured are R W Arnold, E O Shanks, Joseph Tedds, T Garratt and trainer W Wright. Perhaps the current trophy has a list of winners inscribed on it.

Finally City must be glad to see the back of Reading striker Grzegorz Rasiak for another season. The Pole notched his seventh goal against the Sky Blues in the last four seasons. Since arriving at Derby in 2004 he has scored in all six games he has started against City for Derby (1), Southampton (2), Watford (1) and Reading (3). The only time he failed to net was when he came on as a substitute for Southampton. His seventh goal on Monday means he pulls level with Pablo Counago and Richard Cresswell as the highest scorers against Coventry since they left the Premiership in 2001. Today City are likely to face Cresswell at Bramall Lane – who would bet against Cresswell scoring!