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