Jim's Column 19.3.2016

Last week I wrote about Coventry City's poor form against Lancashire clubs and what happens - the Sky Blues end a 97-year hoodoo at Blackpool and record only their fifth win in the North West in 15 trips since they were relegated from the Championship in 2012. It may have been an ugly win over a poor side but that is just what is required to get the team into the play-offs.

City's record at Bloomfield Road has historically been atrocious with only one win and one draw in 13 visits in League & Cup games since they joined the league in 1919. The clubs didn't meet in league games between 1925 and 1970 and have only played them regularly since 2007. The solitary win came in March 1923, a month before the old Wembley stadium was opened. Jimmy Dougall netted the only goal in a dour game as City pulled off a shock result by beating the league leaders despite being in the relegation zone. Since then there have been some dreadful results including City's 1-0 loss at Bloomfield Road in 1970-71 when the Seasiders were rated as one of the worst sides to play in the top division since the war.

Talking of Blackpool, regular correspondent Keith Ballantyne reminded me of comments made by Ernie Hunt regarding the famous donkey-kick goal against Everton in 1970. Ernie has often mentioned that he and Willie Carr had tried the trick before in a game at Blackpool. Keith wondered if it was the league defeat there in December 1970 but in fact it was a pre-season friendly at Bloomfield Road in August 1970, two months before the famous goal against Everton. The free-kick, which Ernie has always said almost hit the clock, was so much a failure that the Coventry Telegraph's Derek Henderson didn't even mention it in his match report. I reminded Keith that Alan Green and Johnny Stevenson pulled off the donkey-kick trick in an FA Youth Cup tie against Shrewsbury soon after the Everton game. Henderson reported that this goal, the final one in a 6-0 home victory, was 'further out than Hunt's and left the Shrewsbury 'keeper helpless'.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about famous City slumps, one of which turned out to have silver lining (1964) and one which ended in disaster (2002). Dave Long reminded me about a slump in form in 1973 after City went out of the FA Cup in the sixth round. With new signings Tommy Hutchison and Colin Stein dazzling and homegrown youngsters Willie Carr, Dennis Mortimer and Brian Alderson impressing, Joe Mercer and Gordon Milne's team had an impressive winter which took them to a comfortable mid-table place in Division One and an FA Cup run that had fans talking about a first ever trip to Wembley. However after their FA Cup defeat at Molineux the side lost form completely and lost nine of their final ten games, the only result being a 3-1 victory over Ipswich at Highfield Road. In the modern era that sort of run would probably result in a sacking as it did for Chris Coleman in 2010 when his Sky Blues team fell from eighth place to 19^th in their final eleven games which failed to produce a win and gleaned only five points.

Susan Andrews from Hinckley was in touch recently regarding an old programme she wanted to donate to the club's archives. Sue and her friend Jean McCormick (who now lives in Canada) were both born in Coventry, and trained as Nursery Nurses. They both moved to the island of Bermuda and were working at a children's nursery in Paget in 1967 when they heard that the Sky Blues were visiting the island and planning a friendly game nearby.

Sue takes up the story:

'We made a banner out of babies muslin nappies (clean ones of course!!) and wrote upon it 'SKY BLUES' in the children's pale blue paint. I think that's what drew the players attention to us, as they were only known as Coventry City FC in the advertisement of the game there. Before the kick off several of the players came across for a chat and I recall that's when we were invited to the after game party !'

The Sky Blues were enjoying a promotion celebration holiday in the West Indies with a few friendly games thrown in and the game against a Police Recreation Select XI was the final game before they returned to the UK. City won the game, played at the Pembroke Hamilton Club Stadium, 8-0 with goals from Ronnie Rees (2), Brian Lewis (2), John Tudor, Ernie Machin, Dave Clements and Dietmar Bruck.

JIM'S COLUMN 4.9.10

After City’s defeat at the New Den last week manager Aidy Boothroyd described City as ‘soft’ and any fan knows that soft sides do not get results at Millwall. The defeat means it is 55 years since City’s last victory in Docklands – 15 league and cup games. Most City fans know what Aidy means and have watched too many ‘soft’ capitulations by the Sky Blues over recent seasons. If City want to be serious promotion contenders they will have to toughen up and grind out results at places like Millwall. The last Coventry City team to win promotion, Jimmy Hill’s 1967 team, were past masters at picking up points when playing poorly. Mind you the 1967 team failed to win at Millwall, losing an early season game 1-0.

Last week I commented on the small crowd at the Ricoh Arena for the home game with Derby County – the smallest crowd to watch a City home game since 2005 – and last Saturday I noted the dip in attendances across the Championship as a whole.

Of the 12 games played last weekend only two were watched by a crowd higher than last season’s average crowd. At Millwall just over 11,000 watched City’s defeat compared to last season’s average of 10,834 and at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium a similar crowd watched the Yorkshire derby with Hull City. All other 10 games were watched by smaller than last season’s average crowds including Sheffield United 19,000 (last season’s average 25,000), Derby 25,000 (29,000) and Leicester 19,000 (24,000). Whilst all three of the clubs above have had mediocre starts to the season I know that they all have less season ticket holders than last campaign. In addition the gates at Ipswich, Forest, Scunthorpe and Swansea confirm the downward trend in this league.

So Coventry City are not the only club affected by falling attendances and I suspect it is a result of the economic situation the country finds itself in combined with England’s poor showing in this summer’s World Cup.

Dean Nelson sent me a picture of an old programme (see image) recently asking if I could provide more information about it. In February/March 1989 the Bermuda Football Association invited the Sky Blues and Middlesbrough to their island for a series of friendly games. City were lying in fourth place in the old First Division when they left the cold English winter for a warm break in the sun, one place behind Millwall where they had lost 1-0 the previous Saturday. The opening game saw City facing Boulevard Community Club, a team of Rastafarian amateurs who were one of Bermuda’s top club sides. Goals from Gary Bannister, Dean Emerson, Cyrille Regis and Dave Bennett gave City a 4-0 victory. City ended their brief sojourn on the sunny Atlantic island with a 2-1 victory over ‘Boro with goals from Regis and a late winner from substitute Howard Clark. City’s players described the rock hard pitch at the PHC Stadium where all the games were played, as ‘disgraceful’. Manager John Sillett was a little more diplomatic, calling it ‘a little bumpy’.