Jim's column 17.3.2018

Coventry City's defensive record in League Two this season has been very impressive. After the 2-2 draw with Luton on Tuesday night the Sky Blues had conceded 30 goals in 36 games - seven better than Mansfield, the next best in League Two – an average of 0.83 goal per game. Only League One clubs Wigan (23) and Shrewsbury (26) have conceded less in the whole Football League. In addition 14 of City's 36 games have resulted in clean sheets for City.

These spectacular statistics have prompted several questions from readers about the records with regard to goals conceded. The club record for the lowest goals conceded is 38 and was set in 1970-71 under Noel Cantwell. That was a pretty dire season for spectators as the team only scored 37 goals (the second lowest ever). That was a 42-game season and an average of 0.90 per game. The lowest for a 46-game season was 47 (1.02 per game) in 1958-59 when City finished second in the Fourth Division. I would be surprised if the current team didn't break the 46-game record and with a bit of luck they might beat the all-time record as well!

That great season in Division Four 60 years ago also saw a clean sheet count of 18, equalling the record set in 1938-39. Several City teams have gone close in the modern era with Cantwell's 1970-71 keeping 17 with Bill Glazier between the sticks in all but one game. In 2001-02, City's first season outside the Premiership, the team kept 16 clean sheets shared between Magnus Hedman, Tim Flowers and Chris Kirkland. Then, two years ago, under Tony Mowbray, the team kept 16 clean sheets with Reice Charles-Cook (13) and Lee Burge (3) in the 'keeper's jersey.

The 1938-39 team, arguably City's best team until the 1967 promotion team, kept 18 clean sheets in finishing fourth in the old Second Division. In those days the defence was considered to be the goalkeeper, two full-backs and three half-backs. That season four of the six defenders played in virtually every game: Goalkeeper Bill Morgan (41 games), Jack Astley (42), George Mason (42) and Billy Frith (39). Left back Walter Metcalf played 34 games before injury kept him out of the run-in while left-half Harry Boileau played 28 games. It was a tough, uncompromising defence that conceded only 45 goals as City missed out on promotion by four points with Morgan setting the club record for the 'keeper with the most clean sheets in a season (17).

                                                       1938-39 squad

The 1958-59 team, managed by the 1938 player, Billy Frith, also kept 18 clean sheets. Three defenders, captain Roy Kirk an ever-present, George Curtis (43 games) and left-back Lol Harvey (41) played in virtually every league game. Left-half Ron Farmer (26) was an ever present after joining the club in November and right-half Brian Nicholas (26) was the regular right-half until injured in December at which point Mick Kearns (32) and later Frank Austin (14) took over. The goalkeeping situation was fluid that campaign. Veteran Jim Sanders played the first ten games (4 clean sheets) before breaking his leg. Coach Alf Wood came out of retirement to take the jersey and kept five clean sheets in 10 games before Arthur Lightening arrived from Nottingham Forest in November. Arthur was ever-present until the end of the season keeping nine clean sheets in 25 games.

                                                                1958-59 team

The other interesting statistic of this season is that, to date, the club have not conceded more than two goals in any league game. Luton were the eighth side to score twice against the Sky Blues but no team has managed more. City have never gone through a whole season without conceding more than two goals in a game! Another record looming?

Jim's column 24.10.2015

What a week for Coventry City's goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook who wrote himself into the record books on Saturday against Blackpool with his third clean sheet in a row. He becomes the first City keeper not to concede a goal in his first three league games for the club. When you consider the great custodians the club has had over the years, from Jerry Best in the 1920s, through Bill Morgan in the 1930s, Alf Wood in the 1940s, Reg Matthews in the 1950s, Bill Glazier in the 1960s and of course Oggy, for what seems like forever, none of them matched Reice's record. Then, at Rochdale on Tuesday evening, he proceeded to do it again in a 0-0 draw. If you include the clean sheet at Yeovil in the JPT game then Charles has played five and a half games (or 495 minutes) since he conceded a goal to Donal McDermott on his debut at Rochdale in the League Cup.

On three occasions since the war City have achieved five consecutive clean sheets. In October 2001 Roland Nilsson's team won four and drew one without conceding, in early 1992 Steve Ogrizovic was between the posts as City's defence was not breached in five games and in October 1982 Les Sealey achieved the feat. In 2001 two 'keepers shared the honours with Magnus Hedman playing in the first two games and Andy Goram in the latter three. In total the team went 491 minutes without conceding.

In 1992, under the managership of Don Howe, the run included four 0-0 draws and a solitary 1-0 win. After Manchester City's David White netted the only goal of a defeat at Maine Road on 18 January, the Sky Blues won 1-0 at Crystal Palace (David Smith scoring), then drew four goalless games in a row – Liverpool (h), Southampton (a), Manchester United (h) and Norwich (h). On 7 March City travelled to Hillsborough and there were only seven minutes remaining on the clock when Viv Anderson scored to equalise Kevin Gallacher's earlier goal. That added up to 572 minutes without a goal past Oggy. So another clean sheet at Swindon would take Reice past Oggy's post-war record. (Stop press: Reice went 85 minutes without conceding at Swindon, setting a new post-war record of  580 minutes without a goal going past him)

Oggy's effort just pipped Sealey's record of 558 minutes in 1982 with five clean sheets: Notts County (h) 1-0, Watford (a) 0-0, Fulham (League Cup) (h) 0-0, Norwich (h) 2-0 and Aston Villa (h) 0-0. The Fulham game went to extra-time and the run came to an end somewhat abruptly with a home defeat to lowly Second Division Burmley in the League Cup.

For the club record you have to go back to 1934 when the club kept six clean sheets in a row, straddling two seasons. Harry Storer was the manager at the time and the goalkeeper was Horace Pearson. After a 3-1 defeat at champions-elect Norwich had ended their promotion hopes, Storer was determined to finish as runners up to the Canaries (only one team promoted in those days). A week later City ripped Bristol City apart, with a club record 9-0 victory and Clarrie Bourton netted four goals. A week later the season ended with a 0-0 draw at Clapton Orient. The 1934-35 season started with four consecutive clean sheets: Northampton (h) 2-0, Clapton (a) 1-0, Bournemouth (a) 2-0 and Clapton (h) 4-0, before on September 8^th at Highfield Road, Pearson was beaten by Watford's Jimmy Poxon in the 43rd minute in a 1-1 draw. In total Pearson went 608 minutes without conceding.

                                               Horace Pearson in 1934

So the leader board looks like this:

608 minutes Horace Pearson

572 Steve Ogrizovic

558 Les Sealey

495 Reice Charles-Cook

491 Magnus Hedman/Andy Goram

Finally, before I leave the subject of clean sheets, Richard Home asked what is the club record for clean sheets in a season. The record was set in 1958-59, the Fourth Division promotion season under Billy Frith. The team kept 18 clean sheets out of 46 league games, 15 of them at home. This season Mowbray's team have kept seven out of 13 games, an average which, if were to be continued, would break the record.

The Rochdale result was City's best outcome at Spotland in eight visits stretching back to 1921. Previously they had lost six and although they drew there in the League Cup earlier this season, they lost the tie on penalties. So maybe that is progress!

It was a very disappointing crowd at Rochdale of 2,495 - the lowest to watch a City away league game since 2002 and the third lowest in the post-war era. If you take the City following out the home crowd was less than 2,000.

Since the war there have been five crowds under 3,000:

2,077 v Wimbledon 2002-03
2,275 v Southport 1958-59

2,495 v Rochdale 2015-16
2,607 v Halifax 1961-62

2,866 v Scunthorpe 2014-15