The perception of many
City's fans is that historically City have always conceded more late
goals than they have scored so I thought it worthwhile doing some
research on the subject. The table below shows that in the last two
seasons in the Championship (under Aidy Bothroyd & Andy Thorn)
the side conceded far more late goals than they scored.
Goals scored after
80 minutes (all games)
|
|
By City
|
By Opponents
|
|---|---|---|
|
2009-10 (Coleman)
|
11
|
7
|
|
2010-11 (Bothroyd/Thorn)
|
6
|
8
|
|
2011-12 (Thorn)
|
6
|
17
|
|
2012-13 (Thorn/Robins/Pressley)
|
18
|
11
|
|
2013-14 (Pressley)
|
15
|
13
|
Some fans will remember
conceding late goals in those seasons to lose at Crystal Palace,
Blackpool, Ipswich and at home to Norwich & Burnley to name but a
few. In League One however City have definitely outdone their
opponents. This season those 15 late goals for the Sky Blues have on
11 occasions resulted in wins or draws, and we are only just past the
halfway mark of the season. Of course late goals that count for
something (a win or draw) send the fans home buzzing - the late
equalisers at Wolves, Preston at at home to Preston all seemed like
victories at the time not to mention the late winners at Barnsley,
Rotherham, MK Dons and at home to Hartlepool, Bristol City &
Gillingham. On the other side of the coin it is clear that City are
still vulnerable to late goals themselves. Of their four away league
defeats, three have been because of goals after the 80 minute mark
(Crawley, Port Vale & Swindon) plus the League Cup exit at
Orient.
Dean Nelson, an avid
City fan who has an amazing collection of videos & clips of City
games not to mention hundreds of film clips of old Coventry, has been
in touch asking for more information on a little-known City friendly
game in 1963.
The winter of 1962-63
was the worst in living memory and City didn't play a game between
Boxing Day and the last week in February. Game after game was called
off because of snowbound or icy pitches as the country virtually
ground to a halt. At the end of January after the coming Saturday’s
game at Shrewsbury was postponed manager Jimmy Hill grasped the
nettle. A call to Manchester United’s manager Matt Busby resulted
in a hastily arranged friendly in Dublin. Hill always seeking
publicity for the club, had realised that Ireland was far less badly
hit by the weather and using his contacts in the Fair isle organised
this tasty friendly. Hill had first tried Joe Mercer at Aston Villa
but Joe’s players were worried about getting injured. Busby however
was more adventurous and, like Hill, was desperate for his team to
get some competitive play, and duly put out his strongest team
including his expensive forward line of : Johnny Giles, Albert
Quixall, David Herd, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton. On a day when only
four games were played on the English mainland City and United met at
Shamrock Rovers’ Glenmalure Park in a game that belied the two
division’s difference in the club’s status. With United’s stars
rattled by City’s enthusiasm City recovered from an early Quixall
goal to lead 2-1 at half-time thanks to goals from Ronnie Farmer and
Jimmy Whitehouse. With Willie Humphries and Ronnie Rees giving Shay
Brennan and Noel Cantwell an uncomfortable afternoon and Brian Hill
marking Law like a limpit City had chances to increase their lead.
Bobby Charlton finally saved United’s red faces nine minutes from
time with an equaliser but Coventry City had made an impression, and
made a few bob from a 15,000 crowd.
The following Saturday,
again after another early postponement (a home game with Port Vale)
City flew to Cork to play Wolves in a friendly. Whilst not the force
they had been in the late 1950s, Wolves were in the top six in
Division One (higher than Manchester United) and fielded experienced
internationals Ron Flowers and Peter Broadbent. On a miserably wet
day, the muddy pitch suited Wolves’ style perfectly and although
City had chances in the first half, Wolves’ strength and experience
told and they ran out 3-0 winners in front of a drowned crowd of
6,500.
Last week I wrote a
tribute to Albert McCann and David Selby, an Essex-based City fan who
is also a director of Chelmsford City reminded me that Albert played
for Chelmsford. David writes:
'He
was released by Portsmouth in 1974 and went to play in South Africa
where he no doubt played with Bobby Kellard, who was also in South
Africa at the time. He made his debut for Chelmsford City in February
1976 some 6 weeks after Kellard had taken over as City Manager, as
City lost 2-0 at Telford United and went on to make 11 appearances
before leaving the Club at the end of the 1975-1976 season. He had
originally signed a contract for a month but saw the season out. His
second appearance saw City win 3-0 at home to Wimbledon to earn
Kellard his first league win as Manager, at the eighth time of
asking. He scored 1 goal for City, in a 4-0 home win over Wealdstone
in April 1976'. Alberts's son Mark tells me that Albert found the
travelling to Chelmsford too tiring and so joined Waterlooville (now
Havant and Waterlooville) where another ex-Pompey player Jim Storrie
was the manager.
Follow me on Twitter @clarriebourton
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