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.