Jim's column 25.2.12

                                                                   Harry Hart

I have to report the sad news that former Coventry City player Harry Hart who played briefly for Coventry City in the early 1950s passed away on 11 February in Morecambe aged 85.

Harry was born in Sheffield and started his professional career with Rotherham United. He was spotted whilst playing for Woodthorpe Youth Club. As a 16 year old, he played for Rotherham Reserves against Gainsborough Trinity and Neil Franklin (later to be one of the best England centre-halves of all-time) was one of the guest players for Gainsborough!

Harry Storer brought the inside-forward to Coventry in 1950 but competition for places was tough and Harry managed only ten first team games in his two seasons at Highfield Road. His debut was in a 2-1 win at Grimsby in March 1951 and he scored his only goal in the final game of that season in a 1-1 draw at Luton. His final game was in that home game with West Ham in February 1952 which I featured a couple of weeks ago, when a minute’s silence was observed for the late King George VI.

During his time at City he was a regular for the reserves and on 29 December 1951 at Filbert Street he scored a goal and was sent off in the 3-2 defeat. Harry had lost his hair by the time he was 19 and therefore looked older than he was. He complained that, because referees assumed he was older, they thought he should know better and sent him off!

 He joined Grimsby in 1952, and played under the legendary Bill Shankly. Later whilst still living in Nuneaton, he played non-league for Frickley Colliery and Stocksbridge Works. Post football, he worked at Dunlop and then Massey Ferguson on the furnaces (for 16 years). The likes of Reg Matthews, Dick Mason and Alf Wood were there with him. 

One of Harry’s former teammates at City, Lol Harvey, told me a story about Harry. After one home defeat at Highfield Road Storer came into the dressing room and grabbed Hart by his football shirt collar and marched him out on to a mud heap of a pitch. When they got to the centre circle Storer turned to Hart and said, ‘Come on then Harry, show me the hole you’ve been hiding in all afternoon!’

 

Predictably the Sky Blues lost at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground last week to make it nine consecutive away defeats and equals the club’s post war record set in 1984 and repeated in 1999-2000. In the latter season the team had an excellent home record with Robbie Keane, Gary McAllister and the Moroccans, Hadji and Chippo, in top form. Away from Highfield Road it was a different story however and although they drew seven of the first 10 trips they fell away badly and even lost on the final day against already relegated Watford. The run was ended in the first away trip of the following season with a 2-1 win at Southampton and followed up with a similar scoreline at Maine Road four days later. Ironically the team ended up suffering relegation that season.

Feb	5	2000	a	Man. Utd.	L	2-3
Feb	12	2000	h	Sunderland	W	3-2
Feb	19	2000	a	Middlesbro	L	0-2
Feb	26	2000	h	Tottenham H	L	0-1
Mar	5	2000	a	Leeds U	L	0-3
Mar	11	2000	a	Aston Villa	L	0-1
Mar	15	2000	h	Everton	W	1-0
Mar	18	2000	h	Bradford City	W	4-0
Mar	26	2000	a	Arsenal	L	0-3
Apr	1	2000	h	Liverpool	L	0-3
Apr	12	2000	a	Chelsea	L	1-2
Apr	15	2000	h	Middlesbro	W	2-1
Apr	22	2000	a	West Ham U	L	0-5
Apr	29	2000	a	Newcastle U	L	0-2
May	6	2000	h	Sheff. Wed.	W	4-1
May	14	2000	a	Watford	L	0-1

In 1984 Bobby Gould’s early impact as manager had faded and the club were hurtling down the table. Defeats at Loftus Road and Meadow Lane were unlucky but thumpings at Old Trafford, the Dell and Anfield ensured the Sky Blues went into their final game with Norwich needing a win to avoid the drop. Thankfully the game was at home and City scraped home 2-1. The poor away form extended into the following season with the run not ending until a 0-0 draw at Sunderland.

Mar	10	1984	a	QPR	L	1-2
Mar	13	1984	h	Aston Villa	D	3-3
Mar	17	1984	a	Notts Co.	L	1-2
Mar	24	1984	h	Tottenham H	L	2-4
Mar	31	1984	h	Arsenal	L	1-4
Apr	7	1984	a	Aston Villa	L	0-2
Apr	14	1984	h	Wolves	W	2-1
Apr	17	1984	h	Nottm Forest	W	2-1
Apr	21	1984	a	Man. Utd.	L	1-4
Apr	28	1984	a	Southampton	L	2-8
May	5	1984	h	Luton T	D	2-2
May	7	1984	a	Liverpool	L	0-5
May	12	1984	h	Norwich C	W	2-1
Aug	25	1984	a	Aston Villa	L	0-1
Aug	28	1984	h	Norwich C	D	0-0
Sep	1	1984	h	Leicester C	W	2-0
Sep	4	1984	a	West Ham U	L	1-3
Sep	8	1984	a	Everton	L	1-2

Defeat at Leicester a week today will take the run of losses to 10, the worst since 1929-30, and one short of the club’s all-time record of 11, in 1926.