Jim's column 26.2.22

One major consequence of the Sky Blues' excellent season in the EFL Championship is an increase in attendances at home games. After 16 home league games the average attendance is 19,196 which is easily the highest since the club dropped out of the division in 2012 with the best in that time being 12,500 in 2015-16. The current average is the highest since 2006-07 when the final average was 20,342. With attractive home games to come with clubs with good away followings the final average could conceivably top the 2006-07 figure. Promotion chasing Sheffield United, Blackburn, Huddersfield and Bournemouth have all got to come to the CBS Arena before the end of the season and all could be 20,000 plus gates.

The highest home attendance this season was 23,829 for the Derby game with the lowest being 15,752 for the midweek game with Blackpool. The average number of home supporters attending is just short of 17,000 and I expect this to increase with City in the hunt for a play-off place.

Average home attendances since the move to the Ricoh/CBS Arena with the final league positions:

2005-06 21,211 Champ/8th

2006-07 20,342 Champ/17th

2007-08 19,134 Champ/21st

2008-09 17,411 Champ/17th

2009-10 17,305 Champ/19th

2010-11 16,307 Champ/18th

2011-12 15,121 Champ/23rd Relegated

2012-13 10,938 L1/15th

2013-14 2,364 L1/18th (Sixfields)

2014-15 9,332 L1/17th

2015-16 12,570 L1/8th

2016-17 9,203 L1/23rd Relegated

2017-18 9,255 L2/6th Promoted

2018-19 12,362 L1/8th

2019-20 6,653 L1/Champions (St Andrews)

It's sad to report the death, at the age of 57, of former Coventry City defender Andy Spring. Andy, who hailed from Gateshead, was an apprentice at City and played in the youth teams of 1982-83 and 1983-84 alongside teammates such as Perry Suckling, Lloyd McGrath and Keith Thompson. Bobby Gould gave Andy his first team debut as an 18-year-old in May 1984 at Anfield as a substitute in a 5-0 hammering by the champions when Ian Rush scored four of the goals. He was brought back into the side early the following season after regular right-back Kirk Stephens was injured and played five games including two legs of the League Cup tie with Walsall. His seventh and final game for the first team was as a substitute in a 6-2 thrashing at Chelsea in November 1984.

                                Andy Spring

The following summer he was signed on a free transfer by Bristol Rovers, then managed by Bobby Gould. Andy played 23 games for the Gas and had a brief loan at Cardiff. A move back to the North East with Hartlepool didn't work out and by 1987 he had moved to Ireland. Spells with Drogheda, Sligo Rovers and Longford Town. In 1992, Spring was reported to have won £250,000 on the Irish Lottery from a 25p ticket. He later worked for many years in the prison service and worked latterly as a lorry driver, based in Redditch.

His son Aaron, was a talented rugby player and represented Ireland under 20s.

Jim's column 19.2.22

It was a mixed week for the Sky Blues with three points collected from two away games. Reading has always been a difficult place for City; they failed to win in 18 league and cup visits to the Royals old ground at Elm Park, even failing to win there in both the 1936 and 1964 promotion seasons and in the 1988 Simod Cup semi final when City were a top flight club. After Reading moved to the Madejski Stadium the Sky Blues won on their first three visits each time after going a goal behind. Since the last of these wins in 2005 City have picked up just one point in six visits before Saturday and scored one goal. In that context Saturday's 3-2 victory was a good one and in coming from a goal down meant that all four away wins in Reading have been from behind.

Ian Davidson posed a question on Saturday evening: when was the last time that three defenders scored in the same game for the Sky Blues. Whilst pointing out that Ian Maatsen was effectively playing in midfield I did check this out. The last time three goals came from defenders was in an EFL Trophy game with West Ham at the Ricoh in 2016. The goals that night came from Jordan Turnbull (2), Jordan Willis and Ruben Lameiras. There was another instance at Colchester in 2008 when in a 5-1 away win Elliott Ward scored two penalties and Danny Fox was also on the score-sheet. It also happened in a 3-1 home win over Crystal Palace in 1991 with Trevor Peake and Brian Kilcline (2) netting. I am unable to find any other instances.

        Brian Kilcline scores from a free-kick (Crystal Palace 1991)

The win on Saturday meant that not only have the Sky Blues done the double over Reading this season but in both games have come from behind. In the game at the CBS Arena a John Swift penalty in the 40th minute put the Royals in front but Jamie Allen and Matty Godden gave the City the points with Godden's goal coming in the eighth minute of added time. The last time City did the double over a side in similar circumstances was back in 1996-97 against Leeds United. City won the home game 2-1 with goals from John Salako and Noel Whelan cancelling an Andy Couzens first minute goal. In the return at Elland Road on Boxing Day Brian Deane gave Leeds a ninth minute lead but by half-time City were 3-1 ahead thanks to goals from Darren Huckerby, Dion Dublin and Gary McAllister (penalty). Whelan managed to get himself sent off after 67 minutes but City comfortably held on to take the points.

Knowl from gmkonline asked me which players had made most appearances for the Sky Blues in the 21st century.

The most appearances since 1st January 2000 in league and cup games including substitutes is as follows:

1.Michael Doyle 373

2.Gary McSheffrey 275

3.Jordan Willis 208

4.Marcus Hall 201

5.Richard Shaw 197

6=Dele Adebola 182

6= Carl Baker 182

6= John Fleck 182

9.Dominic Hyam 176

10.Lee Burge 160

(up to and including 15 February 2022)

Jordan Shipley's recent return to first team action has pushed him up to 159 and his next appearance will see him enter the top ten. It is heartening to see four home-grown products in the top ten plus players like Fleck, Hyam and Doyle who were virtual unknowns before coming to Coventry. In addition Doyle, Hyam, Willis and Shipley have all appeared for the club in three different divisions as well as Max Biamou and Liam Kelly.

Jim's column 12.2.22

The Sky Blues bowed out of the FA Cup last Saturday following a brave, adventurous performance at Southampton. Many home fans and neutrals felt City were unlucky to win let alone take the tie to penalties. With extra-time played it was a gruelling 120 minutes and the team kept on till the final whistle creating chances and having a goal rightly disallowed for offside. The Sky Blues were not disgraced by their performance and every player gave everything on the day. With the rule changes removing replays this season City missed out on a lucrative home replay which would surely have attracted 25,000 to the CBS Arena.

It was the fifth time since 1987 that the Sky Blues have taken an FA Cup tie to extra-time and the fifth time they have failed to progress to the next round. The first time was in 1995 at Norwich when after a 0-0 draw at Highfield Road City travelled to Carrow Road and the replay was tied at 1-1 at 90 minutes with Peter Ndlovu cancelling out a Mike Sheron goal. In extra-time however the Canaries won the tie with further goals by Darren Eadie and Sheron.

The next occasion was three years later in the sixth round against Sheffield United when, after a 1-1 draw at Highfield Road, City led the Blades for almost 80 minutes only to concede a last minute goal which took the game into extra-time. There were no further goals and Sheffield won the penalty shoot-out to break City's fans hearts.

At the Ricoh in 2010 City brought Premier League Portsmouth back for a third round replay after a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park. City led through Leon Best but a Stephen Wright own goal in the last minute took the tie to extra-time and in the last minute of extra-time Aaron Mokoena won the tie for Pompey who went on to reach the final where they lost to Chelsea.

Two years ago the fourth round draw paired the Sky Blues with their landlords Birmingham City and there were two thrilling cup ties. City's home game ended 0-0 and in the replay City led through Amadou Bakayoko but Blues equalised in the third minute of added time through Harlee Dean. City again led in extra-time, Max Biamou scoring with six minutes left but in the final minute Jeremie Bela equalised and Blues went on to win the penalty shoot-out.

Four extra-time games, four defeats, three of them following very late equalisers after City had led. We know how Kidderminster Harriers felt last weekend after West Ham equalised in the 90th minute and the winner in the 120nd minute.

Prior to the Norwich tie in 1995 there were seven other occasions when City went to extra-time in FA Cup ties, the most famous being in 1987 when the Sky Blues were victors in the extra half an hour in the semi-final (v Leeds) and the final (v Tottenham). In fact on five of those seven occasions City were victorious : 1963 v Portsmouth (after a second replay), 1974 v Derby, 1984 v Wolves (again after a second replay) and the two games in 1987. The only defeats were in 1955 when First Division Huddersfield won a replay after extra-time at Highfield Road and in 1983 again at Norwich.

Bryan Barnacle, a Derbyshire-based City fan, pointed out an interesting fact about the Sky Blues – they are the only FA Cup winners since World War 1 not to reach the semi final in any other year. I thought Wimbledon, winners in 1988, would be another answer but they reached the semi-final in 1997, before losing to eventual winners Chelsea.

Stuart Baxter was in touch recently and was travelling in Peru. He was thinking of Peruvian international striker Ysrael Zuniga signed by City in 2000 who made 31 appearances over three seasons, the majority of them off the bench, and scored four goals. Stuart seems to remember that he arrived from Peru with a compatriot and asked me to confirm that fact. Zuniga arrived in Coventry with his Melgar teammate Walter Zevallos, a midfielder, in a deal alleged to have been £1 million. Zuniga had no problems getting a work permit, presumably because he was a current international but there were problems with Walter's passport and the deal was never completed and he returned to Peru. He played in Peruvian top flight for a further ten years and won five caps in 2001, representing his country in Copa America.

                              Walter Zevallos