Bob Wesson (15.10.1940 – 31.8.2022)

Former City goalkeeper Bob Wesson sadly died last week. Bob, who was 81, was City’s regular ‘keeper in the early sixties, played in the great FA Cup run in 1963 and won a Third Division championship medal under Jimmy Hill the following season. He made 156 appearances for the Sky Blues before losing his place to Bill Glazier and moving to Walsall where he played over 200 games for the Saddlers.

Born in Thornaby-on-Tees Bob played his early football for Thornaby Boys Brigade and had trials with Headington United (now Oxford United) and his local team Middlesbrough before signing for Coventry City in November 1958 following a brief trial. Manager Billy Frith had signed South African goalkeeper Arthur Lightening but wanted a young deputy and 18-year-old Bob moved down from the North East. He made his reserve team debut in a 4-2 defeat at Millwall playing alongside other youngsters such as Brian Hill, Mick Kearns and Ken Satchwell. His early games were inauspicious however and was rested after conceding 14 goals in his first four reserve games culminating in a 7-2 home defeat to Mansfield Town.

Bob spent the next two years in the 'A' Team with the occasional reserve game before suddenly getting a first team call-up at Newport County in March 1961 when Lightening was injured. The game ended 3-3 and Bob won praise from Nemo in the Coventry Telegraph match report.

'...the brawny Wesson had to face a stiff first-half breeze with the ball coming in at all angles and varying speeds. He came out of this ordeal with flying colours, right from the save he made in the opening 60 seconds as he scooped a dangerous Meyer shot away for a corner. Wesson never kept goal by half-measures. When the ball was not in a catching position, he came roaring out with both fists to thump it away to safety, and his confident manner inspired the City defence to a rousing display.'

He retained his place for the final eleven games of the season despite being between the posts for another 7-2 defeat at Watford. In 1961-62, with the arrival of Jimmy Hill, Lightening was fit again and preferred to Bob who was restricted to the reserves apart from four first team games. Things changed however in August 1962 when Hill controversially sold Lightening to Middlesbrough after a disciplinary issue and signed another keeper, Dave Meeson, from Reading leaving Bob rather bemused. As luck would have it Meeson's signing was one of JH's transfer blunders and after 15 games and some poor performances he was dropped in favour of Bob. Bob's return to the team coincided with an FA Cup First Round tie with Bournemouth at Highfield Road and the Sky Blues scraped through 1-0 thanks to several superb saves by Bob in the dying minutes to foil the Cherries. Bob's patience was rewarded with an uninterrupted run as first choice goalkeeper and he was a vital cog in the team that reached the club's first FA Cup quarter final in over 50 years.

The following season, 1963-64, Bob was a virtual ever present as the Sky Blues set a blistering pace at the top of Division Three. The team led the table by ten points at the turn of the year but a near-disastrous run of eleven games without a win almost cost the team promotion. JH tried everything to turn around the team's form and even reliable Bob was rested for five games but was back between the posts for the final few games.

            The 1963-64 champions. Bob is second from left, back row.

In the higher division Bob's form took a slight dip and Hill, keen to strengthen the team spent £35,000, a world record fee for a goalkeeper, on Crystal Palace's Bill Glazier. Bob was back in the reserves but five months later Glazier suffered a broken leg and Bob was recalled. He didn't let the side down and kept goal in Glazier's absence for over a year. Once Glazier was fully fit he regained the jersey and Bob realised that he would never be first choice at the club. In September 1966 he joined Third Division Walsall for £15,000 and was a regular at Fellows Park for the next seven seasons. His only spell out of the Saddlers team was when 18-year-old prodigy Phil Parkes emerged on the scene in 1969 and Bob was allowed to go on loan to Doncaster. Within a year Parkes was off to London for an illustrious career with QPR and later West Ham United and Bob was back in the team.

Bob's professional career ended after a bad shoulder injury sustained in an FA Cup tie with Kettering in 1972 and he left Walsall the following summer before a spell at Burton Albion.

Bob and his wife Janet (who died in 2016) then entered the pub trade in Warwickshire and Leicestershire for over two decades before he finally retired. Bob, who was an active member of CCFPA, had not been in the best of health over the last few years but nevertheless followed the Sky Blues, whenever he felt up to it, at the CBS Arena as well as at St Andrews before the pandemic. He was an ever present at Legends Day since the formation of CCFPA and despite being restricted to a wheelchair was there last March to meet up with his friends and former colleagues.

            Bob at the CBS arena with former colleague Bill Tedds

He will be greatly missed by the Sky Blue family and especially that group of older Former Players who had regular lunches in Coventry in recent years. His funeral takes place at Rugby Crematorium on 26th September at 3pm.