Jim's column 6.6.2020

Marshall Stewart was football writer who covered Coventry City in the 1950s and 60s and wrote the excellent book 'Sky Blue Miracle' in 1967. Marshall stays in touch and regularly reads the column. Recently he suggested a topic for the column – Coventry City's abandoned games - a topical subject in what now looks like an abandoned season.

By my reckoning there have been eight instances of City games being abandoned since World War Two but only one in the 47 years. That was on 8 December 2007 at Hillsborough when City's Championship game with Sheffield Wednesday was abandoned after 28 minutes because of a waterlogged pitch with the score 0-0. At the time City's board were in talks with Sisu for the takeover with the club under threat of going into administration the following week. The game was replayed on Tuesday 1 April 2008 and ended in a 1-1 draw.

Coincidentally forty eight years earlier, in November 1949, City and the Owls' game at Highfield Road was abandoned after 63 minutes due to thick fog. The Coventry Telegraph writer, Nemo, wrote: 'It was evident from the start that an abandonment would be necessary and there were periods when, from the press box, it was possible only to see a couple of ghost-like figures nearest to the touch-line. When the game was abandoned it was impossible to see a single player.'

The fog had been bad in the morning but twenty minutes before the kick-off time the blanket lifted and the referee agreed for the match to start. Unfortunately the fog descended almost immediately and when the game kicked off the press corps could see little action on the pitch. Ted Roberts gave City a great start by scoring in the first minute but Nemo reported that no one in the press box could say how the goal had been scored! The fog lifted for a few minutes near half-time to cheers from the fans who could finally see the other side of the pitch but as the second half commenced the fog was as bad as ever. Finally in the 63rd minute it was observed that the players left the pitch but many of the 17,541 fans didn't realise the referee had abandoned play and when it was announced over the Tannoy there were jeers and boos. Wednesday had started the day in second place in Division Two whilst City were bottom of the table and the result would have been a big boost to the Bantams. The game was replayed on 11 February 1950 and City won 3-0 to finally lift themselves out of the bottom two. The result sparked a mini revival and Harry Storer's side rose to finish the season in 12th place. Wednesday bounced back and lost only two more games to seal promotion to the First Division.

The next abandonment occurred at Highfield Road on 26 March 1955. City's newly appointed manager, Jesse Carver, had flown over from Italy to watch the team he would take over that summer, for the first time, playing Southend United in a Third Division South game. Persistent rain had fallen in the city all morning and, according to Nemo had 'turned the pitch into quagmire'. The referee was reluctant to start the game but finally agreed to play, with 'about 2,000 spectators present' in the ground. Conditions were atrocious and players 'slipped and slithered about in a sea of mud'. Barry Hawkings put the Bantams ahead in the fifth minute but Hollis equalised for the visitors after 30 minutes. Colin Collindridge and Jack Lee scored quick goals to give City a 3-1 lead by the 36th minute. Then, inexplicably, the referee blew for half-time, nine minutes early. As the players walked off bemused the referee was given the facts and called the players back. After half-time conditions worsened with the rain still pouring down and the game was finally ended in the 68th minute. The official attendance of 4,100, although expunged from the records, was the lowest crowd at the ground since the 1920s. The game was replayed on Wednesday 4 May and Southend reversed the result comfortably winning 4-1 in the final home match of the season.

                         City's squad in 1954-55

Two seasons later two consecutive Coventry games were abandoned. On the Saturday before Christmas 1956 City entertained Crystal Palace and after 51 minutes, with the score at 0-0, the floodlights had a partial failure. After a half-hour delay, with no sign of a resumption possible, the game was abandoned leaving 8,200 mainly disgruntled fans. It was replayed in early April and ended in a 3-3 draw. Three days after the Palace debacle, on Christmas Day City were involved in a morning kick-off at Newport County when a snow blizzard caused the game to be abandoned after 71 minutes with the score at 0-0. City, in the re-election zone at the time, had given a good account of themselves against top four Newport and Ken McPherson had a 'goal' disallowed. The game was replayed on a Thursday in March and Newport won 3-0 with ease.

I will complete the story of City's post-war abandoned games next week.