Andy Thorn’s Sky Blues came good on Tuesday night and
deservedly won an entertaining encounter with Leeds United. For once the team
lasted the distance and grabbed the winner from the penalty spot in added time.
On four occasions this season (Palace (away), Burnley (home), Blackpool (away)
and Ipswich (home)) City have lost the game in added time but on Tuesday the
boot was firmly on the other foot. I had to look back a fair way to find the
last time the Sky Blues managed this and it seems it was in November 2007 when
Kevin Kyle needed a 92nd winner in a 2-1 victory at Loftus Road.
There have been a few instances of City scoring a late goal for a point, but
only one this season, Richard Wood’s late goal at Elland Road earlier this
season, and only one last season, Lukas Jutkiewicz’s injury-time penalty at
Watford to make it 2-2. Prior to Kyle’s late winner in 2007 one has to go back
to the Highfield Road days and a very late Johnnie Jackson winner against West
Brom in 2003! So Gary’s winner on Tuesday night was the latest home winner for
many years.
Lots of readers wanted to know when a City player last
scored two penalties in a game. It wasn’t that long ago – last April to be
precise when Marlon King scored two from the spot in the 3-0 win at Fratton
Park, City’s last away win. Prior to that Elliott Ward, now playing in the
Premier League with Norwich, scored two penalties in a 5-1 win at Colchester in
2008.
Sadly City’s away form continues to cause concern with the
defeat at Reading the eighth consecutive defeat on the road. This run equals
the worst run since the club were relegated from the Premier League in 2001.
Between December 2007 and March 2008 City lost the first eight away games of
the SISU era as follows:
|
Dec
|
22
|
2007
|
a
|
Blackpool
|
L
|
0-4
|
|
Jan
|
1
|
2008
|
a
|
Bristol
City
|
L
|
1-2
|
|
Jan
|
12
|
2008
|
a
|
Leicester
C
|
L
|
0-2
|
|
Jan
|
29
|
2008
|
a
|
Hull C
|
L
|
0-1
|
|
Feb
|
9
|
2008
|
a
|
Preston
NE
|
L
|
0-1
|
|
Feb
|
26
|
2008
|
a
|
Burnley
|
L
|
0-2
|
|
Mar
|
1
|
2008
|
a
|
Scunthorpe
U
|
L
|
1-2
|
|
Mar
|
11
|
2008
|
a
|
Sheff.
Utd.
|
L
|
1-2
|
With Chris Coleman having replaced Iain Dowie after a brief
reign of Frankie Bunn and John Harbin, City were sliding towards relegation
when the run came to an end with a 0-0 at Southampton.
Several readers have pointed out that City have not kept a
clean sheet away from home this season, and wondered if this was a record. On
four previous occasions City have gone a whole season without an away clean
sheet. The last time was in the relegation season of 2000-01 when, despite
winning four games on the road (Southampton, Manchester City, Everton and
Leicester) they conceded in every away game and couldn’t even muster a 0-0
draw. The other three occasions are very strange as they coincide with
high-scoring seasons.
In 1931-32 and 1932-33 City netted 108 and 106 goals
respectively but their success was founded on virtually unbeatable home form
(17 wins out of 21 in the former season and 16 in the latter). The away form
was poor in both campaigns with one win and 69 goals conceded in the former and
three wins and 53 goals conceded in the latter. The other instance was in
1977-78 – probably City’s best season of the 34 spent in the top flight. Like
the early 1930s though, success was based on good home form with 13 wins out of
21 and 48 home goals but they still managed five away wins but couldn’t stop
the opposition scoring. I haven’t researched the highest number of clean sheets
away from home in a season but suspect it was probably 1969-70 when they did
not concede in 10 away games on their way to a sixth place finish under Noel
Cantwell.
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