The Sky Blues are the Added-time experts

The Sky Blues did it again on Wednesday night- scoring an added time winning goal. Jamie Paterson’s 94th minute winner was the sixth post-90th minute deciding goal for the team this season, a remarkable feat. The scenes at the CBS Arena when Paterson’s bicycle kick hit the back of the net to finish Portsmouth’s stubborn resistance were truly memorable and the vast majority of the 28,000 crowd stayed to celebrate the victory and applaud their heroes.

The big six winning goals which set a new club record are:

Haji Wright 96th minute v Oxford (home)

Haji Wright 92nd minute v Luton (home)

Bobby Thomas 95th minute v QPR (home)

Ellis Simms 92nd minute v Sheffield Wednesday (away)

Bobby Thomas 97th minute v Stoke (home)

Jamie Paterson 95th minute v Portsmouth (home)

Last season we just had the one (Haji Wright at Molineux in the FA Cup) and there were none in 2023-24. The record season before this season was in 2021-22, the first season back at the CBS when there were four such victories:

Kyle McFadzean v Nottm. Forest (home)

Matt Godden v Reading (home)

Matt Godden v Bristol City (home)

Dom Hyam v Barnsley (home)

An interesting point about the nine home victories after the 90th minute is that all nine winning goals were scored at the South End of the stadium, in front of the noisiest section of the home fans. Having said that however 21 of this season’s 36 league goals have been scored at the North End with 15 at the South End.

Prior to the return to Coventry in 2021 late winning goals for the Sky Blues were very rare. Between 2005 and 2021 (excluding the three seasons at Northampton and Birmingham) I can only find three instances of added-time winning goals at the CBS. In the 2011-12 relegation season Gary McSheffrey scored a 92nd minute penalty winner over Leeds. The following season James Bailey got a late winner over Oldham and Leon Clarke scored a famous winner against Preston in the EFL Trophy. This season’s achievements therefore are unique in the club’s history.

The Sky Blues have now gone 16 league games without a draw since the 1-1 at Cardiff on New Years Day, the longest such run since 1984-85 season when they had a run of 21 games without a draw. The longest run in the club’s league history is 25 set in 1926-27. Four of those late winning goals have come during that 16 game run and without those vital goals the Sky Blues would be in mid-table now with 54 points and play-off hopes gone. 

Jim's column 5.3.22

Coventry City did it again on Saturday, scoring in added time for the ninth time this season with rookie Fabio Tavares scoring a spectacular equaliser in the 98th minute against Preston North End. This was just one week after the Sky Blues beat Barnsley in added time with Dom Hyam breaking Tykes' hearts with his close range finish in the 93rd minute. The winner against Barnsley was the fourth time this season that the Sky Blues have scored winning goals after the clock has passed ninety minutes, all in home games. Kyle McFadzean started the trend in the opening game against Nottingham Forest in the 96th minute. Matty Godden hit the 98th minute winner against Reading and the 92nd minute decider against Bristol City and Hyam made it four. I was checking my records and discovered that between 2003 and 2012 the team only scored one winning goal in added time! That was at QPR in 2007 when Kevin Kyle netted an injury time winner.

The five other goals the Sky Blues have scored in added time this season are:

Waghorn v Middlesbrough (h) 91st minute

Kane v Bournemouth (a) 94th minute

Godden v Huddersfield (a) 93rd minute

Godden v Peterborough (a) 91st minute

Tavares v Preston (h) 98th minute

Sandwiched between the Hyam and Tavares late goals we saw Viktor Gyokeres score an 89th minute winner at Ashton Gate in midweek. The Swede's winner is the seventh goal to come in the last ten minutes of the 90 minutes, which means 15 of City's 45 goals have been scored after the 80th minute and resulted in an extra points gained. An impressive record which seems to have been ignored by opponents.

City's Fankaty Dabo received his second red card of the season last week for denying Preston a goal-scoring opportunity by giving away a penalty. This follows his first dismissal versus Cardiff in September for dangerous play. He has now received his marching orders three times in City colours – the first being in his fourth league game for the club in 2019 at Portsmouth. The last City player to receive two red cards in a season was Kyle McFadzean last season. Dabo is now just one red card behind the club's record holder Paul Williams.

                                  Paul Williams

It's Legends Day next Saturday at the CBS Arena – the first since 2019 – and a big turnout of former players is expected with lots of ex-Sky Blues expected to attend. Two former managers, Gordon Milne and Bobby Gould, will be attending, Gordon for the first time. A good number of 1970s players will be appearing including Colin Stein, Ian Wallace, Dennis Mortimer and Garry Thompson as well as more recent players such as Dele Adebola, David Bell and Leon McKenzie and a good number of the 1987 team. New member Roland Nilsson is flying in from Sweden and will be making his Legends Day debut. The day is dedicated to George Curtis and John Sillett and their respective families will be special guests for the event. Make sure you're in the bowl during half-time when the legends will be making their customary entry to the pitch.