Jim's column 3.5.14

I would like to use this week's column to reply to a number of questions I have had in recent weeks.

Firstly Les Smith asked me about a game at Highfield Road with Stoke City in 1965. He recently acquired a programme for the game and wondered what competition that it was for, as the respective first teams were not in the same division, and neither were the reserves! - The game was played on a Friday night in early October.

There were actually international weekends then – for the Home Internationals – and the game was a friendly arranged because both teams had two or more players involved in internationals that weekend and were permitted to postpone their league games. Ronnie Rees was playing for Wales against England & Dave Clements was representing Northern Ireland against Scotland.

In actual fact Coventry's scheduled game at Cardiff had already been switched to the following Wednesday because Wales were entertaining England at Ninian Park on the Saturday. The league game on the following Wednesday night was an historic occasion as the game was beamed back to Coventry and shown on big screens at Highfield Road. City won 2-1.

The friendly was an opportunity for Jimmy Hill's second division promotion chasing team to pit their wits against top-flight opposition and City ran out 5-1 winners in front of a 8,180 crowd. The goals came from Allan Harris, George Hudson (2), Brian Hill & Peter Denton.

Fellow CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson reminded me that this week was the anniversary of a Clive Allen hat-trick against the Sky Blues in 1979 & wondered how many goals he scored against us. The game in 1979 ended in a 5-1 home win for QPR but wasn't enough for the R's to avoid relegation from the First Division. 17-year old  Allen was making his first start for Rangers & set the scene for a long record of success against City.

In all Clive played 14 times against City for 6 different clubs and scored 12 goals. After QPR he appeared for Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea & West Ham and scored for all but the latter two. His most famous goal against City was probably the opening goal of the 1987 FA Cup final, his 49^th goal of a memorable season.

Allen's 12 goals is not the most scored by a City opponent. That record is held by Alan Shearer who netted 17 goals, followed by Ian Rush & Tony Cottee with 14 goals each. 

Finally Adrian Goss wanted to know if City ever won a game playing in the Pony purple & yellow away kit during the 1995-96 season. They only played in the horrendous kit on six occasions, drawing twice and losing four times, including a 5-1 thrashing at Blackburn & a 4-3 loss at Hillsborough. It's not the only kit that City failed to win a game in – in 1999-2000 City, playing in a white shirted kit with black shorts failed to win a single away league game. 

                                                 Dublin & Ndlovu in the 1995-96 away kit

Today is the last game of the league season & the Sky Blues travel to Sheffield United knowing they are safe from relegation. Callum Wilson's goals have dried up recently, possibly owing to his enhanced reputation, which deservedly won him a place in the PFA League One Team of the season last weekend. He is marooned on 21 league goals, equal with Ian Wallace's total in 1977-78, with one more goal to be the highest seasonal scorer since City were promoted from the old Division Two in 1967 when Bobby Gould netted 24.

Next week I will cover Callum's scoring record & lots of other stats in my annual review of the season.