Jim's column 20.4.24

Tomorrow the Sky Blues are at Wembley for what is only the club's second FA Cup semi final in 141 years when they face Premier League Manchester United. I thought it appropriate to remember City's previous semi final, against Leeds United at Hillsborough in 1987.

City were returning to Hillsborough only four weeks after their epic quarter-final win over Sheffield Wednesday, and more than 27,000 City supporters made the journey to see the Sunday lunchtime confrontation with Leeds.

Ground conditions were good on a bright, cool spring day, the pitch having been heavily watered. City were favourites to win the tie against Billy Bremner’s Second Division side, but in contrast to their cool confidence against Wednesday, they appeared nervous against Leeds who enjoyed most of the opening exchanges. Steve Ogrizovic had already made one excellent save from John Pearson before United took the lead in the fourteenth minute with a great header from David Rennie. 

The Sky Blues at last started to rouse themselves and Regis missed three good chances. Indeed, it was one of those games where he did everything right until he got near goal.

First of all he took the ball out to the right, overpowering Jackie Ashurst on the way before firing wide of the near post; then he shot over from a Dave Bennett cross- and finally he failed to make contact with a Phillips cross. The half ended with City on top but still a goal down.

City continued to press in the second half, leaving themselves vulnerable to a Leeds counter-punch. On the hour, Coventry brought on Michael Gynn for the limping Nick Pickering, and this seemed to give them an extra dimension. City pressed hard and just as Leeds seemed to have quelled the storm, the equaliser came.

Bennett pressurised Brendan Ormsby into an error on his own by-line and crossed. Lloyd McGrath missed his kick, but Gynn, lurking on the left-hand edge of the penalty area, shot home just inside the near post.

City were now well on top and Leeds were gradually worn down. It was no surprise, then, when City took the lead ten minutes later. Houchen, already the cup hero, gathered a ricochet off Ormsby, calmly side-stepped Mervyn Day in the Leeds goal and slotted home.

Leeds brought on Keith Edwards and Peter Haddock and the substitutions paid off. Seven minutes from time the Coventry defence got into a tangle. Andy Ritchie was allowed to cross the ball and Edwards was on hand to plant it into the far corner of the net.

Leeds looked to have the wind in their sails at the start of extra-time but it was City who scored the vital third goal after eight minutes. Bennett was fouled on the right, Gynn floated the ball across, Regis won it in the air at the far post, Houchen shot against Day and Bennett was there to tap in.

With only three minutes left City’s hearts were in their mouths when Neil Aspin hoofed the ball down the middle and Edwards raced clear, but Oggy positioned himself well and deflected the ball to safety.

There were no more scares for City. The final whistle brought an end to a truly extraordinary match and Coventry had reached Wembley for the first time in 104 years.

David Miller in The Times rated the game as one of the best the competition had seen for the last 20 years, a match of rare drama and excitement. It was all those things and more.

Teams:

City: Ogrizovic: Borrows, Downs, McGrath, Kilcline, Peake, Bennett, Phillips, Regis, Houchen, Pickering (Gynn 61). unused sub: Sedgley.

Leeds: Day: Aspin, Adams, Stiles (Haddock 82), Ashurst, Ormsby, Ritchie, Sheridan, Pearson (Edwards 82), Baird, Rennie.

Att: 51,372

Referee: R Milford.

Jim's column 6.4.24

What is it about Coventry City and Welsh clubs? On Easter Monday Cardiff City did a smash and grab raid at the CBS Arena thanks to Liam Kitching’s two own goals and once again City have succumbed to a Welsh club.

Dave Long asked if it was his imagination about the Sky Blues and teams from the Principality and I can assure him it’s not, our recent record against teams from Wales is dreadful.

All City fans know we can’t beat Swansea - the last league victory was back in Division 1 in 1983 and the Sky Blues have never won at the Liberty Stadium unless you count a EFL Trophy win against their under 23s in 2017! Admittedly the clubs didn’t meet in league games for 25 years but since hostilities recommenced in 2008 we have failed to beat the Swans in fourteen league games.

                Pl.     W       D       L      F    A       Pts

Home         7      0        4       3        8     11      4

Away         7       0        4       3        3      7       4

Similarly Cardiff City weren’t league opponents of City between 1967 and 2003 but in the last 21 years City haven’t fared well against the Bluebirds. Last season they did win at the Cardiff City Stadium for the first time in six visits but then succumbed this season in a sloppy display.

                    Pl     W     D     L     F     A             Pts

Home         13         3     5     5     12   15             14

Away         13         3     2     8       10 19             11

Then we have Newport County. The Sky Blues came up against them in League Two in 2017-18 but failed to win either of the games, County winning 1-0 at the CBS and drawing 1-1 on a very wet day at Rodney Parade.

Finally there is Wrexham. We haven’t met the North Wales side in league games since 1963-64 but they did cause a major FA Cup shock last season as a National league side, winning 4-3 at the CBS Arena.

Our overall league record against Welsh clubs since 2003 is pretty miserable:

                    Pl     W     D     L        F     A     Pts

Home         21     3         9     8       20   27     18

Away          21     3         7     11     14   27     16

A total of 34 points out of 42 games.

Liam Kitching joined an elite group of Coventry City players to score two own goals in a match. He became only the third player to achieve the feat following 1950s hero Roy Kirk and recent favourite Fankaty Dabo. Kirk scored his brace in a 2-2 home draw with Leyton Orient in September 1954 and his goals were not disimilar to Kitching's. The first was a deflected header on a shot that was not going on target and the second was Kirk trying to clear danger in front of his own goal.

Dabo's goals came at Oxford United in a 3-3 draw in August 2019 and the first was an attempted clearance and the second bounced off his foot just ahead of an Oxford striker who would have scored anyway.

Jim's column 16.3.24

Coventry City travel to Molineux today for a massive FA Cup Sixth Round tie with Wolves. It's the first time the club have reached the last eight of the famous competition since 2009 when the Sky Blues met Chelsea at the CBS Arena and lost 2-0 to the eventual winners of the competition.

Apart from 1987 the club have had little to shout about in the FA Cup and this season is only the eighth time in 130 years that they have reached the last eight and only once have they won their quarter final tie, in 1987 when the team lifted the trophy. The first time was one of the club's finest achievements as they reached the quarter finals as a Southern League side. On the way they defeated two First Division clubs – Preston, at Deepdale, and Nottingham Forest – but Everton ended the club's dream, winning 2-0 in front of a then record 19,095 Highfield Road crowd. 

The club had to wait a further 53 years before reaching the last eight again and needed the wily management of Jimmy Hill. The winter of 1963 was so severe that barely any professional football took place for over two months. The Sky Blues, then a Third Division side, played six cup ties in 25 days to seal a sixth round home tie with the mighty Manchester United. On a mudheap of a pitch an all-ticket 44,000 crowd watched Terry Bly put City ahead and a giant-killing looked possible until the great Bobby Charlton took control, scored two great goals and ensured United got through. Matt Busby's team went on to lift the trophy at Wembley against Leicester.

Ten years later there were over 50,000 at Molineux, the scene of another quarter final defeat. 1972-73 was an exciting season for the Sky Blues under the new management of Joe Mercer and Gordon Milne and hopes of success were high as around 10,000 fans made the trek to the Black Country. After only seven minutes John Richards outpaced Bobby Parker and put the home side ahead. City never got into their stride and their stars Colin Stein and Tommy Hutchison were well policed by the home defence. A Kenny Hibbitt penalty just after half-time sealed City's fate and Wolves went on to lose to Leeds United in the semi final.

In 1982 it was back to the Black Country for a sixth round tie with West Brom. The league form of Dave Sexton's young City team was atrocious - no wins in ten games – but their Cup form was excellent. Ron Atkinson had left Albion but they were still an outstanding team and Cyrille Regis, having his best scoring season for the Baggies, put them ahead after 18 minutes with an unstoppable shot past Jim Blyth. City battled on bravely but Gary Owen's goal clinched the victory and took Albion through to a semi final where they surprisingly lost to QPR. 

That takes us to 1987 and the famous victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. Over 15,000 City fans in a 48,000 crowd were in raptures as Big Cyrille scored an early goal. The team soaked up enormous pressure from the home side and when Gary Megson equalised with 25 minutes left things looked ominous. Then Keith Houchen took centre stage, scoring two goals in five minutes to seal the club's first ever FA Cup semi final and end Wednesday's 23-game unbeaten home FA Cup record. All City fans know what happened next – Leeds were defeated in the semi final and Tottenham succumbed at Wembley as the Sky Blues lifted the trophy.

In 1998, as in 1973, expectations were high, especially as Coventry had a sixth round home tie with Second Division Sheffield United and had won seven games in a row going into the game. A Dion Dublin penalty put the Sky Blues on the road to victory but Marcelo equalised and City stumbled to a draw against a physical Blades team. In the replay at Bramall Lane City looked set for victory through a Paul Telfer goal before a last minute equaliser from David Holdsworth. Extra-time failed to find a winner and the Blades won 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out. In the semi final the Blades lost to Newcastle.

In 2009 it's fair to say that City fan's expectations were not too high. A mediocre team were in mid-table in the Championship and up against a top Premiership side boasting stars such as Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and John Terry. A record CBS crowd of 31,407 were stunned by an early Drogba goal and although City gave a valiant display the Brazilian defender Alex wrapped up the victory just after the hour. Chelsea went on to beat Arsenal in the semi final and Everton in the final.

Jim's column 9.3.24

The goals are pouring in at the CBS Arena right now with another five against Rotherham United this week with Ellis Simms netting his second hat trick in eight days. The Sky Blues have now netted 38 goals in league and cup games in 2024 – only Liverpool have scored more in all four divisions. Poor old Rotherham had a nightmare evening after their goalkeeper, rated by many as the one of the best in the division, made a cataclysmic mistake.

The victory had me scouring my records for big wins and hat tricks, so here goes.

It was only the fifth time since the club moved to the CBS/Ricoh Arena in 2005 that the team have scored five or more goals and now it's happened two games in a row. The biggest home wins in the nineteen years have been:

6-0 v Bury 2015-16 (League 1)

6-1 v Derby 2005-06 (Championship)

5-0 v Maidstone 2023-24 (FA Cup)

5-0 v Rotherham 2023-24 (Championship)

5-1 v Walsall 2012-13 (League 1)

There was also the 6-1 victory over Millwall at St Andrews in 2020-21.

The last 5-0 win at home before Tuesday was the thrashing of Premiership champions Blackburn Rovers at Highfield Road in 1995. In addition City scored four goals in the first half for only the third time at the CBS, the others being the Bury game and the 4-1 win over Gillingham in 2015-16.

Simms' three goals was the club's first league hat trick since Godden's three at Tranmere in 2020 and the first at the CBS since Mark McNulty's against Grimsby in 2018. It's also only the fifth at the stadium since its opening in 2005, the others being Fredy Eastwood, Jodi Jones and Jacob Murphy. This makes Ellis the first player to score two hat tricks at the Arena. Additionally it's the first time a Coventry player has scored successive home hat tricks since Darren Huckerby scored three on successive Saturdays in January 1999 against Macclesfield (FA Cup) and Nottingham Forest and only the fourth time since the war. Ron Hewitt also scored successive home hat tricks in 1961 (against Hull and Torquay) and in 1947 the prolific George Lowrie managed three in a row. Welsh international Lowrie had a magnificent first season after war scoring 29 goals of which 22 were at Highfield Road including four hat tricks and a four-goal haul.

Let's not forget successive away hat trick scorers. Matty Godden managed two in a row in the 2019-20 promotion season, at Wycombe and Tranmere, and George Hudson achieved the feat in 1963 with three at both Trowbridge in the FA Cup and at QPR.

Jim's column 2.3.24

A thoroughly professional performance by the Sky Blues ensured that National League South side Maidstone United were swept aside on Monday evening to book a sixth round place for the first time since 2008 and only the third time in the 37 years since the famous FA Cup triumph. A trip to Molineux in the sixth round now faces Mark Robins' team where the old rivalry with Wolves will be resumed in what will be a re-match of the game at the same stage of the competition in 1973 which Wolves won 2-0.

The 5-0 victory is the club's biggest win in the cup since 1999 when Macclesfield Town were thrashed 7-0 and Ellis Simms' hat trick was the first club three goal haul in the competition since Darren Huckerby's in that same game. It was only the sixth occasion that a Coventry player to score three in an FA Cup tie. The others are:

1907-08 Albert Lewis ( v Brierly Hill) (a) 6-2

1907-08 Albert Lewis (v Bishop Auckland) (h) 7-1

1946-47 George Lowrie (v Newport County) (h) 5-2

1963-64 George Hudson (v Trowbridge) (a) 6-1

1998-99 Darren Huckerby (v Macclesfield) (h) 7-0

Lewis scored his two hat tricks in the famous 1907-08 season when Coventry reached the equivalent of the third round as a Birmingham League side. They came through seven rounds (including two replays) to face Crystal Palace, a Southern League side, in the third round. Palace were too strong for City and won 4-2 at Highfield Road. On the way they scored 32 goals, a club record in one season. This season the team have scored 16 goals so far which equals the club record since they joined the league in 1919, set in 1962-63. That season the Sky Blues reached the sixth round before losing to Manchester United and scored 16 goals in nine ties including three games against Portsmouth in round four.

There was another excellent attendance at the CBS Arena on Monday evening boosted by 4,800 Maidstone fans who excellently supported their team right to the end. The official crowd of 26,857 is the fourth highest for an FA Cup tie at the stadium. The top five are as follows:

31,407 v Chelsea (Sixth round) 2007-08

28,163 v West Brom (Fifth round) 2006-07

28,120 v Middlesbrough (Fourth round) 2005-06

26,857 v Maidstone (Fifth round) 2023-24

22,793 v Blackburn (Fifth round replay) 2007-08

To find a higher home Cup gate than the Chelsea game you have to go back to 1979 when the visit of West Brom to Highfield Road for a third round tie attracted a near capacity 37,928.

Jim's column 24.2.24

On Monday evening Coventry City will attempt to reach the FA Cup Sixth round for only the third time since the club won the famous trophy under John Sillett and George Curtis in 1987. 37 years have passed since that memorable day and the club's record in the world's most famous club competition has been pretty woeful. This is only the eighth time in those years that the Sky Blues have reached the last sixteen and four of those occasions came in successive seasons in the late 1990s when Gordon Strachan was in charge. The results of the previous seven appearances in the last sixteen since 1987 are:

26 February 1997 Derby County away Lost 2-3

14 February 1998 Aston Villa away Won 1-0

13 February 1999 Everton away Lost 1-2

29 January 2000 Charlton Athletic home Lost 2-3

16 February 2008 West Brom home Lost 0-5

24 February 2009 Blackburn Rovers home Won 1-0 (after 2-2 draw)

17 February 2018 Brighton away Lost 1-3

On the two occasions that they have reached the last eight they have failed against Sheffield United (in 1998) and to Chelsea (in 2008).

Monday's game is City's 17^th FA Cup game against non-league opposition since the war and in the previous sixteen the Sky Blues have progressed on 12 occasions. However the ghosts of Kings Lynn, Sutton United, Worcester City and Wrexham linger over the club's FA Cup history almost as much as the triumphant 1987 story. Let's pray that Mark Robins' side can ignore those ghosts and take the club to the last eight for only the eighth time in their 140-year history.

The hard fought 1-0 victory at Stoke last week made it 20 successive league and cup games that the team have scored. You have to go back 11^th November to find the last time the team failed to find the net – a 0-0 home draw with Stoke, coincidentally the game that the manager switched to a back four after several years playing a back three. In 20 games the team have scored a staggering 43 goals, albeit 11 in the FA Cup. Several readers have asked if this run is a club record but there is some way to go to match Jimmy Hill's team from the 1966-67 Second Division promotion season. In that momentous campaign, after a 1-0 defeat at Millwall in September 1966 the team went 29 scoring games before a 0-0 draw at Northampton in March 1967. After that scoreless draw the team scored in a further 16 scoring games including the first six games in Division One. In more recent times Mark Robins' 2012-13 team had 24 successive scoring games as he rejuvenated the club following relegation to League One.

Ed Blackaby has recently acquired a programme from a friendly game played at Highfield Road in 1962. On 11 December 1962 City played a friendly game with an England Youth XI and put out a full first team for a midweek game in the middle of a 46-game season (and the club was still in the FA Cup). A measly crowd of 3,448 watched the Sky Blues beat the England team 2-1 with goals from Hugh Barr and Ronnie Rees. The England team went on to win the European Youth Championships the following May and included many young players who went on to have successful top flight careers including Chelsea's Ron Harris, Tottenham's Phil Beal and Sheffield United full-backs Len Badger and Bernard Shaw. The outside right is David Pleat who had already made a scoring debut for Nottingham Forest in Division One but would be released two years later having made only six appearances. He went on to play 170 odd games with various lower division sides before making his name as a very successful manager with numerous clubs. Strangely, none of the England youth team won full England caps. 

Jim's column 10.2.24

Coventry City progressed to the FA Cup Fifth Round on Tuesday evening with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. It is only the second time in 15 seasons that the club have reached the last 16 of the competition, the other being 2017-18 when the club were in League Two. Whilst it was a great team effort I have to single out Casey Palmer and Callum O'Hare who gave us a master class in creative football. We've come to expect quality performances from O'Hare and one wonders what would have happened last season if the Solihull Messi had not been injured and missed the second half of the season. Since his injury he has added goalscoring to his armoury and turned himself into a player surely heading to the Premiership.

Before his injury on Boxing Day 2022 Callum had scored 12 goals in 117 starts and 29 substitute appearances. Since recovering from his ACL injury and returning to the side at the end of October he has netted nine goals in 12 starts and seven from the bench. Since his first start after injury, at Ipswich in December, City have lost only twice in 14 games. The statistics tell the story.

Kasey Palmer has never played a better game for City. He looks fully fit, enormously confident and is fulfilling the potential he showed as a Chelsea youngster. I can rarely remember a better performance from a Coventry midfield player in my 60 years of watching the team. It reminded me of a virtuoso performance from the legendary Ian Gibson against West Brom in an early season game at Highfield Road in 1968. The supremely talented 'Gibbo' had fallen out with manager Noel Cantwell and there were strong rumours that he was on his way out of the club. Cantwell recalled him to face the Baggies and he gave a dazzling display of dribbling and passing, creating a hat-trick for Ernie Hunt in a 4-2 victory. Afterwards Cantwell sheepishly admitted that there was no chance of Gibbo leaving the club after that performance.

                                       Ian Gibson

City's unbeaten run came to an end at Carrow Road last week after 12 league and cup games without defeat since City's previous trip to East Anglia in early December when they lost at Ipswich. The run was the club's best since 2019-20 when Mark Robins' team were unbeaten in 18 league and cup games when football was suspended for Covid (the Birmingham penalty shoot-out defeat counted as a draw). That team were also unbeaten in 14 league games from mid-December until 7^th March. East Anglia is not a happy hunting ground for the Sky Blues – they have won only two of their last 15 league trips to Portman Road and only one of the last 17 at Carrow Road.

Another run came to an end at Norwich – City had scored two or more goals in seven successive league games with 19 goals in all but only managed one goal at Carrow Road. The run was only one short of the club's all-time record, set in 1959-60. Newly promoted to the old Division Three, City were beaten 5-1 at Southampton on the 24^th October (the Dell was a bogey ground in those days) but in every one of the next eight games scored two or more goals. Unlike this season's team they lost two of those games but the run, with 25 goals, lifted them into the top three. 11 of the 25 goals came from the boots of young striker Ken Satchwell. Sadly the club's promotion push faltered and they finished in fifth place and it would take another four years to get promotion to Division Two.

This was the run in 1959-60:

Oct 31 Southend (h) won 2-0

Nov 7 Shrewsbury (a) lost 2-3

Nov 21 Norwich (a) won 4-1

Nov 28 Brentford (h) won 2-0

Dec 12 Reading (a) lost 2-4

Dec 25 Wrexham (h) won 5-3

Dec 26 Wrexham (a) won 3-1

Jan 12 York (h) won 5-2

Jim's column 3.2.24

The games are coming thick and fast for Coventry City right now and a draw in the FA Cup fourth round tie at Hillsborough means potentially seven games for the team during February. Hopefully the seventh and last game of February will be a fifth round tie with Maidstone United who await the winners of next Tuesday's replay with the Owls.

Arguably the Sky Blues shouldn't have needed a replay to beat Wednesday but failed to press home their domination at Hillsborough. The fans got their first glimpse of new Danish signing Victor Torp who scored a memorable goal on his Coventry debut. His goal is the first by a City debutant since Tyler Walker scored the winning goal after coming off the bench in a League Cup tie at MK Dons in August 2020. The last debutant to score in an FA Cup tie was Josh Pask in a 3-0 replay win over Bristol Rovers at St Andrew's in early 2020 and you have to go back to September 2018 for the last league scoring debutant – Conor Chaplin with a penalty in a 2-1 victory at Oxford. Here's hoping that Victor has a more successful career at Coventry than those three scoring debutants. 

Kyle McFadzean left the club this week with many eulogies for his part in the club's rise in recent years. He joined Coventry from Burton Albion in the summer of 2019 and helped the club to win promotion to the Championship in his first season. He had previously won promotions with Crawley Town and MK Dons. He made 171 appearances for the Sky Blues and scored eight goals including the winner on his CBS Arena debut against Nottingham Forest in 2021. Prior to his arrival I always felt City's defence had a soft heart and were often bullied by the more physical teams. Kyle solved that problem at a stroke, commanding his penalty area and probably the most dominating centre-back the club has had since Mo Konjic twenty years previously. Of course he had his moments – the disaster at Rotherham when he was red carded as City slumped to a 4-0 defeat comes to mind but he bounced back from that and was only on the losing side once more that season. Last season his presence was dreadfully missed when he was injured in December and January when City won only two games out of 11 and suffered embarrassing home defeats to Wrexham and Norwich. He returned in February helping steer the team to the play-offs and was only on the losing side once in 20 games. This season he had continued his good form and it was still hard to imagine a Coventry side without their captain and defensive rock but Mark Robins decided to change the defensive formation to four at the back and Kyle, who is 37 this month, was relegated to the bench. With the re-formed back four producing good results and Kyle's presence not missed he had become surplus to requirements. Kyle is a true legend of the club, a winner and a major force in the Coventry City's resurgence.

Jim's column 20.1.24

What a game at the CBS Arena last Saturday! The Sky Blues demolished the league leaders Leicester City 3-1 in a thrilling final twelve minutes or so to inflict only the fourth league defeat of the Foxes' season. The defeat ended Leicester's 11-match unbeaten run in the Championship in which they had won nine and meant City became the first team to score more than two goals against them. You have to go back to February 2008 for the Sky Blues' last win over their M69 rivals since which the clubs have drawn four and Leicester have won three.

Watched by the biggest crowd of the season, 29,914, which is also the second biggest league crowd ever at the CBS Arena, the Sky Blues showed all of their renowned 'never say die' attitude to overcome a team packed with players with Premiership experience and pedigree. Trailing from a controversial penalty, the team never panicked and showed great patience until eleven minutes from time when Callum O'Hare scored the equaliser. A second goal from Milan Van Ewijk and another O'Hare special sealed a famous comeback victory. 

It was the second successive league comeback following the 3-1 win at Middlesbrough something no Coventry City side has done since December 2012 during Mark Robins' first spell as manager. Then there were two away wins in four days over Christmas. At Stevenage on Boxing Day City trailed 1-0 until the 78^th minute before Richard Wood, Carl Baker and David McGoldrick ensured a vital win. Three days later at MK Dons Daniel Powell gave the home side an early lead, Franck Moussa equalised, Ryan Lowe restored the Dons lead before Stephen Elliott nabbed two goals to give the Sky Blues a 3-2 win and extend their unbeaten run to 12 games.

The victory was also City's first comeback win at the CBS Arena since March 2022 when Sheffield United were defeated 4-1 after taking an early lead. City's scorers on what was Legends Day 2022 were Gyokeres, O'Hare 2 and Godden. The Leicester win was the 23^rd home league comeback win since the move to the new stadium in 2005 including one at Sixfields (2013-14) and five at St Andrews (2019-21) and in my opinion was the most exciting, bearing in mind the quality of the opposition and the atmosphere in the stadium. The Fulham win in 2021 was good as was the last minute 3-2 win over Peterborough at Sixfields at Christmas 2013. In fact poor Peterborough have been the losers in three of those 23 comebacks and the 2015 3-2 win with two late Adam Armstrong goals was a classic.

Saturday's excellent crowd took the average for the season to 24,742 and if maintained will be the club's highest average since 1970-71 – the season that City played in Europe, averaged 26,039 and finished 10^th in the old Division One. This season's average has only been bettered in 10 out of the 97 seasons the club has been members of the Football League – the best being in City's first season in the top flight, 1967-68, when crowds averaged a staggering 34,705. Whilst the CBS Arena has an official capacity of 32,609 there are a number of unusable areas between home and away fans meaning that record average will not be bettered.

Jim's Column 13.1.24

Coventry City continued their good form with a comfortable 6-2 home victory over Oxford United in the FA Cup Third round. Big cup victories are a rare thing for the Sky Blues and it was the club's biggest victory in the competition since 1999 when Macclesfield Town were put to the sword 7-0 at Highfield Road. Since City joined the Football League in 1919 there have only been five instances of them scoring six or more goals in the FA Cup:

1929-30 Coventry City 7 Bath City 1

1934-35 Coventry City 7 Scunthorpe & Lindsey United 0

1963-64 Trowbridge Town 1 Coventry City 6

1998-99 Coventry City 7 Macclesfield 0

2023-24 Coventry City 6 Oxford United 2

In the first three instances the opponents were non-league clubs whilst Macclesfield were in the third tier of the league as are Oxford.

Matty Godden came off the bench to score two goals – the first City player to achieve that feat since Amadou Bakayoko did it at Charlton Athletic in a League One game in 2018-19. He is only the eighth Coventry sub to score two goals in a game and the first in an FA Cup game. After substitutes were introduced to the domestic game in 1965 Bobby Gould was the first sub to score two (at Nottingham Forest in 1967) and since then has been followed by Jay Bothroyd, Patrick Suffo, Chris Maguire, Ryan Haynes, Max Biamou, Bakayoko and now Godden.

Godden has now scored 50 goals for the club and is the first player to reach that level since Gary McSheffrey. The two Cup goals take him to 21^st in the all-time table which is headed by Clarrie Bourton with 189, followed by Billy Lake with 129. He is now within striking distance of Ernie Hunt (51) Ronnie Rees (52) and Terry Gibson (52). 

The draw for the fourth round gave City a trip to their favourite Cup ground, Hillsborough, the scene of their sixth round and semi final victories in 1987. It also means trips to Sheffield Wednesday in successive weekends with a league game next Saturday followed by the Cup trip the following weekend. I'm not a great one for omens but several readers have reminded me that in City's memorable 1986-87 season City played Wednesday on successive Saturdays. The teams fought out a tough league game at Highfield Road with City prevailing 1-0 in a snow-affected game. Lloyd McGrath scored the winning goal and Dean Emerson, then in the form of his life and being tipped for an England call-up, suffered a bad knee injury following a challenge by Gary Megson. Seven days later the Sky Blues pulled off one of their greatest Cup results, winning 3-1 at Hillsborough where the Owls were unbeaten in 23 FA Cup ties. 

Another footballing legend died this week. Following hard on the heels of Bobby Charlton, Franz Beckenbauer, the man who marked Charlton in the 1966 World Cup final and the 1970 quarter final, passed away aged 78. 'Der Kaiser', the Emperor, started his career as a midfield player but later became an outstanding central defender winning the European Championships with West Germany in 1972, the World Cup in 1974 and the European Cup three times with Bayern Munich (1974-76). I particularly remember his imperious performance in the 1976 European Cup final against St Etienne at Hampden Park when he didn't misplace a pass all game. He also managed Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

                       Franz Beckenbauer can't stop Neil Martin scoring at Highfield Road in 1970

Franz captained Bayern against Coventry City in the UEFA Fairs Cup in 1970. Bayern destroyed the Sky Blues 6-1 in the first leg in Munich but City won the second leg 2-1 at Highfield Road and Beckenbauer was given a tough time by City's centre-forward Neil Martin but still managed to show the Coventyry crowd his outstanding ability.

Jim's column 6.1.24

An impressive Christmas and New Year programme saw the Sky Blues rise seven places up the league table to eighth place with 10 points out of a possible 12. The unbeaten run was extended to seven games and there has only been one defeat in 11 - away at high-flying Ipswich at the start of December.

The latest victory came at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium - their first win there in a regular season fixture. Despite winning the play-off semi final second leg there last season City had played 11 league games since the stadium replaced Ayresome Park in 1995 and never won.

Three days earlier Swansea City had grabbed a fortuitous point at the CBS Arena with a late goal from a free-kick just as the fans were about to celebrate a comeback from behind victory for the first time since Good Friday 2022. Goals from Haji Wright and Ellis Simms had cancelled out Liam Walsh’s early goal and a victory had looked certain until Liam Cullen’s clever free-kick. On New Year’s Day however the long wait for a win from behind ended with an impressive second half display from the Sky Blues to seal a 3-1 victory. Between April 2022 and Monday City had fallen behind in 29 league games and failed to win. They had managed 11 draws but 18 times had ended up losing the game. The run stretched back to the 4-2 win at St Andrew’s when City came from 2-0 to take the points.

I have mentioned City's remarkable attendances this season before but have to point out that the Christmas games pushed this season's average to 24,807 and with likely sell-outs at the Leicester and Leeds home games to come the 25,000 barrier may be broken by the end of the season. If the average remains at this level then it will be the club's highest average since 1970-71 when it was 26,039. The Boxing Day crowd of 29,208 for the Sheffield Wednesday game was the second highest for a league game at the CBS Arena bettered only by the 30,175 for the Birmingham game last season. It was also the largest Boxing Day home crowd since 1969 when 32,649 watched the Sky Blues beat Ipswich Town 3-1.

On Thursday I was at the CBS Arena for the launch of the appeal for donations to the statue of George Curtis and John Sillett. Joe Elliott’s committee have done a fantastic job in raising over £130,000 towards the cost of the new statue but £87,000 is still required to make the monument a reality. Joe introduced several of the 1987 FA Cup squad including Trevor Peake, Lloyd McGrath, Steve Ogrizovic, Dave Bennett and Dean Emerson as well as Mick Kearns, former teammate of George and John and a member of the 1987 coaching staff. The legends’ families were represented by Jean and Neil Sillett and Inga and Julie Curtis and the sculptor Douglas Jennings was introduced. Douglas has previously produced a number of football-related statues including George Cohen (Fulham), Graham Taylor (Watford) and Jimmy Dickinson (Portsmouth).

If you would like to make a donation to the fund go to www.CCFC.Co.uk/statue-appeal