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.
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