Jim's column 26.1.2013

The fate of Coventry City's season could hinge on the next three games. The three home wins in 10 days have got the Sky Blues' faithful dreaming of a Wembley final and a possible play-off position. Someone asked me when City last won three home games in such a short period and I made a trawl through the records. In 1973, under Gordon Milne, they won three in 11 dayside early September. Then you have to go back to the early 1950s when there was always a glut of fixtures around Easter. In 1955 City won three home games in nine days but the best I could find was in 1954 when they won three Division Three South games in seven days. On Easter Tuesday (20^th April) City beat Southampton 2-1 (goals from Gordon Nutt & Don Dorman), the following Saturday Bristol City were beaten 3-0 (Dorman & Eddie Brown 2) and two days later, in the final game of the season Norwich were beaten 1-0 (Nutt).

The Sky Blues now have two tough away league games followed by the home leg of the JPT (or Football League Trophy) against Crewe Alexandra. Today they travel to play their long standing nemesis, Preston North End at Deepdale, a ground they have never won a league game in 15 visits going back to 1949. They did manage a famous FA Cup win in 1909, as a Southern League side, and a League Cup win in 2000 but have always failed in league games, even in the momentous 1966-67 promotion season when they slipped up 3-2.  Things have also never been easy at home against Proud Preston and City have failed to beat their bogey team in the last four league meetings at the Ricoh with this season's games in League and JPT marred by physical and verbal intimidation from Graham Westley and his team.

Then, on Friday night, the team go to Bramall Lane to face many people's pre-season favourites for promotion. The Blades have slipped up badly in their last two home games, losing to Hartlepool and Yeovil, but have still only lost four league games all season. City's record there is mixed but they have won only once in their last eight visits, two seasons ago when a Gary McSheffrey goal was sufficient to take the points. Nothing less than four points from the two games will be good enough to keep those play-off hopes alive.

Those three home wins have included a rare occurrence for the Sky Blues - injury-time winners. James Bailey's 94th minute effort against Oldham, followed Leon Clarke's 94^th minute winner in the JPT against Preston. In recent seasons City have been vulnerable in the added time - last season they lost in added time at Palace, Blackpool and at home to Burnley and Ipswich. They did however score injury-time winners against Leeds and Barnsley, the first since a Kevin Kyle late goal in a 2-1 win at QPR in 2007. Before that you have to go back to a Lee Hughes 92nd minute winner at home to Norwich in 2002. Suddenly however City have become masters at late goals; in addition to the two recent goals, Cody scored the winner at Oldham as the fourth official prepared the board and McGoldrick's third at Stevenage was in injury-time.

My appeal on behalf of Jot Shirley for a copy of the original Sky Blue Song was successful and Jot received an mp3 version of Ted Heath’s version from David Whitlock. Jot asked me to thank all those who responded. He also tells me he thinks he may have found a copy on CD as well. It appears on an album 'Decca Singles and Rarities volume 4'. Track 10 is 'Eaton Boating Song'. The title is mis-spelt but after listening to a 30-second sample on the Internet he thinks this is the track. He thinks the 'B' side on the original vinyl single was called 'Telegoon Toon' which also appears on the CD.