Jim's column 7.10.2017

Coventry City's 1-0 victory over Crewe Alexandra last weekend was the club's fourth consecutive league game without conceding a goal at the Ricoh, following clean sheets against Port Vale, Carlisle and Exeter. It ended an outstanding September for Mark Robins which may well see the City boss pick up the dreaded 'Manager of the Month' award. For the record the team won five, drew one and lost one in league games during the month, equalling the best September ever, set in 1929 and equalled in 1958 (the Division Four promotion season). As far as successive clean sheets at home, it is the best run since four in 2002 under Gary McAllister and two short of the club record set in that Fourth Division promotion season in 1958-59.

Attendances are picking up slowly as the Sky Blues' home form improves but the Port Vale home gate of 6,951 was the lowest home league crowd on a Saturday since April 1958 when 6,939 watched the Bantams play Gillingham. Midweek attendances are traditionally lower and three days later there were only 6,151 paying customers for the visit of Carlisle – the smallest home league crowd since April 1962 when there were only 5,965 to see Bristol City.

It was good to see the team notch a win at Swindon's County Ground at last. In recent seasons they have taken the lead on several occasions there but failed to come away with the points. This time they fell behind only to come back strongly and goals from Doyle and Nazon sealed the first league victory there since December 1960. That was a 2-1 win also with Ray Straw and Billy Myerscough on target.

I was contacted by Dutch journalist Joris Kaper last month. He is writing the biography of former City player Nii Lamptey who briefly played for the Sky Blues under Ron Atkinson in 1995-96. Joris wanted the details of Lamptey's appearances for City and I was able to furnish him with the following facts:

Coventry City 1995-96 20 Sep H Hull City (League Cup) W 2-0 1 goal 9 04 Oct A Hull City (League Cup) W 1-0 1 goal 9 14 Oct A Liverpool D 0-0 9 21 Oct H Sheffield Wed L 0-1 9* 25 Oct H Tottenham H (League Cup) W 3-2 9 28 Oct A Leeds Utd L 1-3 sub 12 04 Nov H Tottenham Hotspur L 2-3 8* 29 Nov A Wolves (League Cup) L 1-2 sub 12 01 Jan H Southampton D 1-1 sub 12 14 Feb A Manchester City (FA Cup) L 1-2 sub 12 24 Feb H Middlesbrough D 0-0 sub 12 - ​In addition he played 2 friendlies: 11/9/95 St Albans (a) 7-1 (he scored one) and 8/10/95 Hearts (a) 5-1 (he scored one).

Ghanaian Lamptey was something of teenage superstar helping his country to win the World under-17 championships in 1991 and being touted as the 'new Pele'. Atkinson signed him for Villa and then brought him to Coventry soon after he arrived at Highfield Road. It's fair to say he never looked like a world-class performer for City and his subsequent career, which has taken him to Italy, Argentina, Portugal, Germany, Dubai, China and finally back to Ghana, was an anti-climax after his exploits as a teenager.