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