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.