Jim's column 16.11.2021

What an incredible game against Bristol City last Saturday at the CBS Arena! Many fans were calling it the most exciting game since we were relegated from the Premier League twenty years ago and it's hard to think of many better. For the fourth time this season at the stadium the Sky Blues came from behind to win and the third occasion with a winner in added time. It's a testament to the team's never say die attitude, the level of fitness and the game management of Mark Robins. Bristol City, a team that had won on five of their seven visits to the stadium before Saturday, followed Nottingham Forest, Reading and Fulham in being turned over by a gutsy home performance.

One extra twist on Saturday was the fact that they did it with ten men, following the dismissal of Ian Maatsen on the stroke of half-time for a foul inside the penalty area which resulted in a spot-kick for the visitors. It's only the fourth time in the club's history that a ten-men City team have come from behind to win and the first since 1999 when Charlton Athletic succumbed 2-1 at Highfield Road after City's John Aloisi was shown a red card for lashing out at a far from innocent Danny Mills with the score 1-0 to the visitors. Goals from Noel Whelan and substitute Trond Soltvedt saw the Sky Blues home.

The other two occurrences were in away FA Cup games in the 1990s. In 1995, in a Third Round replay at the Hawthorns, City's Paul Cook was sent off early in the game before Albion took the lead just after half-time through Paul Raven. Minutes later the Baggies were also reduced to ten men when Darren Bradley saw red. Roared on by a large Sky Blue Army, City left it late but won the game through Dion Dublin and a brilliant solo effort from Peter Ndlovu. Perhaps as both teams finished with ten men it doesn't count.

The following season Ron Atkinson's team travelled to Plymouth for a Third Round tie. After eighteen minutes Dave Busst was ordered off for a foul on the edge of the penalty area. From the resulting free-kick Argyle took the lead through Ian Baird. Early in the second half ten-men City came to life and scored three goals in six minutes to clinch a 3-1 victory and a place in Round Four. The scorers were Ally Pickering, his only goal for the club in 75 appearances, John Salako and Paul Telfer.

Several readers have asked me if Coventry City's rise through the leagues has been matched or bettered by anyone in the same period. The low point, position-wise, for City was in February 2018 at Mansfield when a late controversial penalty by Jonson Clarke-Harris grabbed a point. After that game City were ninth in League Two (or 77th in the 92) and six points outside the play-off positions. Now they lie fourth in the Championship (24th in the 92) – an improvement of 53 places in just over three and a half years and the most spectacular rise in the club's history and even better than Jimmy Hill's on-field improvement.

Looking at the league tables back in February 2018 the only other club to jump two divisions in the intervening period are Luton Town, who led League Two on the date (69th in the 92). Luton currently stand 11th (31st in the 92)in the Championship, an improvement of 38 places. The next best club is Blackpool with a rise of 30 places to their current 10th place in the Championship. When one looks at teams currently in League One it is fascinating to see the big clubs that City have leapfrogged over in that time. Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland were all in the Championship that season whilst Wigan, Portsmouth and Bradford City were all in the top half of League One.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the 45th anniversary of Coventry City London Supporters Club's formation. Held in London, 70 City fans from the capital and the South East enjoyed a great evening and were joined by a large contingent from the football club including Joy Seppala, Tim Fisher, Mark Robins and Dave Boddy. It was great to catch up with many old friends who came out to celebrate a great milestone in CCLSC's history.

As one of the original eleven members I was asked to pay a tribute to the founder Colin Heys who was in attendance. Colin placed an advert in the Tottenham programme for City's game there in October 1976 and the following month organised the first get together. Colin, who has lived in Kent for all that time, was a leading light in CCLSC for many years but travelled all over the country watching the Sky Blues. He has now watched over 2200 matches and that includes a staggering run of 684 consecutive first team games over 13 ½ years.

If you have a question about the history or statistics of Coventry City please drop me an email at clarriebourton@gmail.com and follow me on Twitter @clarriebourton

Jim's column 19.11.2016

The Sky Blues unbeaten run that stretched back 14 games in all competitions to last April came to an end on Saturday at the Ricoh when Scunthorpe United did a smash and grab raid. Cov kid Graham Alexander has built a strong outfit and most people watching thought they were the best side City have faced at home this season.

The run, which comprised of eleven league games (six wins, five draws), two EFL Trophy ties (both won) plus a League Cup victory, was the best by the club since the late 1970s. In 1979-80 Gordon Milne's side went 14 without loss at home and the season before 16 without loss.

Before Saturday's defeat the team had also won four home games in a row – something they hadn't done since early 2007. Then, Iain Dowie's arrival as the replacement for Micky Adams sparked four wins, all in the league:

20.2.2007 Southampton (h) 2-1

4.3.2007 Hull City (h) 2-0

13.3.2007 Wolves (h) 2-1

17.3.2007 Barnsley (h) 4-1

However any hopes of reaching the play-offs were dashed by three straight home defeats (to Preston, QPR & West Brom). Interestingly Dele Adebola, not always a regular starter under Adams, netted four of the ten goals in those four games. The last time that City won five home games in a row was February/March 2002 under Roland Nilsson.

Regular reader Keith Ballantyne emailed me after I mentioned Dudley Roberts a few weeks ago wanting to no more of his career at City. He was the son of post-war City hero Ted Roberts who was renowned for his heading ability, a skill Dudley inherited and displayed by scoring prolifically at Cheylesmore School. After joining the Sky Blues as an apprentice in 1961 he was converted to a defensive wing half and played in City’s youth team with Bobby Gould and Pat Morrissey. In the autumn of 1965 he was called up to play at centre-forward for the reserve team after injuries to the regular strikers. Impressive performances earned him a first team call-up at Preston and he did not let the side down.

Four days after his debut Dudley played an important role in a 3-2 League Cup win at Maine Road and had a goal disallowed. His home debut against Charlton coincided with his 20^th birthday and he celebrated with two goals in a 3-1 win, one a close range shot from a Ken Hale cross, the second a trademark header. Goals against Plymouth, Portsmouth and Ipswich took his total to five in five. He missed several games through injury and when he was fit Jimmy Hill had signed Bury’s Ray Pointer to boost the attack.

Dudley made only five further appearances, one of them at right back during an injury crisis. When star striker George Hudson was controversially sold to Northampton his place went to Bobby Gould and Dudley stayed in the reserves. Dudley did not appear in the first team during the promotion season but was a virtual ever-present for the reserves. In Division 1 he made only one appearance, at Hillsborough in Jimmy Hill’s last game in charge.

In March 1968 he joined Mansfield Town for £6,000. He went straight into the first team at Field Mill and for the next six years he was a prolific scorer for the Stags. In total he scored 73 goals in 231 appearances and was the Third Division’s leading scorer in the 1970-71 season. Several big clubs expressed an interest in him and Mansfield rejected bids of £60,000 from top-flight clubs.

In 1974 he joined Scunthorpe where he had two successful years adding 17 more goals to his overall tally before a serious knee injury ended his career.

In 1969 he had married Rose McNulty, the original Sky Blue Rose from the Jimmy Hill era. Rose had been the first recorded voice that kept City fans up to date with news on the telephone in the days before mobile phones and text services. Rose and Dudley still live in Mansfield. Dudley spent 21 years with the Electricity Board and is now semi-retired, helping out with a local photographer. He has attended various CCFPA events and is a true gentleman.

On Thursday evening I had the pleasure of attending the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Coventry City London Supporters Club. Back in 1976 Colin Heys, a Kent-based fan known to many of City's travelling fans, put a small advert in the Tottenham v City programme asking any Coventry supporters living in London or the South East to contact him with a view to forming a club. At the first meeting, held at a West End pub, there were eleven of us and three of the founders, myself, Neil Hadden and Rod Dean were there on Thursday to celebrate 40 years. Former player Chris Cattlin was the guest of honour at the dinner and have an excellent speech on an emotional night of memories.