Jim's Column 19.9.2020

 Last Saturday’s unlucky defeat to Bristol City ended Coventry City’s fantastic unbeaten run that stretched back to mid-December when City last lost, at Shrewsbury. There are two unbeaten runs worth mentioning, league games and all competitive games. The unbeaten league run ended at 14 games, the club’s fourth best run and bettered only by the 25 game run by Jimmy Hill’s 1967 Division Two champions, the 17 game run in 1937 by Harry Storer’s Second Division team and another Hill run (16 games) in Division Thee in 1962-63.

When runs of all competitive games are compared the 1962-63 team lead the way with 22 unbeaten games which was only ended by an FA Cup quarter final defeat to eventual winners Manchester United. Mark Robins 2020 team were unbeaten in 19 league and cup games (counting the penalty shoot-out defeat against Birmingham as a draw). The great 1967 team had their 25-game league run interrupted by an FA Cup defeat to Newcastle.

City got the shock of their lives at Bristol as Coventry fan Jamie Paterson scored the opening goal in 20 seconds. This was the fastest goal conceded by the Sky Blues since 1995 when Dwight Yorke, then of Aston Villa, headed home in 13 seconds at Highfield Road. Villa went on to win 3-0 that night with Milosevic scoring two late goals. Fast goal times are fairly easy to record in the present day when there are television cameras at every game but in the ‘old days’ it’s hard to be accurate with the times of goals with newspaper reporters usually being the source. In contemporary newspaper reports quick goals are often described as ‘scored in the first minute’. Not very helpful for the football historian.

The only other goal conceded by City in less than 25 seconds was another Villa goal, scored by Cyrille Regis at Villa Park in 1992. That was timed at 21 seconds and for a good part of the game looked to have sealed City’s relegation. Then, well into the second half Notts County, already doomed, came from behind to send Luton Town down instead.

Dave Evans is a Coventry City fan who lives and works in Moscow. He asked a question via the SBI (Sky Blue International), the organisation for overseas City fans. He wanted to know if City’s second kit in 1963 was the green and black stripes.

City had the same 'change' kit from 1962 through to 1969 which was red shirts, shorts and socks. The newspaper colour picture taken at Cardiff in 1967 illustrates the kit. The all red kit was replaced in 1969-70 by the green and black striped shirts with black shorts and socks.

I have to feel sorry for Colin Heys, The founder of the Coventry City London Supporters Club. He informed me last week that the game at MK Dons was the first City League Cup tie he had missed since 1977 when he couldn’t get to Huddersfield for City’s tie at the old Leeds Road ground. I make that 121 consecutive games that Colin saw in the competition and included midweek trips from his Kent home to far flung places such as Morecambe, Scarborough, Chester, Tranmere & Rochdale.