Jim's column 10.12.2016

Coventry City's miserable season hit another low on Sunday as they capitulated to League Two Cambridge United in their FA Cup clash. For the third season running the Sky Blues have been knocked out of the competition by a club from a lower status; Cambridge following Worcester City and Northampton Town as David's to City's Goliath. Few City fans travelled with confidence but the size of the defeat, 4-0, was a shock, being the club's heaviest loss to a lower status club since they first entered the Cup in 1895. Before Sunday City had lost only once by more than two goals to a lesser club – in 1922 as a Division 2 side they were defeated 3-0 at New Brighton from the Lancashire Combination in the equivalent of the First Round.

Another record set on Sunday was the four goals by Cambridge's Luke Berry – the first man to score four against the club in an FA Cup game. Berry has never been a prolific scorer – in 2014-15 he made 31 appearances for Barnsley and scored once – but it was a day to remember for him on Sunday. Berry is only the fourth opposition player to score four in a game since the war, the others being:-

1946-47 Jackie Gibbons (Bradford P.A. A) City lost 1-5

1983-84 Ian Rush (Liverpool A) City lost 0-5

2000-01 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (Chelsea A) City lost 1-6

Since JFH's four goals sixteen years ago, City have only had seven hat-tricks scored against them, and two of them came on successive Saturdays in 2013 when Nahki Wells (Bradford City) and Ryan Lowe (Tranmere) netted three each. The last FA Cup hat-trick by an opponent was by Colchester's Rowan Vine in 2004 in a 3-1 replay defeat at Layer Road.

I always rely on fellow City historian Geoff Moore when it comes to City's youngest and oldest teams and he has been in touch recently. City's youngest ever starting line up was at Manchester City in November 1980 when Gordon Milne put out a side with an average age of 21 years and 58 days.

That team was: Les Sealey (23), Steve Jacobs (19), Brian Roberts (25), Andy Blair (20), Paul Dyson (20), Gary Gillespie (20), Peter Bodak (19), Garry Thompson (21), Mark Hateley (19), Danny Thomas (19), Steve Hunt (24). Nine homegrown players plus Gillespie who was signed as a 17-year old.

Geoff informs me that the youngest starting team this season was Scunthorpe (h) with an average age of 22 years 59 days but for the FLT game at Wycombe last month the average was 21 years 120 days. That line up was:

Charles-Cook (22), Dion Kelly-Evans (20), Sterry (21), Finch (20), Turnbull (22), Harries (19), Lameiras (21), Rose (26), Maycock (18),Thomas (19), McBean (21).

At half-time Haynes (21), Jones (19) and Bigirimana (23) were introduced for Sterry, Rose and Lameiras, bringing the average age down to 20 years 274 days, the youngest Coventry City side on the pitch for a competitive game.

Robert Yates enjoyed my piece last week on the two memorable games 50 years ago. He wrote:

'I remember that season well, going to all the home games and selected away games, I was 18 that year, and not having my own car yet, took the trip to the Wolves game on the Red House coach, probably costing about 7/6d. I was on the South Bank at Molineux, rather conspicuous in my blue mac and sky blue 6 foot college scarf, but it was an incredible game, and with your details from the game, it could have happened yesterday, but I remember Gibson's goal at our end and as you say, a lot of Wolves pressure after that.

After Wolves had equalized, and were pressing hard, there was an amazing miss by Ernie Hunt, but some local guys behind me said, "Eh, you don't support this lot , do you mate?" after that City scored two more goals and I looked around and my local commentators had disappeared!

The Ipswich game was also incredible on the Friday night as they were top of the league at the time, and I remember the headlines in the Coventry Telegraph the next day; "Sky Blues G-men (Gould and Gibson) Grill the Leaders". John Key scored in both games and was a very under-rated player on the right wing.

Amazing, that then you had to catch up with the stories mainly in the 'Pink' and other papers, there was no local radio phone ins!'

Jim's column 17.11.2012

Keith Ballantyne emailed to ask me to list all the instances of City losing to lower league opposition in Cup matches since the 1961-62 defeat to Kings Lynn.

I will start this week by listing the FA Cup games, and cover the League Cup ties next week.

Since the 1-2 defeat at the hands of Southern League Kings Lynn in November 1961 City have lost to lower league (or non-league) clubs on 13 occasions:

1967-68 v Tranmere Rovers (a) 0-2 after 1-1 draw

1970-71 v Rochdale (a) 1-2

1971-72 v Hull City (h) 0-1

1979-80 v Blackburn Rovers (a) 0-1

1983-84 v Sheff. Wed (a) 2-3

1988-89 v Sutton United (a) 1-2

1989-90 v Northampton T.(a) 0-1

1991-92 v Cambridge U.(a) 0-1 after 1-1 draw

1997-98 v Sheff. United (a) 1-1 (lost on pens) after 1-1 draw

1999-00 v Charlton (h) 2-3

2002-03 v Rochdale (a) 0-2

2003-04 v Colchester (a) 1-3 after 1-1 draw

2006-07 v Bristol City (h) 0-2 after 3-3 draw

Rochdale feature twice on the list and also knocked the City out of the competition in 1920. Thankfully Morecambe won the replay on Tuesday night and will travel to Coventry for the first time in their history.

 Last Saturday’s attendance for the Scunthorpe home game (9,892) was the lowest Saturday home league gate since October 1993 when 9,837 watched City draw 1-1 with Southampton in what was Bobby Gould’s last home match as City’s manager. 

Last month I wrote an obituary to former City player Stan Smith and said I thought he had played for Bedworth after retiring from the professional game. Bedworth historian Alan Robinson kindly filled in some more detail on Stan’s career:

 Further to your article in the October 13th issue of the Telegraph, I can confirm that Stan Smith did play for Bedworth Town - in the 1955-56 season.

I am attaching a team picture taken before the first home match of that season (August 22nd, 1955, against Rugby Town) with Stan standing with his arms folded second right at the back.

Stan was tempted to the Oval by his former Coventry City team-mate Dick Mason who had taken over as the Greenbacks player-manager.

Apart from Stan and Dick, the Bedworth side that season included two other former Sky Blues - Norman Smith and trainer Bob Ward.

Manager Mason had also recruited goalkeeper Ron Floyd straight from Crewe Alexandra and centre-half Ron Dickinson from Shrewsbury Town.

                                         

                                        Bedworth Town 1955-56

The Bedworth team picture shows the following:

Back row (left to right): Geoff Palmer, Dick Mason (player-manager), Ron Floyd, Ron Dickinson, Gerry Belcher, Stan Smith, Bob Ward (trainer).

Front row: Roy Dayers, Peter Spacey, Eddie Fowkes, Norman Smith, Herbert Morrow.

The mascot is Peter Spacey, junior.)

Finally, I hear that former Sky Blue player Philippe Clement has been appointed as Caretaker-Manager at his former club FC Brugge. The Belgian midfielder, now aged 38, was signed from KRC Genk by Gordon Strachan in 1998 but made only 16 appearances (eight as substitute) for the Sky Blues before returning to Belgium the following summer to join Brugge. Over the next 10 years he made almost 300 appearances and won 38 caps for his country. Clement, who retired from playing in 2011, was handed the job following the departure of George Leekens last week. His first game in charge was a 2-2 draw with Newcastle in the Europa League. Last weekend however his team slumped to a 6-1 defeat at Anderlecht and are languishing in ninth place in the Jupiler League.