Jim's column 15.2.2020

Two home wins in four days have lifted the Sky Blues up to third place in League One a position they were last placed on 1st January after the 4-1 victory at Tranmere. The victories over Bolton and Portsmouth mean the team are unbeaten in nine league games (including seven wins) and thirteen games in all competitions. The latter run is the club's best since 1998 when Gordon Strachan's side combined a strong second half of the Premiership with a fabulous FA Cup run including victories at Liverpool and Aston Villa. The FA Cup run came to an unlucky end in a penalty shoot-out at Bramall Lane but the unbeaten run went on for a further two games before Villa got their revenge with a 2-1 league win at Highfield Road.

The club record for an unbeaten run in all competitions is always assumed to be the 1966-67 promotion team who, of course, went 25 games unbeaten in winning the Second Division title. However that team lost an FA Cup third round tie to Newcastle in the middle of the fantastic league run and their best unbeaten run in league and cup games was 15 from the cup defeat until the end of the season. The club record can be found in another Jimmy Hill season, 1962-63. After losing 5-1 at Portsmouth in a League Cup tie on 17th October, the Sky Blues remained unbeaten in all games until 30th March when Manchester United won the FA Cup sixth round tie at Highfield Road – a total of 22 games (14 in Division Three and eight in the FA Cup). That was the winter of the big freeze and because of postponements caused by weather or FA Cup commitments they were left having to play 16 league games in seven weeks and their promotion push fizzled out and they finished fourth in the table.

This current team's performances reminds me so much of the 1966-67 campaign, especially since Christmas. Narrow home wins and late goals were a feature of that promotion campaign after Christmas. JH's team, like the current side, had two convincing victories at Christmas, beating Rotherham 4-2 and Portsmouth 5-1, but then struggled to overcome sides at home. The next seven home league games went as follows:

14th January Norwich won 2-1 (Ernie Machin scores 89th minute winner)

11th February Preston won 2-1 (Machin and Bobby Gould score in last 10 minutes)

25th February Carlisle won 2-1 (Machin scores 88th minute winner)

18th March Bolton drew 1-1 (City concede 87th minute equaliser)

28th March Northampton won 2-0 (City only secure victory with Gould's 83rd minute goal)

1st April Derby drew 2-2 (Machin scores 80th minute equaliser)

15th April Huddersfield won 1-0 (Gould's second half goal in a scrappy win)

Ironically, in the next home game against their fiercest rivals Wolves, the Sky Blues turned on the style and won 3-1.

In between these home results the team remained unbeaten away with three wins and five draws with all three victories by the odd goal). Older fans may remember that season with fond memories but it was hard going with results, at home and away, ground out every week. Several opposition managers criticised City's physical approach to games with Bob Stokoe of Charlton describing City as the dirtiest side he had seen.

The point I am trying to make is that City's great 1967 team didn't thrash the opposition every week, they fought hard, never gave up and remained unbeaten even when they didn't play well and relied on an outstanding home record with only one defeat at Highfield Road all season. Does that remind you of Mark Robins' current team?