Jim's column 21.12.2019

Tuesday night's FA Cup second round replay saw Bristol Rovers emerge victorious against Plymouth Argyle and earn a third round home tie against the Sky Blues. Rovers are having an excellent season and look good outside bets for promotion and a return to the second tier of English football where they have not appeared since 1993. The shock departure of manager Graham Coughlin this week may have an effect on the 'Gas' but one of the most vociferous crowds in League One will give them the advantage on 5th January.

The clubs have met only once in the FA Cup previously – a second round tie at Highfield Road in 1963. City were strong favourites having scored 19 goals in four successive victories one of which was a 4-2 win over Rovers in a league game, two weeks previously. City were top of Division Three whilst Rovers were 13th. The form-book however went out of the window with Rovers winning 2-1.

The day's biggest FA Cup attendance, 26,248 saw Rovers score an early goal through former England international winger Geoff Bradford then defend in depth to thwart the goal-crazy Sky Blues. Harold Jarman scored a second goal just before half-time and although City had 22 shots at goal to Bristol's eight, the home side couldn't break through the strong Rovers' rearguard. Ken Hale scored a goal in the 87th minute and a minute later Ron Rees looked to have been fouled inside the penalty area but the referee waved play on. It would have been a travesty for Rovers who deserved their victory and went on to defeat Second Division Norwich in round three before losing 4-1 at Old Trafford in the fourth round.

Many City fans felt City didn't try in the Cup game and were saving their energies for the promotion push but manager Jimmy Hill denied these accusations saying that clubs of their size needed the income that FA Cup runs bring to help keep themselves solvent. Whatever the truth, the Sky Blues, despite a rocky springtime eventually won their promotion to the Second Division.

Coventry City have reached Christmas with only three league defeats, which, in terms of defeats, is the second best first half of the season in the 100 years of the club's Football  League history. It's only bettered by 1937-38 when on Christmas morning they had only suffered one defeat. A defeat at Bramall Lane in front of over 40,000 made it two and knocked City off the top of the table. Sadly, the second half of that season was somewhat of a disappointment and the team missed promotion to Division One by two points.

More news from Bob Dobbing in Australia and it's positive. His operation to remove his prostate was successful and he is keeping his fingers crossed that the cancer has been caught in time. He sent me a nice email after receiving his 1960s City shirt from the Former Players Association.

First of all Jim I would like to offer my sincere thanks for the manner in which you put all this together, I’m really very flattered and feel very privileged to be in such company with the players from Coventry City Football Club from that period.

I think this may have been initially driven by a Catherine Loftus my niece who is a “mad football/Sunderland fan” which is really nice for me as she is just so special, I had no idea she was doing this.

Yes it’s been a bit of a rough time the last few weeks but I’m pleased to say “so far so good” we’ll just see how things go.

Dobbing with his 1960s City shirt

My time at Coventry was an unreal experience for a 15/16 year old shy “Geordie boy” I just loved being there, a great club, a great bunch of guys from ground staff lads through to the first team players, incredible. The best education of my life, I was staying with friends of my Dad’s family in Grangemouth Road, Radford, living right opposite Dietmar Bruck. Dietmar was very good to me while on trial, taking me to the ground every day and getting me home when he could, something I was always very grateful for.

It was a very sad time for me to leave Coventry but I guess not making the first team it had to be. I spent a season in the Fourth Division at Hartlepool United, that was like going from a very progressive, professional club to the other end of the scale (chocolates to boiled lollies!) Playing in most first team games for the season missing only a handful through injury, I decided to investigate the offers I had from the USA, South Africa and Australia, so Australia it was. Another ex-City man Robin Hayward was in Melbourne and Don Peachey was in Sydney.

Life in Melbourne was really good, I was married to the lovely Pauline before we moved to Melbourne, Pauline was a “Sky Blue Girl” working in the pools office with Arthur Pepper in the 1960s, she actually featured in a Sky Blue Programme August 12^th 1969. We sadly lost Pauline to cancer in 2003 after 33 years married life – a very sad time for us all.

I had a contract with the Melbourne Soccer Club playing in the State League which was the major league in Melbourne Victoria (State) at the time. The standard was quite good , playing many club games, being selected for the State Team playing against other State Teams and visiting European clubs notably Moscow Dynamo and an English FA side described as an England “B” team in which Dennis Mortimer played. It was nice to catch up with Dennis after all that time. I managed to be selected in a Preliminary Australian Squad as a build up to the 1974 World Cup in Munich, But sadly missed out due to breaking my right “Tib and Fib” in a club game some three weeks after the squad was announced. I managed to get myself fit after 10 months hard work only to break the same leg again in a comeback game. Six months after the second break I had to have a bone graft which really put me back with my playing days by about two and a half years. It was very tough to take but after recovery I played back in the same league with a degree of success along with some coaching success too.

Melbourne has been a great place to live, I am walking distance to a lovely beach. I had a great interest in sailing both off the beach and ocean sailing too.

All being well I’m hoping to pay a visit next year to the UK and would just love to say hello Jim and personally thank you for your interest.

Merry Christmas to all my readers and let's hope 2020 will be a year of promotion for the Sky Blues.

Jim's column 14.12.2019

What a tremendous result for the Sky Blues at Ipswich on Tuesday night. Few City fans gave their team a chance in the Second Round replay at Portman Road but Mark Robins's side put on a super display to seal a place in the Third Round. City's record in away FA Cup replays has traditionally been awful and this was only the fifth time in the club's history in the competition that they have won an away replay and the first since 1997 when Gordon Strachan's side narrowly scraped home in a Third Round replay at non-league Woking.

Since that close shave in 1997 City have lost replays on three occasions after being held on their own ground, at Middlesbrough (0-1) in 2006, at Colchester (1-3) in 2004 and at Bramall Lane in 1998 when they lost on penalties after a late Blades' equaliser.

Over the years City have been notoriously vulnerable in FA Cup replays. In the 1990s they lost at Southampton (1991), Cambridge (1992), Norwich (1995), Manchester City (1996) as well as the Sheffield United game in 1998. In the 1970s there were defeats after home draws at Liverpool (1970), QPR (1974), Arsenal (1975), Newcastle (1976) and West Brom (1979). Perhaps the most embarrassing defeats were at non-league Scunthorpe (2-4) in the 1936 promotion season and at Tranmere (0-2) in 1968. In total City have been involved in 31 FA Cup away replays and won only five.

The only times that City have won replays on opponents grounds are:

1974 Derby County 1-0 after 0-0 draw

1991 Wigan Athletic 1-0 after 1-1 draw

1995 West Brom 2-1 after 1-1 draw

1997 Woking 2-1 after 1-1 draw

2019 Ipswich 2-1 after 1-1 draw.

Following my piece about former City full-back Bob Dobbing a few weeks ago I heard from Kevin Ring who remembered Bob from the 1960s:

You wrote about Bob Dobbing and how he is unwell. I remember him well. As a
teenager I would go to reserve games and stand behind the goal at the West
End, often with girlfriends (they had a thing for young footballers).
Bob was a regular in the reserves. I found a picture
of him in my old childhood scrapbooks (from The Pink), lining up with other young hopefuls.
My memory tells me (Left to Right) it's Martin Clamp, Malcolm Keley, Mick Coop, Tom
Sinclair (who I used to deliver morning papers to in Lodge Road),
Paul Bloodworth, Don Peachey, Bob Dobbing, Roy Linnie, Dave Matthews, Mick
Cartwright, Pat Morrissey, John Chambers, John Docker, Willie Carr.

Jim's column 7.12.2019

Footballers' biographies generally leave me cold generally being ghost-written, formulaic and revealing little about the subject. One biography that bucks that trend this year however is Six Foot Two, Eyes of Blue, the story of the late Jim Holton, the former Manchester United, Coventry City and Scotland defender. Sadly, Jim died of a heart attack in 1993 at the tragically early age of 42, but author Colin Leslie has researched Big Jim's life with the zeal of a forensic scientist to produce an excellent book.

Released as a teenager by West Brom, Jim joined Shrewsbury Town and within two years had earned a big money move to Manchester United, managed at the time by the legendary Tommy Docherty. Within months he was a fixture at centre-half in the Scottish team, starring in his country's 1974 World Cup final campaign and earning a reputation as one of the hardest defenders in the country.

Disaster however was looming for Jim and two broken legs ended his Old Trafford career. By 1977 he was at Highfield Road, via Sunderland, and Gordon Milne got a bargain when he paid £40,000 for the popular hard man. Many thought his best days were over but Jim became one of the key players of the 1977-78 team, arguably one of the best City sides of the last fifty years. He went on to play 100 games for the Sky Blues (more than any other club), assisting in the development of young defenders such as Gary Gillespie and Paul Dyson. After hanging up his boots he stayed in Coventry and went into the licensed trade, running the Town Wall Tavern and later the Rising Sun and the Stag.

Colin has tracked down many of Jim's former team-mates from all his clubs and his international days including Tommy Hutchison, Ian Wallace and Andy Blair, to produce an excellent story of Jim's life.

For younger readers the title of the book comes from a famous terrace chant of the 1970s originating from United's Stretford End and picked up by City's West End. Ironically his eyes were brown!

Six foot two, eyes of blue. Big Jim Holton's after you.

Congratulations this week to Sky Blues' fan Margaret Allen who celebrates her 90th birthday on Monday. She is still a regular at home games after over 50 years following the club from her Coventry home. As a young woman her passion was speedway and she was often found at Brandon watching the Bees but only came to football when Jimmy Hill was the manager and her young sons, David and Colin, like most Cov kids of that era, followed the bearded wonder like a modern day Pied Piper.

Margaret, who travels to home games at St Andrews, has had many favourite City players over the years including Ian Gibson, Danny Thomas, Richard Shaw, Big Mo and Greg Downs, whilst these days loves Callum O'Hare, Amadou Bakayoko and Jodi Jones. She meets up with David and his wife Ann at home games and provides much-welcomed hot coffee at half-time to the Woodfield family.

She was at Wembley in 1987 but her favourite games were the semi-final against Leeds at Hillsborough that year and ta famous 4-0 victory over Liverpool in 1983. She remembers queuing all night outside Highfield Road to buy tickets for the League Cup semi-final second leg against West Ham in 1981 and the despair when City's young stars' Wembley hopes were dashed by Paul Goddard's late, controversial goal at Upton Park.

Margaret was back at Wembley to see the Checkatrade Trophy lifted in 2017 and the following year for the Play-off final victory over Exeter City. She is still hoping to see her beloved Sky Blues back in the Premiership in her lifetime. Happy 90th Birthday Margaret.

Jim's column 23.11.2019

Ipswich Town's victory over Lincoln City in the FA Cup First Round replay means that the Tractor Boys will be at St Andrews to face the Sky Blues next Sunday in the Second Round. Whilst the clubs have met many times in the league and League Cup they have never met in the FA Cup before. It means that the clubs will meet twice in six days at St Andrews as the Suffolk club are due to face the Sky Blues in a league game on the following Saturday.

The obvious question arose, when did City last play the same club at home on successive weekends? The answer is January 1947 when City were drawn against Newport County in the Third round of the FA Cup, a week before the club's Second Division clash at Highfield Road. Newport were having a nightmare season and would eventually be relegated having conceded 133 goals and City were comprehensive winners of both games. A 5-2 victory in the Cup-tie saw George Lowrie score a hat-trick with other goals from Ted Roberts and George Ashall. Seven days later City went goal-mad winning 6-0 with Lowrie getting another hat-trick and Roberts (2) and Ashall also on the score-sheet again. City travelled to Division Two leaders Burnley in Round Four and lost 0-2 to a team that would reach the final at Wembley in May.

There is another occurrence of successive home games against the same club: on 26th October 1959 City played Southend in a Southern Floodlit Cup replay (a competition which pre-dated the League Cup), having drawn at Southend the previous week. City won 4-0 with goals from Ken Simcoe (2), Brian Nicholas and Alan Daley. Five days later Southend were back at Highfield Road for a league game and this time the Bantams won 2-0 with goals from Ray Straw and Ken Satchwell. This was the fifth year that the Southern Floodlit Cup was played for but only the second season that City had entered. It was somewhat of a 'Cinderella' competition but all the league sides in London and the South entered and put out strong teams. After defeating Southend, City beat First Division Fulham and Southampton to reach the final against West Ham who were defeated 2-1 at Highfield Road in front of almost 17,000.

There are some other examples of several games against the same club in a short space of time. In 1986 City played Liverpool three times in eight days with two League Cup games and a league game at Anfield in between. In 1932 City faced Reading four times in 17 days with an away league game and an FA Cup tie that went to three games including a second replay at Stamford

Talking of Ipswich Town, long distance City fan Colin Heys asked me about a Coventry City game against Ipswich in 1982. He has acquired a single-sheet programme for the game played at Highfield Road and wondered why a full programme wasn't issued.

The Sky Blues had been due to play Ipswich on 14th November but the game was postponed because of World Cup qualifying games. It was rearranged for a midweek game (26th February). On Friday 15th January, as snow and ice hit the country, City's scheduled game at Old Trafford was called off because of a frozen pitch. City chairman Jimmy Hill moved quickly and suggested to Ipswich manager Bobby Robson that City could play Ipswich on a frost-free Highfield Road the following day. Bobby agreed and the game went ahead at short notice. There was no time to print a full programme but enough time to get BBC Match of Day cameras there. Sadly City blew a good chance of beating the league leaders and threw away a 2-1 lead, conceding three goals in the last nine minutes. There were only another four games played in Division 1 that day plus 15 or so in other divisions. John Wark scored first for Ipswich but with nine minutes left City led through goals from Steve Hunt and Gerry Daly. As City wilted goals from Arnold Muhren, Paul Mariner and Alan Brazil sealed the win for the Tractor Boys.

City's line up was: Blyth: Thomas, Barnes, Francis (sub Hormantschuk), Dyson, Gillespie, Bodak, Daly, Hateley, Hendrie, Hunt. The attendance was 11,578.

Jim's column 16.11.2019

It is with great sadness that I report the death this week of former City player Peter Wyer at the age of 82. Born in Coventry in 1937, Pete attended Christ the King school in Coundon and shone with Coventry Schoolboys. He played part-time football with Coventry Amateurs and Atherstone and was doing an apprenticeship when he he impressed City's management in a private trial game in 1955. After some excellent performances for the 'A' team and reserves he was given his debut by manager Jesse Carver as a second half substitute in a friendly against Sheffield United at Highfield Road. He scored City's second goal in the 3-2 defeat and five days later he was given a starting position at Crystal Palace as City had injury problems. They lost 3-0 at Palace and he was back in the reserve team the following week.

                                                                 Peter is his playing days 

He was a skilful inside-forward who could also play wide, but failed to impress and was released in the summer of 1956 without playing another first team game. He joined Derby County where former City boss Harry Storer was manager and made two appearances for the Rams in two seasons, scoring one goal, before Billy Frith re-signed him for Coventry in 1958. Despite his enthusiasm Peter got few opportunities and played only four games in City’s Fourth Division promotion season. In 1959 he joined Nuneaton Borough and later played for Rugby Town. He was a regular visitor at the Ricoh until last year and was also an enthusiastic member of the Former Players Association from the start. His health had declined over the past couple of years, he suffered with dementia, and had to leave last year's Legends Day after being taken ill.

                                                              Peter at 2017 Legends Day

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about City's Winston Churchill Trophy game against Fulham in 1965, played on the same day as the great statesman's funeral. Roger Hillier has reminded me that the trophy was played for again the following season against Northampton Town in a game which doubled as a testimonial game for long serving City stalwarts George Curtis and Mick Kearns. The game took place on Tuesday 10th May 1966, the night after Southampton, by drawing 1-1 at Leyton Orient, clinched promotion and consigned the Sky Blues to third place in Division Two.

The Cobblers had just been relegated from the First Division after their one and only season in the top flight. A crowd of 13,576 raised almost £3,000 for the players' testimonial fund and the game ended 2-2. Peter Denton and Ray Pointer gave City a two-goal lead in the first half but Northampton came back in the second half with goals from Billy Best and Jim Hall. George Hudson, who had signed for Northampton two months previously, played but was hampered by an injury sustained in their final league game. A four-page programme was issued for the game.

City's line up was: Glazier: Kearns, Hill: Bruck, Curtis, Farmer: Denton, Machin, Gould, Pointer, Clements. Dudley Roberts substituted for the injured Denton at half-time.

Kyle Walker's appearance in the goalkeeper's jersey for Manchester City in their Champions League game against Atalanta last week prompted City fans to ask when City last had an outfield player go 'between the sticks'. It was more common in the days before multiple substitutes and there wasn't a goalkeeper on the bench to replace an injured custodian. The last time the Sky Blues had an outfield player in the 'keeper's jersey was in a home game against Stoke in 2005 when Stephen Hughes had to go in goal after Ian Bennett received a red card just after half-time. Manager Micky Adams had a habit of not including a goalie on the bench and it almost backfired on him that day. Hughes however made a number of excellent saves and City got a 0-0 draw.

You have to go back 30 years for the previous occurrence – at Millwall in 1989 – when Steve Ogrizovic was injured and had to go off at half-time with City losing 3-0. There were two subs allowed in those days and City's were outfield players Dougie McGuire and Kevin Macdonald. Macdonald came on and David Speedie went in goal. David Smith pulled a goal back and 'Speedo' kept Millwall at bay until the 89th minute when Ian Dawes beat him with a corker from 25 yards.

I believe there were seven other instances since the war of outfield players going in goal including Bobby McDonald, John Craven, Ronnie Rees, George Lowrie and Roy Kirk (who did it three times!). Older City fans will remember Rees's appearance in goal, at Maine Road in 1965 when Bill Glazier broke his leg. Rees took over with City losing 1-0 but he kept a clean sheet and Ken Hale popped up to score an equaliser.

Jim's column 9.11.2019

Max Biamou had an interesting week. Despite receiving a red card on Saturday for a bad challenge against Accrington on Saturday the club circumvented the rules to play him in the EFL trophy game against Southampton on Tuesday evening. The three-game suspension for the red card was temporarily forgotten as the French striker scored a hat trick to virtually guarantee the club’s place in the knockout stages of the competition. Let’s hope those stages generate bigger crowds for a competition that is really struggling to attract the fans. The crowd at St Andrews on a bitterly cold Tuesday was only 375, the smallest for a competitive home game since 1900, although I did find a crowd of 306 at Highfield Road in November 1940 for a War League game which was strictly speaking not a competitive game.

Max is the first Coventry City player to score a hat trick in a Cup competition since Gary McSheffrey netted three in a 8-0 home victory over Rushden and Diamonds in the League Cup in 2002-03. Since 2000 there have been only ten Sky Blue hat tricks, as follows:

2000-01. John Aloisi v Preston (h) League Cup

2001-02. Lee Hughes v Crewe (a)

2002-03. Gary McSheffrey v Rushden (h) League Cup

2009-10. Freddy Eastwood v Peterborough (h)

2015-16. Jacob Murphy v Gillingham (h)

2015-16. Adam Armstrong v Crewe (a)

2017-18. Jodi Jones v Notts County (h)

2017-18. Marc McNulty v Grimsby (h)

2017-18. Marc McNulty v Cheltenham (a)

2019-20. Max Biamou v Southampton (h) EFL Trophy

Older City fans may remember Robert (Bob) Dobbing, a full-back who was a regular in the reserve team between 1967-69 but never quite made the first team. Sunderland-born Dobbing joined City straight from school and played in the same youth team as Willie Carr, Jeff Blockley and Trevor Gould. After emigrating to Australia in the 70s he was chosen to represent Australia but broke his leg before the game. He lives in Melbourne but still has family in the North East and they have been in touch with the bad news that Robert has prostate cancer. He had an operation this week and everybody is hoping that he has a successful outcome. CCFPA have sourced a 1960s style City shirt for him and that is winging its way to him in Australia.

                                                         Bob Dobbing with son Steven and daughter Natasha

Jim's column 2.11.2019

What a blow for the Sky Blues to concede that added-time equaliser at Peterborough last weekend. Max Biamou's stunning 86th minute bicycle kick appeared to have clinched a deserved three points but Muhammed Eisa squeezed home a 95th minute leveller. City fan John Baker, who lives in the Peterborough area, pointed out that Posh have scored late goals on City's last three visits to London Road. Last season Louis Reed scored a consolation goal for Posh in the 97th minute and in December 2016 Michael Bostwick scored a Posh equaliser in the 93rd minute after City had led for over 70 minutes with a Jordan Willis goal. It was an excellent game and in the tradition of the games between the two clubs going back to 1961 when a rampant Posh, managed by former City boss Jack Fairbrother, won 3-1 at Highfield Road. Since then the Sky Blues have the edge over their rivals and haven't lost at home to Posh in 11 games since then.

Last week's home win over Fleetwood was the third time in five games that the team have come from behind to win at home, a remarkable achievement. Before the Blackpool game this season the team had failed to recover from a deficit in a home league game since April 2016 – a total of 74 games. City's record of coming back from a losing position isn't great and three is the most in a season since 2012-13 when coincidentally Mark Robins was also in charge – he took the Sky Blues to comebacks in three games (Walsall at home and Stevenage and MK Dons away) whilst Steven Pressley had taken over by the time the team made it four for the season. The best record in the modern era was in 1977-78 when Gordon Milne's team came from behind to win on six occasions on their way to finishing seventh in the old First Division.

Roger Hillier wrote to me asking about City's games in the Winston Churchill Remembrance Trophy. The friendly trophy was initiated in 1965 and a game between City and Fulham was played on the day of Churchill's funeral, 30th January. There was no game the following season but in March 1967 West Ham came to Highfield Road for a friendly game and the trophy was again on offer. West Ham won on penalties (City's very first penalty shoot-out) after a 3-3 draw. Roger believes that this was the first time a penalty competition settled a game in England.

Roger was interested in the Fulham game and I was able to give him some details of the game. Fulham, then a First Division side, brought a strong team and included internationals Johnny Haynes, George Cohen and Bobby Robson, and a young Rodney Marsh. George Hudson gave the Sky Blues a 34th minute lead which they held until 13 minutes from time when John Key, later to join City and be part of the 1967 promotion team, scored an equaliser. Five minutes from time Scottish international Graham Leggatt scored the winning goal and after the game City chairman Derrick Robins presented the trophy to former England captain Haynes. The attendance on a very cold day was 10,881.

Jim's column 19.10.2019

I have belated congratulations this week for Kent-based Coventry City fan Colin Heys who two weeks ago celebrated 50 years of watching the Sky Blues. Colin, the founder of the London Supporters club in 1977, watched the team for the first time in October 1969 at Highbury where Ernie Hunt’s goal gave City their first ever win at the famous stadium.

                                                  Ernie Hunt scores the winner at Highbury in 1969                  

Since then Colin has watched the team play over 2000 games and reached the milestone of 2200 at Telford’s New Bucks Head ground in the friendly in July. Coincidentally Colin grew up half a mile away from that ground. Not that he normally watches friendlies - only two of the previous 2,199 were friendlies, the rest being competitive games. Earlier this year, at Accrington, he notched up the hundredth different away ground that he has seen the Sky Blues play on. Colin has barely missed a game, home or away, in the last 40 years and has had many tortuous midweek journeys to and from away games. Congratulations Colin!

Several readers spotted that Rotherham striker Michael Smith scored two penalties against the Sky Blues in the 4-0 defeat at the New York Stadium two weeks ago. This is is a very rare occurrence and the first time since Bradford City’s Tony McMahon netted two penalties in the 3-3 draw at Valley Parade in 2016.

Another two penalty man was Ade Akinfenwa who netted two for Gillingham in a 4-2 defeat at the Priestfield Stadium in 2014, a game that saw four penalties scored with Callum Wilson and Carl Baker scoring City’s spot-kicks.

There are a few other instances of opponents scoring two penalties in a game against the Sky Blues - Liverpool's Jan Molby managed three in the League Cup tie at Anfield in 1986 and other instances include Swindon's Jan Age Fjortoft (1994), West Ham's Ray Stevens (1984), Tottenham's Glen Hoddle (1980), Manchester City's Gary Owen (1978), West Ham's Geoff Hurst (1969) and Sunderland's Neil Martin (1967). I think Martin is the only opposing player to score two penalties at Highfield Road and also score two penalties in a game as City player, against Crystal Palace for the Sky Blues in 1969.

Jim's column 12.10.2019

Coventry City's excellent unbeaten start came to a shuddering halt at Rotherham's New York Stadium last Saturday. It was the Sky Blues' biggest league defeat for eighteen months -since that 2-6 debacle against Yeovil in the League Two promotion season. You have to go back to Easter Monday 2013 for the last time they lost by four goals in an away league game. That was a 0-4 defeat at Walsall near the end of the season. Left-back Jordan Stewart received his marching orders for two yellow cards in the 64th minute with the Saddlers, managed by current Villa boss Dean Smith, already 2-0 ahead and two late goals made it an embarrassing scoreline for manager Steven Pressley. It's interesting to look at City's team that day – it included a number of players who have gone on to greater things including Cyrus Christie, substitute Callum Wilson and John Fleck but some who have almost disappeared without trace and barely remembered by City fans. William Edjenguele and Callum Ball made their final starts in sky blue that day and Derby loanee James Bailey, Stephen Jennings and Franck Moussa were all on their way to the exit door.

The unbeaten run is over but let's not forget that it was the club's second best start ever in league football, falling five short of the club record set in 1937-38 which I have written about in earlier columns. I don't fancy waiting another 82 years for a similar start. The 10-game run was also the best unbeaten run since Tony Mowbray's exciting team were unbeaten in 11 games in October and November 2015.

Tranmere are tomorrow's visitors at St Andrews and won't be easy opponents. City's home record against them is quite good – only two defeats in ten games but the Sky Blues have a woeful record at Birkenhead with just one victory in nine visits (in 1938!). Those fans who travelled to watch City at Sixfields in 2013-14 will remember the 5-1 thrashing dished out by the Merseyside club that day with Ryan Lowe registering a hat-trick. Older fans will remember another 5-1 drubbing at Tranmere in a 1999 League Cup tie when City were a Premier League Club but threw Italian goalkeeper Rafaele Nuzzo in for his one and only senior game. It will be the fourth different venue that Tranmere have played away games against City, Highfield Road, Ricoh Arena, Sixfields and now St Andrews.

Following my mention of City's great home record in 1955-56 (they remained unbeaten from the start of the season until February) David Walker was in touch with his memories of the legendary manager Jesse Carver:

Thanks for the piece on longest unbeaten runs, especially the piece about Jesse Carver.

Amazing how some things stick in your mind, but that season (1955-56) was special, in one particular way.

Standing behind the goal, at the Swan Lane end that year, we seemed always to be watching a mediocre first half, with the City not looking too effective and short of ideas.

As the second half started, Mr Carver would appear from the tunnel and lean back against the terrace wall, just standing there, watching things, arms folded and obviously missing nothing. He was very distinctive in that light coloured sports jacket (as per the picture) and it was as if a someone had thrown a switch and got the team playing.

How? I reckon he had spent the first half weighing up the opposition, sorted out the needs in the dressing room at half time and came out to see the results, which usually gave us a lot to cheer.

Also, it was good to see long time director Erle Shanks in the picture. Derrick Robins gets a lot of plaudits, but Mr Shanks was a great supporter of the club, when there was not much money about.

Jim's column 5.10.2019

Last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Doncaster ended the Sky Blues 100% home record after five consecutive victories. The team therefore equalled the five game winning run from the start of the season achieved last in 1973 under Gordon Milne and before that in 1956. It fell short of the club record start of eight home wins in a row set in 1935 and equalled in 1950. The next target is to remain unbeaten at home and the record for that was set in 1955, under the managership of Jesse Carver, when the team were unbeaten for 15 home games in a run which lasted until the middle of February 1956. Carver, the manager who City’s chairman Erle Shanks somehow lured from Italy to manage City, then a Third Division club, only stayed in post from the close season until New Years Eve, never lost a home game in charge. He oversaw 12 wins and two draws in that five month period before being enticed back to Serie A by Lazio.
The Sky Blues’ unbeaten run in the league is now 10 games, the second best start in the club’s history, and just five off the club record set in 1937 which I wrote about last week. City are now one of only three clubs unbeaten in the top four divisions, Liverpool and Ipswich being the other two.
Amadou Bakayoko became super sub on Saturday, scoring the deserved equaliser in the 89th minute, eight minutes after coming on for Jordy Hiwula. That was Bakayoko’s third goal from the bench since he joined the Sky Blues last year, following his brace in the victory at Charlton last autumn. The club record is five scored by Gary McSheffrey.
I watched Bayern Munich’s 7-2 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening and realised as Serge Gnabry netted his fourth and Bayern’s seventh goal that a long-standing record had been broken. In October 1970 the Sky Blues suffered a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern in what, until Tuesday evening, was the heaviest defeat by an English club in a major European competition. Older fans will need no reminding of the circumstances of the horrendous night in Munich: a surface resembling a paddy field after torrential rain, reserve goalkeeper Eric McManus in goal for the injured Bill Glazier and facing a team of virtually all internationals including Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier. The Sky Blues were 4-1 down after 20 minutes and the score line could have been a lot worse but a bit of dignity was restored with a 2-1 Sky Blues win in the second leg at Highfield Road. Since that night no English club had suffered a worse defeat although Leicester went close in 2016, losing 5-0 to Porto. Someone suggested that Tottenham had lost 8-0 to Cologne in the Inter-Toto Cup a few years ago but I don’t think that competition is classified as a ‘major’ competition.

Jim's column 28.9.19

After failing to come from behind to win a home league game in more than three years Coventry City did it in successive home games against Blackpool and AFC Wimbledon. Both games saw late, late winners with Liam Walsh's winner in the latest game timed at 93 minutes. By my reckoning these two comeback wins were the first time the Sky Blues have done it in successive home games since 1989. On 27th March 1989 Danny Wallace gave Southampton an early lead at Highfield Road but Brian Borrows equalised before half-time before David Speedie grabbed a 71st minute winner with one of his trademark chips over Tim Flowers. Two weeks later Norwich were the visitors and Speedie was the star man again, making David Phillips' equaliser and scoring the winner. 'Speedo' also won a penalty which saw Canaries' 'keeper Bryan Gunn sent off for dissent, but Brian Kilcline missed the spot kick. The victory lifted the Sky Blues to sixth place in the old First Division but sadly there were only 12,000 to watch John Sillett's exciting team defeat a Norwich team still in contention for the league title.

Today's home game with Doncaster is probably City's toughest test to date and the nine-game unbeaten league run will come under severe pressure. It's currently the best run by a City team since the autumn of 2015 when Tony Mowbray's thrilling team went unbeaten for 11 games that saw them top League One for three weeks. We are still well short of City's best unbeaten start to a season however. That happened in 1937 in the old Division Two. Following promotion in 1936 manager Harry Storer had consolidated in the higher division and with some shrewd buys had built a strong side with its foundations in defence. He had introduced a new kit that summer and it took fifteen games for the 'Bantams' to lose in the new kit. They started the season with a goal-less draw at Tottenham followed by two 1-0 home victories over Manchester United and Burnley. A point in the return at Old Trafford and a 2-0 victory at Bury put City into second place but another 1-0 home win over Stockport saw City go top of the table.

The team's form was attracting the crowds and over 27,000 saw City draw 2-2 with Chesterfield and a week later Forest grabbed a point at Highfield Road. Any thought that bubble was about to be burst were dispelled with 2-1 victories at Newcastle and at home to Luton before a 3-3 draw at Swansea after leading 3-1 kept City on top. A 2-0 home win over Norwich saw Irish international winger Jackie Brown score his sixth goal of the season and a week later came City's greatest test, at Villa Park.

                                                         1937-38 squad 

Villa were favourites for promotion and were in third place two points behind City. Over 67,000 including an estimated 20,000 Coventry fans packed into the ground and saw a thrilling game. Billy Macdonald gave City a first half lead but Eric Houghton levelled after the break and a draw was a fair result and extended City's run to 13 games. The first two Saturdays of November saw City record 0-0 draws, at home to Bradford Park Avenue and at West Ham, the latter game attracting a crowd of over 40,000 to Upton Park, one of the largest crowds at the east end stadium.

Seven days after the draw at West Ham City's fifteen-game run came to an end at Highfield Road when Sheffield Wednesday staged a smash and grab act with a 1-0 win. City's good form continued however and the next three games were won with 11 goals scored and there was only one more defeat before the middle of January – at Bramall Lane in front of 49,000 on Christmas morning. City were never out of the top four all season but two defeats in their final three games cost them promotion to Division One with Villa and Manchester United going up and City missing out by one point. Coventry fans would have to wait another 29 years before reaching the top flight.

Jim's column 14.9.19

The Sky Blues pulled off a rare feat last Saturday in the home game with Blackpool - winning a game from 2-0 down. It was only the sixth time the club had achieved it in the last forty years as the first time in a league game for almost four years.

2019-20 Blackpool (h) 3-2

2016-17 Wycombe Wanderers (FL Trophy) (a) 4-2

2015-16 Peterborough (h) 3-2

2014-15 Peterborough (h) 3-2

1995-96 Tottenham (League Cup) (h) 3-2

1985-86 Southampton (h) 3-2

1980-81 West Ham (League Cup) (h) 3-2

1970-71 Derby (a) 4-3

1963-64 Peterborough (h) 3-2

The last time the Sky Blues won from 2-0 down in an away league game was in a famous win at Derby's Baseball Ground in 1970. That night City were not only 0-2 down but had seen their new £100,000 record signing Wilf Smith stretchered off in the first few minutes. Kevin Hector and Alan Hinton put the Rams 2-0 ahead in the first thirteen minutes but goals from Neil Martin & Dave Clements pulled  City level by half-time. Martin put City ahead early in the second half before John McGovern made it 3-3. Bill Glazier saved a Hinton penalty before Willie Carr popped up with the winner two minutes from time.

Last Saturday’s win was also the first time City have come from behind to win a home league game since April 2016 when City trailed Millwall 1-0 before second half goals from John Fleck and Marcus Tudgay gave City a 2-1 victory. There have been comebacks away, at Swindon and Lincoln in 2017-18 and at Charlton last term, and in Cup games v Morecambe and Wycombe, but it’s three and half years since the last home league comeback.

Lots of people have asked me when the Sky Blues last won their first four home league games and you have to go back 46 years to 1973. Then Gordon Milne’s team had an excellent start with five straight home victories over Tottenham, Liverpool, Southampton, Manchester City and Derby. Let’s hope the boys can keep the run going next Tuesday evening against AFC Wimbledon.

The Sky Blues fought out a poor 0-0 draw in their first outing in the Football League Trophy, sponsored this season by Leasing.com, against Walsall at St Andrews last week. Fielding a team mainly made up of youngsters, City got the extra point by virtue of winning a penalty shoot out.

It was the fourth penalty shoot-out win in a row for the club in what was the twelfth shoot-out and they have all been in the Football League Trophy (FLT). Prior to 2012 the Sky Blues had only ever taken part in three penalty shoot-outs since they were introduced into domestic games in 1976. In 1988 City lost at Reading in a Simod Cup semi-final, in 1998 they lost to Sheffield United in an FA Cup quarter final replay and in 2001 they won a League Cup tie at Peterborough. Since the last defeat, in October 2015 at Yeovil in the FLT, their record has been as follows:

2016-17 Swansea (a) won 4-2

2017-18 Walsall (a) won 4-3

2018-19 Forest Green (h) won 4-2

2019-20 Walsall (h) won 4-3

Their overall record in penalty shoot-outs is played twelve, won seven, lost five.

Jim's column 7-9-2019

Coventry City's promising start to the season has generated a few interesting stats not least equalling the best home start for almost fifty years. Three home league games (Four after yesterday) – three wins without a single goal conceded - Southend, Bristol Rovers and Gillingham all dispatched.

You have to go back to 1989-90 season when John Sillett's team won their first three games against Everton (2-0), Manchester City (2-1) and Luton (1-0) for the last occasion. Gordon Milne's 1979-80 team also won their first three home games and three wins is the best start since 1973-74 when the Sky Blues won their first five home games and didn't concede a goal in their first three.

The great home start of 1973 was as follows:

25/8/1973 Tottenham H. 1-0 (Coop)

28/8/1973 Liverpool 1-0 (Hutchison)

8/9/1973 Southampton 2-0 (Coop, Green)

11/9/1973 Manchester City 2-1 (Coop, Craven)

18/9/1973 Derby 1-0 (Stein)

On two occasions City have recorded better home starts than the 1973 one. In 1935-36 they won their first eight home games as they started their Division Three South promotion campaign (they went on to record 19 home wins out of 21). This was repeated in 1950-51 in a season that saw City lead Division Two at New Years Day but fade away and fail to win promotion.

Last week's draw at Oxford meant that City remained unbeaten in six league games with 12 points, the best start to a season since 1993 when, under Bobby Gould the Sky Blues were unbeaten in eight league games. That season the team gained 12 points from the first six games then drew the next two games. Sadly the good start fizzled out and the team failed to win another league game until early November.

That start in 1993, which also included a 3-3 away draw, was:

14/8/1993 Arsenal (a) 3-0

17/8/1993 Newcastle (h) 2-1

21/8/1993 West Ham (h) 1-1

24/8/1993 Oldham (a) 3-3

27/8/1993 Man City (a) 1-1

1/9/1993 Liverpool (h) 1-0

11/9/1993 Aston Villa (a) 0-0

18/9/1993 Chelsea (h) 1-1

The thrilling game at Portsmouth's Fratton Park ended in a 3-3 draw, the first time City have been involved in this scoreline since the draw at Bradford City in November 2013 when City conceded an injury time goal by Nakhi Wells. The last time City came from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 was at Bristol City's Ashton Gate in an FA Cup tie in 2007. City trailed 3-1 after 21 minutes through Booker, Showumni & Jevons with Colin Cameron netting for the Sky Blues. Leon McKenzie pulled one back before half-time and Stern John earned the replay nine minutes from time. The replay at the Ricoh ended badly for City with the visitors winning 3-1 and manager Micky Adams losing his job after the game. After only two 3-3 draws in twelve years who would have guessed that we would have the same scoreline in the very next away game at Oxford.

The Fratton Park game saw City have two players (Dabo and Kastaneer) sent off for two yellow card offences and it reminded me of a home 3-3 draw with Wimbledon in 1995. That day the Dons led 3-1 with half an hour left with Ron Atkinson's City down to 10 men following Paul Williams' red card for hand ball in the first half. Dion Dublin pulled a goal back on 67 minutes before Richard Shaw got his marching orders in the 80th minute for a second yellow card. Seven minutes from time David Rennie scored for the nine men in a goalmouth melee to make it 3-3 and Peter Ndlovu missed an easy chance to make it 4-3 before the final whistle. That was only the second time that City had had two men sent off in a game (the other was back in 1920!) but since then there have now been four other instances:

1996-97 Aston Villa (a) Paul Williams and Gary Breen

2003-04 Preston (a) Patrick Suffo and Michael Doyle

2014-15 Doncaster (a) Adam Barton and James Maddison

2019-20 Portsmouth (a) Fankaty Dabo and Gervane Kastaneer

100th anniversary of Coventry City's first Football League game

Today is the 100th anniversary of Coventry City joining the Football League. On 30th August 1919 City played their opening match in Division Two against Tottenham Hotspur at Highfield Road. The Londoners, who would end up winning the Division Two title, inflicted a devastating 5-0 defeat on the Bantams (City's nickname in those days).

The defeat was the first of many in that inauspicious season in which the team failed to win a game until Christmas Day – a run of 19 games without a victory, but avoided re-election on the final day of the season thanks to illegal payments to their opponents.

The circumstances of the club's election to the League were like a fairy story. Before the First World War started in 1914 there were only two divisions of the Football League and Coventry City were members of the Southern League which comprised of the best non-league sides in the south of England. Teams like West Ham, Southampton, Portsmouth and Watford graced the high-class league but City were down in Division Two playing against clubs such as Brentford and Swansea as well as several small Welsh clubs, effectively tier four of English football. Before football was called to a halt in 1915 the Bantams finished fifth out of 12 clubs.

After the end of the war the Football League decided to expand both divisions from 20 to 22 clubs and as a result there were four places in Division Two for new clubs. Amazingly City managed to be included in the vote for the four extra spots. The club had had a fairly successful transitional season in the Midland Section of the League including some impressive performances against First Division sides and with attendances averaging 10,000 the ambitious directors felt confident enough to put in their resignation from the Southern League and start a campaign to join the Football League.

The club's approach was nothing less than professional. Their case was persuasive: Coventry City had a ‘fine, well-equipped’ ground holding 24,000 spectators; attendances were good; the team was a ‘big-draw’ at away grounds; the financial position of the club was sound; the city had good railway facilities and the population had more than doubled in the last 20 years to 200,000. The directors led by Alf Collingbourne lobbied hard and their fate was decided at the League’s Special General Meeting in Manchester on 10 March 1919. The meeting was dominated by the vote to fill two extra places in the First Division, a ballot which controversially saw Second Division Arsenal receiving more votes than Tottenham, despite their North London rivals having been relegated from the top division in the 1914-15 season. Seven clubs faced City in the fight for four places in Division Two and Coventry topped the poll with 35 votes with West Ham (32), South Shields (28), Rotherham (28) also elected.

Many believed that entry to the League would be the start of a golden period in the club’s history when in fact it would be the start of a period later described as the ‘Stormy Period’ and one that would last twelve years until the arrival of Harry Storer as manager in 1931 effected an upturn in the club’s fortunes. Off the field a large amount of work was carried out on the ground in anticipation of larger crowds including extensive terracing in front of the newest stand (Built in 1910), extra banking on both ends of the ground and extra standing room provided in front of the old stand. Additional entrances were provided with several new turnstiles at the top of King Richard Street. The Dressing rooms have been much improved, particularly bathing facilities. Prices had increased with ground entrance now 1 shilling (5p) and entrance to the stands from 1/6d (7.5p) to 3 shillings (15p).

On the Saturday before the start of the season the club opened the Highfield Road stadium for fans to watch the public trial between the Stripes (the first team) and the Whites (the reserve team). The rare picture below was taken prior to the kick-off.

Tottenham had been relegated from Division One in 1915 and in many people’s eyes, cheated of a place in the enlarged post-war top division by Arsenal. City fielded many of the successful players from the previous season but included four new signings all with top-flight experience. The game kicked off at 3.30 and the Coventry Silver Band entertained the crowd before the game.

City were outclassed by the Londoners and the disappointed 16,500 crowd had little to cheer about as Bert Bliss (2), Jimmy Chipperfield (2) and Arthur Grimsdell inflicted what would remain City's record home league defeat until 1990. To rub salt in the wounds Spurs’ goalkeeper was former City custodian Bill Jacques.

Four days later City travelled to play Leeds City and lost 3-0, a result later amended after Leeds were expelled from the league for illegal payments, and became a 3-0 loss to Port Vale, who took over Leeds' results. A 4-1 defeat at White Hart Lane on the second Saturday meant three defeats in a row and that became nine successive defeats before the first point was gained with a goal-less draw at Fulham in October. The first win arrived on Christmas Day with a 3-2 victory over Stoke by which time only two members of the team from the opening game were playing and manager William Clayton who had resigned after only seven games replaced by Harry Pollitt. Pollitt was given several thousand pounds by the directors to strengthen the woeful team and by the season’s end the club had used a record 43 different players.

Despite being five points adrift of safety at Christmas Pollitt turned things around thanks to good home form (only one defeat after Christmas) and the goals from Dick Parker, a January signing from Sunderland. With two games remaining City were one place off the bottom, a point behind Lincoln but with a game in hand. With the bottom two facing re-election, it was widely felt that City would be voted out and with the Football League and the Southern League still at loggerheads it was possible that City might even find themselves with nowhere to go.

The final games were home and away to Bury, then lying fifth in the table. City drew 2-2 at Gigg Lane and needed to win the final game to avoid the dreaded vote. In front of a record crowd of 23,506 a nervous City struggled to make headway against a strong Lancashire side and trailed 0-1 at half-time. Two second half goals from Alec Mercer saved City’s skins and sent the crowd into wild celebrations. Rumours of skulduggery abounded for three years and finally in 1923 the FA conducted an inquiry at which it was concluded that City and Bury had colluded to allow City to win and six players and five directors and officials were suspended for life. Directors David Cooke and Jack Marshall, manager Harry Pollitt and captain George Chaplin were City’s culprits. Both clubs were fined £100. Ironically City would have been safe even in defeat as Lincoln lost at Huddersfield making the score from Highfield Road immaterial. Almost twenty years later the story behind the scandal emerged in a newspaper interview with Chaplin. He had taken £200 to Bury before the first game and felt confident that it would ensure City gained at least three points from the two games. At half time at Highfield Road one of the Bury players came into the home dressing room and told him that City were so poor that Bury could not lose. Later that night Chaplin handed over the final instalment of the bribe in the cloakroom of the Kings Head.

Despite many poor home performances and the sad plight of the team, attendances were at a record high and averaged 16,899, the fourth highest in the division, with several crowds of over 20,000. Contemporary photographs of games generally show a healthy, full crowd in the stadium.