Jim's column 28/4/2018

The nerves are jangling amongst Sky Blue fans this week after the defeat to Lincoln on Tuesday night. Instead of dwelling on that result and the two remaining vital games I thought I would respond to a few requests for information from readers.

Apologies for mentioning Lincoln City again but Mick Williams asked me about a City friendly game at Sincil Bank that he attended in the mid 1970s. Mick wrote:

It was definitely a friendly and I believe therefore it would have been pre season and I think it must have been in the mid 1970's and I think it would more than likely be around July or August 1976. It was a warm and light evening and my friend Spangle and myself had been driven there by a Coventry based work mate of mine that had a soft spot for Lincoln City. Also with us was another work mate who supported Man Utd.

We stood behind the goal in the middle of the home end and eventually Spangle and myself revealed our Sky Blue scarves. After our identities had been discovered by the Lincoln fans who we were standing amongst and who were clearly taking exception to this invasion, we were escorted out of the home end and onto a terrace along the touch line by a single policeman who was probably the only one on duty that night. He actually said "we hadn't expected any Coventry fans to travel".

The game Mick is referring to was played on 26th April 1976 and was arranged in order to celebrate the Imps winning the Fourth Division title and to present them with the trophy. Their manager was Graham Taylor and it was the first success of his managerial career. A large crowd of 9,573 saluted the champions who had lost only four league games all season and amassed 74 points (equivalent to 106 points in the modern day with three points for a win), an all-time record for any Football League division.

Coventry had finished 14th in Division 1 and took a full-strength team to Lincoln. The game ended 2-2 with Alan Green and Les Cartwright cancelling out goals by John Ward and Percy Freeman. City's line up was: Blyth: Oakey, Hindley (sub Cartwright), Craven, Dugdale, Coop, Murphy, Green, Cross (sub Ferguson), Powell, Hutchison.

Looking at the programme for that game helped to partially explain the home side's success. The chart of appearances show that eight of the team played 40 or more league games with two, goalkeeper Peter Grotier (ex-West Ham) and Ian Branfoot (ex-Sheffield Wednesday) playing 46. A settled side without injuries can have a big advantage in any season in any league.

After Marc McNulty's hat-trick against Grimsby last month several readers were keen to know which City player has scored most hat-tricks in a season for the club. Not surprisingly, first place goes to Clarrie Bourton with seven hat-tricks in 1931-32, his first season at the club, when he netted 49 league goals and was the league's leading scorer. Second place goes to George Lowrie who in 1946-47, the first league season following the war, netted five hat-tricks, including three in successive home games. In third place is Leslie Jones in 1934-35. Les, an oustanding inside-forward who joined Arsenal in 1937, netted four hat-tricks and even outscored the great Bourton with 28 goals to Clarrie's 26. Between the two goal machines they scored 54 of City's 86 goals.

                       

                                                                        Leslie Jones

Another question came from Andy Webster who is an avid City programme collector. He has acquired a programme from a game the Sky Blues played at Eastbourne in 1964 and wanted to know more details of the game. The game was for the Eastbourne Charity Cup and I think there was a strong link between City chairman Derrick Robins and the Eastbourne cricket festival. City, who had manager Jimmy Hill in their line up, won the game 3-1 with goals from George Kirby (2) and George Hudson. The team was: Wesson, Sillett, Kearns, Brian Hill, Curtis, Jimmy Hill, Humphries, Hudson, Kirby, Smith, Rees.

Next Saturday the final home game with Morecambe is Legends Day and over 50 former players are planning to attend. City's play-off challenge will still be in the balance, barring a Mansfield defeat this weekend, and this year's event is dedicated to the memory of Cyrille Regis who will be represented by a good number of his relatives including his widow Julia. Former players from seven decades will be joining the traditional half-time parade from Lol Harvey and Brian Nicholas from the 1950s through to Dele Adebola and Andy Marshall from the 2000s.

Jim's column 21.4.2018

I'm writing this before last night's home game with Stevenage, a game that will help decide Coventry City's fate this season. The Sky Blues need three wins from their final four games to make certain of a top-seven finish and thus earn a play-off position for the first time ever. They may not need three wins however, depending on the results of the clubs around them.

I've been doing some research into the teams that have played in the play-offs since they were inaugurated in 1987. The first season, for the only time, featured three sides immediately below the automatic promotion places plus the side immediately above the relegation places. So, for example, in the Division Two play-off games Charlton Athletic, who had finished 20th in the old Division One battled it out with Oldham, Leeds United and Ipswich who had finished 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively in the old Division Two. In the days before the play-off finals were played at Wembley, Charlton beat Leeds in the final after two legs and a replay, to retain their top flight status. The following season the system was unchanged and Chelsea, who finished fourth from bottom in the old Division One, were relegated in a two-leg play-off final against Middlesbrough. In 1989 the system changed and the four sides immediately below the promoted teams fought it out for the extra promotion place with a two-leg final. The final became a one-off game at Wembley in 1989 and has remained unchanged since then with the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff hosting the final when Wembley was closed for rebuilding.

In the 30 years since the play-offs were introduced Preston North End have qualified the most times, with 10 appearances, but have only made it to the final three times, all of them ending in defeat. Last season's Championship play-off winners Huddersfield Town are second best with nine appearances with five final appearances and four victories. Ipswich have reached the play-offs on eight occasions (all in the championship) but have been knocked out at the semi final stage seven times but won the final once in 2000. Lower down the leagues Scunthorpe have reached the play-offs eight times but won the final only twice. Tranmere and Torquay who are no longer in the league have both reached the play-offs on six occasions each.

Looking at City's possible opponents in the League Two play-offs there are mixed findings. Exeter reached their first play-off last season but lost at Wembley to Blackpool. Notts County have reached the play-offs four times. They won the Division Two play-off in 1991, a year after winning the Third Division final and been losing finalists on one other occasion. Lincoln have a miserable record, qualifying for the League Two play-offs five years running between 2003-2007, losing the final twice and semi-finals on three occasions. Mansfield, perhaps City's greatest threat of reaching the top seven, have twice reached the League Two play-offs but never won them.

All City fans are acutely aware that their team has never qualified for the play-offs but how many other teams have failed. The simple answer is ten but five of those have an unbroken run in the top flight since 1987 and one, Aston Villa, have spent only two seasons out of the top flight and gained automatic promotion in one (1988). Villa also look certain to be in this year's Championship play-off. Then there are the two clubs playing in the Football League for the first time this season, Forest Green and Newport County. The old Newport were voted out of the league in 1988 so barely had a chance to reach the play-offs. That leaves two others: Crawley Town and Oxford United. Whilst neither has been in the play-offs both have won promotions in the last few years.

So strictly speaking City aren't the only side not to have reached the play-offs but their record since leaving the Premiership in 2001 is without doubt the worst of all.

It's award time again and congratulations go to Jack Grimmer who has been selected in the PFA League Two team of the season. He is only the seventh Coventry City player to be honoured since the awards were introduced in 1974. The others are:-

1983 Danny Thomas (Division 1)

2009 Danny Fox (Championship)

2009 Keiren Westwood (Championship)

2013 Leon Clarke (League One)

2014 Callum Wilson (League One)

2016 Adam Armstrong (League One)

                                                          Danny Thomas winning a CCFC player of year award

In 2015 the Football League (EFL) introduced their own awards and Lee Burge and Jordan Willis were the first City players selected for their efforts this season. The awards are testimony to the excellent defensive performances (Yeovil apart) put in by the club's defenders this season. It is still possible for the defence to set a new club record low goals conceded in a 46-match season. The record is 47, set in the 1958-59 promotion season. Before last night the team had let in 41 goals.

Jim's column 7.4.2018

What a shocker on Easter Monday! A larger than normal crowd turned up expecting City to put lowly Yeovil to the sword and extend the unbeaten run to eight games only for the Glovers to tear up the form-book and pull off a sensational 6-2 victory. Whilst City's defending was appalling it seemed that every time Yeovil attacked they scored. The statistics bear this out with the Somerset team having seven shots on target and six goals.

There are lots of historical stats resulting from a game which whilst depressing for Sky Blue fans was a thrilling encounter. The start by Yeovil was sensational with three goals without reply in the first 15 minutes. Trawling through the record books I can find only one worse start for City – in September 1956 at Northampton's County Ground the Cobblers were 3-0 ahead in 13 minutes, eventually losing 4-0. Incidentally in the very next away game City were 3-0 down after 16 minutes to Ipswich Town, again a 4-0 defeat. Unfortunately goal-times are notoriously inaccurate before World War Two and there may have been worse starts before then.

The size of the defeat was staggering and the worst at the Ricoh since 2008 when West Brom won an FA Cup tie 5-0. It was only the second time in 92 seasons of league football that City have let in six goals in a home league game – the other a 6-1 thumping by champions Liverpool on the final day of the 1989-90 season. Older fans will remember an 8-1 League Cup home defeat to Leicester in 1964 but there were mitigating circumstances, George Curtis limped off injuries and there were no substitutes.

The total of eight goals in the game was the most City fans have seen at the Ricoh since it opened in 2005 but those who travelled to Sixfields in 2013-14 saw nine goals (5-4 v Bristol City) and eight goals (4-4 v Preston) respectively in the first two home games there. The previous highest at the Ricoh was seven in the 6-1 victory over Derby in 2006.

Three Yeovil players (Fisher, Zoko and Surridge) scored braces and with Max Biamou also scoring two the total of four braces in a City game was only the third time this has occurred and the first in a home game. The last time was in the 5-5 draw at Southampton in May 1982 – arguably the most exciting City game of all-time. Mark Hateley (3) and Steve Whitton (2) netted for the Sky Blues whilst Kevin Keegan (2), Keith Cassells (2) and Alan Ball were on target for the Saints. The only other occasion was at Exeter in 1926 when four home players scored braces in the Grecians 8-1 victory.

Biamou also achieved a personal landmark by scoring two off the bench. He is only the third City player to achieve this in a league game, the others being Bobby Gould (at Forest in 1967) and Chris Maguire (at MK Dons in 2013).

City's outstanding defensive record went to pot – before Monday they had only conceded 32 goals and looked capable of breaking the club's all-time record of 38 in 1970-71 but that won't happen now! They could possibly still set a new record for a 46-game season – currently 47 goals in 1958-59.

Most fans feel that it was just one of those days and a somewhat freak scoreline. The team have a tough away game at Notts County today and the omens aren't good there, it is a real bogey ground for the Sky Blues. They have won only twice in 18 visits there since they entered the league and there have been five defeats and two losses since the last win there – in August 1963 when George Hudson (2) and Willie Humphries netted in a 3-0 victory.

Thanks to all my followers on Twitter for helping with this week's stats.

Jim's column 31/3/2018

The Sky Blues excellent 4-0 victory over Grimsby was not only the team's biggest win since the 6-0 hammering of Bury in February 2016 but extended the team's unbeaten run to a season's best six games. In fact you have to go back to the autumn of 2015 to find the last run as good – Tony Mowbray's side went 11 league games without defeat. It's just the sort of run the team needed at this stage of the season especially after the three straight defeats at the start of February which caused many fans to give up their hopes of promotion. The run has also coincided with a loss of form amongst some of their rivals in the race, Luton and Notts County especially. With eight games remaining (before yesterday's game at Newport), it is clear that the race for the automatic and play-off positions will go right to the wire. On paper City have a relatively easy run-in (if there is such a thing in this grim division) facing only two of the top nine sides (Notts County and Lincoln) whilst Notts County have to play Luton, Accrington and Wycombe as well as the Sky Blues. Accrington, the favourites for top spot, feature on the outstanding games for Exeter, Wycombe, Lincoln, Swindon and Mansfield. City's chances of an automatic promotion spot could hinge on the results of these six-point games.

Mark McNulty has emerged as the 20-goal striker that City fans have been praying for and his hat-trick last week took his total to 18 league goals and 21 in all competitions. He is up there with the most prolific City goalscorers in the last 50 years. In league goals he has equalled Dion Dublin's best season in 1997-98, is two behind Adam Armstrong's 20 in 2015-16 and three behind the best since 1967, 21, held by Ian Wallace (1977-78) and Callum Wilson (2013-14). Looking at goals in all competitions we might be looking at the highest scorer for fifty years. Since Bobby Gould got 25 in City's 1966-67 promotion season the highest scorers are:

23 Ian Wallace (1977-78)

23 Dion Dublin (1997-98)

22 Callum Wilson (2013-14)

20 Adam Armstrong (2015-16)

19 Terry Gibson (1983-84 & 1984-85)

McNulty has overtaken Gibson and Armstrong and must be favourite to overhaul Wilson, Dublin, Wallace and possibly even Gould. The next target will be George Hudson's haul of 28 goals in 1963-64, then Terry Bly's 29 in 1962-63.

Arthur Warner's memories of watching Coventry City go back to the early 1950s and he wrote to me recently following my piece on long runs of home victories. He remembers, as a ten-year old, the 1954 run of eight wins and Bristol City ending the sequence. City had won their last four home games of the 1953-54 season and had a great start to the 1954-55 season. On the previous Wednesday they had lost their unbeaten record (and top spot) at Gillingham 1-2. Bristol had taken over the league leader's position and had won four games in a row. There were 29,879 at the game including a few thousand from Bristol, the biggest crowd at Highfield Road since the club were relegated from Division Two in 1952. Arthur recalls that expectations were high amongst City fans.

Close season signing Tommy Capel put City ahead but John Atyeo (2) and Jimmy Rogers sealed a 3-1 away win. Also in the Bristol side that day were Jack Boxley and Jim Regan, who both later joined City. Centre-forward Eddie Brown, who had netted eight goals in eight games that season was sold to Birmingham City soon afterwards and manager Jack Fairbrother resigned in protest. Bristol were promoted and City finished 9th.