Penalty shoot-out hoodoo ended

Coventry City progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a penalty shoot-out victory over Sheffield Wednesday at the CBS Arena last Saturday evening. The victory ended a dreadful run of shoot-out defeats stretching back to 2019. Since then the Sky Blues had lost five in a row including the last two infamous ones at Wembley Stadium.

It was the 18^th penalty shoot-out that the club have been involved in since the first in a Simod/Full Members Cup at Reading in 1988 although the vast majority have taken place in the last 12 years. Before last Saturday City had lost five shoot-outs in a row, two in the FA Cup, one in the League Cup, one in the playoff final and one in the EFL Trophy. The last victory had been in an EFL Trophy game at Walsall in 2019. It was the first FA Cup tie that City have won in this manner following defeats to Sheffield United (1998), Birmingham (2020) and Man United (2024).

Once again Josh Eccles was on target and he has now scored his last five penalties in shoot-outs – more than any other City player.

The full list of penalty shoot-outs that the Sky Blues have been involved in are:

1987-88 Reading (a) (Simod/FM Cup) Lost 3-4

1997-98 Sheffield U (a) (FA Cup) Lost 1-3

2001-02 Peterborough (a) (League Cup) Won 4-2

2012-13 Burton Albion (h) (EFL trophy) Won 10-9

2012-13 Sheffield U (h) (EFL trophy) Won 4-1

2013-14 Leyton O (a) (EFL trophy) Lost 2-4

2015-16 Rochdale (a) (League Cup) Lost 3-5

2015-16 Yeovil (a) (EFL trophy) Lost 3-4

2016-17 Swansea U21 (a) (EFL trophy) Won 4-2

2017-18 Walsall (a) (EFL trophy) Won 4-3

2018-19 Forest Green (h) (EFL trophy) Won 4-2

2019-20 Walsall (h) (EFL trophy) Won 5-4

2019-20 Forest Green (EFL trophy) Lost 7-8

2019-20 Birmingham (a) (FA Cup) Lost 1-4

2020-21 Gillingham (a) (League Cup) Lost 4-5

2022-23 Luton (Play-off final) Lost 5-6

2023-24 Manchester U (FA Cup) Lost 2-4

2024-25 Sheffield W (h) (FA Cup) Won 4-3

There was an excellent attendance of 20,906 at the CBS Arena, albeit boosted by almost 5,000 Wednesday fans, and was the largest the club have had for a home Third Round tie since 1981when over 22,000 watched a Third round replay with Leeds United at Highfield Road.

Now the Sky Blues move on to the fourth round and face Premiership club Ipswich Town who defeated Bristol Rovers last weekend. City have only been drawn against the Suffolk side once in their FA Cup history, in the second round in 2019-20. The teams met at St Andrews and Will Keane gave the Tractor Boys the lead before substitute Callum O'Hare scored an equaliser in added time. In the replay the Sky Blues ran out 2-1 winners with first half goals from Jordan Shipley and Max Biamou sealed a third round tie with Bristol Rovers.

Jim's column 14.9.19

The Sky Blues pulled off a rare feat last Saturday in the home game with Blackpool - winning a game from 2-0 down. It was only the sixth time the club had achieved it in the last forty years as the first time in a league game for almost four years.

2019-20 Blackpool (h) 3-2

2016-17 Wycombe Wanderers (FL Trophy) (a) 4-2

2015-16 Peterborough (h) 3-2

2014-15 Peterborough (h) 3-2

1995-96 Tottenham (League Cup) (h) 3-2

1985-86 Southampton (h) 3-2

1980-81 West Ham (League Cup) (h) 3-2

1970-71 Derby (a) 4-3

1963-64 Peterborough (h) 3-2

The last time the Sky Blues won from 2-0 down in an away league game was in a famous win at Derby's Baseball Ground in 1970. That night City were not only 0-2 down but had seen their new £100,000 record signing Wilf Smith stretchered off in the first few minutes. Kevin Hector and Alan Hinton put the Rams 2-0 ahead in the first thirteen minutes but goals from Neil Martin & Dave Clements pulled  City level by half-time. Martin put City ahead early in the second half before John McGovern made it 3-3. Bill Glazier saved a Hinton penalty before Willie Carr popped up with the winner two minutes from time.

Last Saturday’s win was also the first time City have come from behind to win a home league game since April 2016 when City trailed Millwall 1-0 before second half goals from John Fleck and Marcus Tudgay gave City a 2-1 victory. There have been comebacks away, at Swindon and Lincoln in 2017-18 and at Charlton last term, and in Cup games v Morecambe and Wycombe, but it’s three and half years since the last home league comeback.

Lots of people have asked me when the Sky Blues last won their first four home league games and you have to go back 46 years to 1973. Then Gordon Milne’s team had an excellent start with five straight home victories over Tottenham, Liverpool, Southampton, Manchester City and Derby. Let’s hope the boys can keep the run going next Tuesday evening against AFC Wimbledon.

The Sky Blues fought out a poor 0-0 draw in their first outing in the Football League Trophy, sponsored this season by Leasing.com, against Walsall at St Andrews last week. Fielding a team mainly made up of youngsters, City got the extra point by virtue of winning a penalty shoot out.

It was the fourth penalty shoot-out win in a row for the club in what was the twelfth shoot-out and they have all been in the Football League Trophy (FLT). Prior to 2012 the Sky Blues had only ever taken part in three penalty shoot-outs since they were introduced into domestic games in 1976. In 1988 City lost at Reading in a Simod Cup semi-final, in 1998 they lost to Sheffield United in an FA Cup quarter final replay and in 2001 they won a League Cup tie at Peterborough. Since the last defeat, in October 2015 at Yeovil in the FLT, their record has been as follows:

2016-17 Swansea (a) won 4-2

2017-18 Walsall (a) won 4-3

2018-19 Forest Green (h) won 4-2

2019-20 Walsall (h) won 4-3

Their overall record in penalty shoot-outs is played twelve, won seven, lost five.

Jim's column 28.1.2017

Coventry City's relegation-threatened team are just ninety minutes from Wembley after a successful penalty shoot-out at Swansea's Liberty Stadium on Tuesday evening. After a stuttering ninety minutes the young Sky Blues team made their experience count from the penalty spot with George Thomas, Gael Bigirimana, Kyel Reid and Ruben Lameiras all netting and Reice Charles-Cook saving two of the four Swansea efforts.

The penalty shoot-out success ended a run of three losses from similar sudden death endings. Last season they lost shoot-outs at Rochdale and Yeovil and in 2013 they lost at Leyton Orient, managed at the time by Russell Slade. The last victory from a penalty competition before Tuesday was a Football League Trophy game against Sheffield United in 2012 when a Joe Murphy master-class helped the Sky Blues to a 4-1 victory. City's record in all shoot-outs since their first at Reading in the Simod (Full Members) Cup in 1988, is now played nine, won four and lost five.

Saturday's league defeat to Fleetwood was manager Russell Slade's fifth league game in charge and he has still to record a victory. Several people asked me whether this is a record for a new Coventry manager. I've looked back at previous incoming managers (excluding caretakers) and Russell has some way to go to break the record, set in 1967 by Noel Cantwell. The Irishman, in his first management post, took over from Jimmy Hill before the Tottenham home game on October 14^th and did not record his first victory until December 16^th when a Bobby Gould hat-trick helped secure a 5-1 victory over Burnley. In his first nine league games in charge the team drew four and lost five.

Other incoming managers who had poor starts are Joe Mercer in 1972 – his team failed to win any of their first six games, and Terry Butcher who despite a thrilling 5-4 League Cup win over Nottingham Forest, similarly failed to win six league games after succeeding John Sillett in 1990.

On the flip side, the best incoming manager has to be Roland Nilsson who was unbeaten in his first 11 league games after replacing Gordon Strachan in September 2001. The great Harry Storer won his first five games at the start of his second stint as manager in 1948 – pulling the team away from the Second Division basement. In 1961 Jimmy Hill won four of his first five games in charge after replacing Billy Frith.

Chatting to former City chairman Joe Elliott recently he mentioned that his first ever City game was a friendly against Preston North End in 1956 and could I provide some details. The game took place on 28 January 1956, the day of the FA Cup Fourth Round. Both sides were out of the Cup so organised a friendly game at Highfield Road. First Division North End fielded 10 of the players who had beaten league leaders Manchester United 3-1 seven days previously, including one of the country's top stars Tom Finney.

City, fifth in Division Three South, had recently lost their manager, Jesse Carver, who had returned to Italy just months after arriving with a fanfare. His number two George Raynor was in charge and named the following team:

Reg Matthews: Frank Austin, Charlie Timmins: Iain Jamieson, Roy Kirk, Noel Simpson: Eric Johnson, Denis Uphill, Ken McPherson, Peter Hill, Ray Sambrook.

The weather was dismal with driving rain turning the pitch into a muddy quagmire and keeping the crowd down to 13,700. Many of the crowd came to see Finney – in those days before television was saturated with football, top stars had to be seen in the flesh and Finney had never played before at Highfield Road. They weren't disappointed as the England international right-winger turned on a magical display and Nemo wrote in the Coventry Telegraph: 'try as they might, neither Charlie Timmins nor Frank Austin, who swopped with his full-back partner in the second half, could do a thing with the Preston wizard'.

McPherson gave City a second minute lead following a 'gigantic goal-kick by Matthews' but Finney equalised from the penalty spot soon afterwards. Evans made it 2-1 for the visitors just before the break but in the second half North End were the superior side described by Nemo 'playing some of the best precision passing I have seen on a heavy pitch'.

Finney and Foster scored further goals with 'unstoppable shots' as Preston ran out 4-1 victors. Poor old Timmins failed to stop Finney once, 'I had not enough energy left to even shake hands with Finney afterwards', laughed Charlie after the game.

Two days later City hosted another top side in a friendly, San Lorenzo of Argentina. That, however, is a story for another day.

Jim's column 10.10.2015

The Sky Blues bowed out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy at League Two Yeovil on Tuesday evening after losing a penalty shoot-out for the second time this season.

It was the fifth penalty shoot-out City have been involved with in the last four seasons & after winning the first two (Burton and Sheffield United in 2012-13), they have now lost three in a row (Leyton Orient 2013-14 and Rochdale and Yeovil this season). Prior to 2012 the Sky Blues had only ever taken part in three penalty shoot-outs since they were introduced into domestic games in 1976. In 1988 City lost at Reading in a Simod Cup semi-final, in 1998 they lost to Sheffield United in an FA Cup quarter final replay and in 2001 they won a League Cup tie at Peterborough. Their overall record therefore is played eight, won three, lost five.

Admittedly on Tuesday night City had a much-changed line up from the sparkling win over Shrewsbury and were missing the speed merchants, Armstrong and Kent, but it was a poor outcome from the first hurdle on the road to Wembley. Many fans will say: 'at least we can concentrate on the league now' which is something Jimmy Hill did as manager in the 1963-64 and 1966-67 promotion seasons. In the former season, Hill, remembering how the previous season's FA Cup run had damaged the team's promotion hopes, was not unhappy to leave both major Cup competitions early on. Then in 1966-67 the team tumbled out of the League Cup at the first hurdle to Third |Division Brighton and left the FA Cup at the first attempt in a 3-4 thriller with Newcastle at Highfield Road. Hill never openly admitted to a lack of interest in the Cups in those seasons but it was common knowledge that he wasn't that upset about the defeats which enabled him to focus on promotion.

On Twitter the other day, someone posed the question: Did Coventry City ever have a player called Andy Williams, and the answer is yes.

Andy was born in Dudley in 1962 and was late coming into professional football after serving an apprenticeship at a local firm which gave him accountancy qualifications. He played as an amateur for Dudley Town and was appearing for Solihull Borough in his spare time when Coventry City spotted him in 1985. Don Mackay was the City manager at the time and Andy took two weeks off work to have a trial with the Sky Blues. A midfield player, he appeared in two reserve games and did enough to warrant an offer of a full-time professional contract.

Within a few months he was given his chance in the first team, as a substitute in a 0-3 home defeat to Liverpool, when he came on for Greg Downs in the 73^rd minute. City had an injury crisis at the time and Graham Rodger also made his debut and young striker Gareth Evans played only his second game.

                                                          Andy Williams

Andy went back to the reserves but got another chance in early 1986 with his first start, at home to Aston Villa as a stand-in for the injured Dave Bennett in a 3-3 draw and he set up a goal for Cyrille Regis.

Andy played in a 1-0 win at Oxford and a 2-3 defeat at Newcastle however manager Mackay bought another midfielder Nick Pickering soon afterwards and Andy was unable to win a first team place, other than on the bench. The following season, after one further substitute appearance he was on his way to Rotherham United with Evans in exchange for Dean Emerson.

Rotherham, a struggling Third Division club at the time, were boosted by the arrival of the two youngsters and Williams scored the winning goal against Bolton on his debut, while Evans finished as the club’s leading scorer with 11 goals. Andy played 87 games over two seasons with the Millers before joining Leeds United in 1988. He was never a regular at Elland Road but over four seasons made 50-odd appearances including 15 games in the 1990 Second Division championship team alongside Gordon Strachan, David Batty and Gary Speed.

In 1992 he joined Notts County, then a First Division side, but couldn’t keep them in the top flight. He returned to Rotherham in 1993 but failed to have the same impact at Millmoor as the first time around and moved on to Hull City two years later. He returned to Coventry with the Tigers for a League Cup tie in 1995 but was on the losing side. His last league appearances were for Scarborough in 1996-97.

The last I heard, Andy was based in the Rotherham area and ran the local council rents arrears office, putting the knowledge he gleaned before his playing career to good use.

Jim's column 15.12.2012

The goals are pouring in for the Sky Blues. Last Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Walsall made it 18 goals in the last six league games and 33 for the season, a total only bettered by Tranmere & Bournemouth in the division. The Sky Blues only need another eight goals to equal the total for the whole of last season and have already scored more goals away from home (18) than in the whole of last season (13). McGoldrick’s golden spell continues – he has scored 13 league and 2 cup goals. He has already scored more league goals than City’s top scorer in nine of the last ten seasons. In that period only Gary McSheffrey in 2005-06, with 15, has bettered McGoldrick’s haul this season. The Forest loanee is pushing some of City’s leading seasonal league goalscorers over the last 40 years:

Ian Wallace (21) in 1977-78

Dion Dublin (18) in 1997-98

Micky Quinn (17) in 1992-93

Terry Gibson (17) in 1983-84

Gary McSheffrey (15) in 2005-06

Ian Wallace (15) in 1978-79

The victory over the Saddlers was the biggest win at home since January 2006 when, on Dennis Wise’s debut, Derby were defeated 6-1. It was also the first time City have come from behind to win a home league game since January 2009 when goals from Guillaume Beuzelin and Michael Mifsud gave City a 2-1 win over Blackpool. It’s been a long time coming!

Walsall skipper Andy Butler received his marching orders ten minutes from time and became the first red card in a City game this season. City haven’t had any players sent off yet and the club’s disciplinary record has been marginally better this season – they had received two red cards by this stage last season – a factor which will hopefully avoid suspensions as the season progresses. And is it my imagination but there seems to be less injuries than in recent campaigns, although we still await the appearance this season of David Bell.

Lee Jones emailed with a couple of questions. The first was regarding the famous 2-2 draw with Bristol City that saw both sides avoiding relegation at the end of the 1976-77 season. He had noticed that this game (along with the Everton v Sunderland game) were both played on a Thursday night, and wondered if there was any particular reason why these two games were held back, as none of the teams were involved in any cup competitions, and the rest of the First division programme had already been completed. Lee, the original game had been postponed a couple of times (on 1^st January and 1^st March) because of the weather - it was one of the worst winters for many years. Many clubs had fixture backlogs and although the final day of the season had been scheduled for the previous Saturday there were 12 outstanding games after that date. In those days there was no requirement for clubs to play their final games on the same day. There was however only one outstanding issue and that was who would be relegated with Stoke City and Tottenham. Bristol, who had been favourites to go down a week earlier had given themselves a fighting chance by beating champions Liverpool 2-1 on the Monday night. Sunderland, who had been 16^th of 22 clubs following the last Saturday’s results, were suddenly into play and had to travel to Goodison Park. The draw at Highfield Road meant that Sunderland were relegated and bitter Sunderland fans have never forgiven Coventry or their chairman Jimmy Hill who they accused of deliberately delaying the kick-off of the game to give City some advantage. The games that night were not the final games of the Division One season – there were two games the following Monday night.

Lee’s second query is regarding a programme for the last day escape against Everton, played at Highfield Road on Sunday 26th May 1985. He wondered if there was ever actually a programme printed for this game, as after much searching he has only been able to trace ones for the date that the game was originally due to be played - 9th February, 1985. Lee, there was a four-page insert, with updated stats and team line ups, printed and sold with the original programme on the Sunday morning.

 

Two updates to last week’s column. First, Geoff Moore pointed out that City haven’t scored every penalty in shoot-outs this season. Richard Wood actually missed the 10^th penalty in the Burton shoot-out before Joe Murphy saved Burton’s 10^th and scored City’s 11^th to win the tie.

Secondly. Keith Ballantyne remembers the Bristol Rovers cup-tie in 1963 and recalls Rovers playing in red and white striped shirts (not blue and white stripes).

The Former Players Association Christmas stall was a great success last Saturday and £300 was raised for the Association. The stall will be repeated next Saturday at the Preston game in the foyer of the G-Casino. On sale to raise funds for the FPA will be books, shirts, signed images of Keith Houchen’s Wembley goal (only £10) and various other memorabilia ideal for Christmas presents for Sky Blue fans. Thanks to everyone who generously bought items.

Jim's column 8.12.2012

The Sky Blues took another step on the road to a Wembley final by defeating Sheffield United in the Northern Quarter Final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. A tense game ended 1-1 and the Sky Blues made it two penalty shoot out wins this season, winning 4-1 with all City’s takers successful. That makes it fourteen penalties in shootouts and no misses following the 10-9 victory over Burton Albion in round one.

It was only the third penalty shoot out involving the Sky Blues since the dramatic FA Cup defeat by penalties at Bramall Lane in 1998 – when City had looked strong bets to reach the semi final. The first was at Peterborough in a League Cup tie in 2001.

The result on Tuesday meant that the Sky Blues have now scored in 19 consecutive League & Cup games, the best run by a City side since the 1966-67 Second Division promotion season. That season Jimmy Hill’s side set the club record by scoring in 29 consecutive games between a 0-1 defeat at Millwall in early September 1966 and a 0-0 draw at Northampton in March 1967. The current run is the third best of all time – the second best was way back in 1927.

Arthur Warner had an interesting question last week.  He reminded me that the last time City played in the Second round of the FA Cup was season 1963-64, when they met Bristol Rovers at Highfield Road. City lost 2-1, but went on to win the Third Division that season. Arthur was at the game, and seemed to recall that City played in their change strip of all red and Bristol played in their famous blue and white quarters. He seemed to remember that in those days, if there was a clash of colours, the home side had to change. Arthur, you are half right. The FA rules at that time stated that if there was a colour clash both sides had to change unless the two teams reached an agreement. As a result there were lots of instances of both teams changing including several finals – 1956 Birmingham v Manchester City, 1957 Aston Villa v Manchester United and 1968 West Brom v Everton. City played at Everton in 1966 and both sides wore their change kit as they also did in cup ties against Leicester City and Huddersfield in the 1950s. The last instance of City appearing in their change kit in an FA Cup tie at home was in 1977 when Millwall visited for a Third Round tie and were beaten by a sole Bobby McDonald goal. Two years later West Brom visited Highfield Road in the third round and the Baggies changed into their away kit because of a clash. I can only assume that West Brom were happy to change because the rules still stated that both teams should change. The FA did amend the rules at some stage in recent years and now the rule is the same as league games – the away team has to change. As for the Bristol game in 1963 City definitely played in their Sky Blue kit and Bristol, who had temporarily abandoned their famous blue quartered shirts in the early 1960s, played in blue and white striped shirts which the referee obviously didn’t consider there was a clash of colours.

Arthur went on to tell me that his first City game was in April 1952, aged six, when he watched City lose 0-2 at home to Sheffield Wednesday – a result that virtually sealed City’s relegation to Division Three. And his Dad’s favourite player was….Clarrie Bourton.

If you are looking for a good football book to give as a Christmas present (assuming you have all of mine!) then I would recommend Chris Arnot’s Fields of Dreams. Chris is a locally-based freelance writer and has written an evocative story of 25 famous football grounds that are no longer with us. From Ayresome Park to the Vetch Field and from Highbury to Highfield Road, Chris combines expressive descriptions of the old grounds with fans memories of great moments at their old grounds. The photographs are excellent with pictures of a bygone era mixed with images of the final games at many grounds. This is a must for anybody interested in the history of the game and grounds and is published by Step Beach Press and costs £19.95.

Talking of Christmas gifts, today the Former Players Association are running a Christmas stall in the foyer of the G-Casino. On sale to raise funds for the FPA are books, shirts, signed images of Keith Houchen’s Wembley goal (only £10) and various other memorabilia ideal for Christmas presents for Sky Blue fans. If it is successful the stall will be repeated at the Preston home game in a fortnight.

Jim's Column 8.9.2012

                                                 The 'other' Jimmy Hill

On Tuesday evening a sparse crowd of 5,437, the lowest home crowd since 1985*, watched City’s debut in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy against League Two side Burton Albion. The suffering fans were subjected to a lacklustre ninety minutes football followed by a thrilling 19-goal penalty shoot out culminating in a Coventry City victory courtesy of the hero of the hour Joe Murphy. The Irish goalkeeper has taken a lot of stick from some fans since he stepped into Keiren Westwood’s shoes last season, but on Tuesday evening he not only saved Burton’s  tenth and eleventh penalties but stepped up to score the twenty second penalty of the night to make it 10-9 to the Sky Blues and secure a place in the last 32 of the competition.

For the Sky Blues it was their first penalty shootout since 2001 when, in a League Cup tie at Peterborough, after the teams had been level at 2-2 after 120 minutes, City triumphed 4-2 on penalties. The few hundred fans who travelled to Peterborough that day probably remember it as the day that Manhattan Twin Towers were destroyed by Al Queda (11 September) and the game should not really have gone ahead in respect of the dead. City’s successful penalty takers that night were David Thompson, Jay Bothroyd, Lee Hughes and Lee Carsley with only Magnus Hedman missing. Before Tuesday Hedman was the only Sky Blue goalkeeper to take a penalty in a shootout.

Penalty shootouts were introduced into domestic football in 1976 when the League Cup adopted them if a replay was inconclusive after 120 minutes but other lesser competitions introduced them for swifter conclusions and City’s first shootout was in 1988 in the Simod Cup semi-final at Reading. With the scores level at 1-1 after 120 minutes City lost the shootout 4-3 after leading 2-0 and the Second Division side went on to Wembley.

The only other shootout in a City competitive game was in the FA Cup in 1998. After defeating Aston Villa in round five City were hot favourites to beat Second Division Sheffield United to clinch a semi final place. However a laboured 1-1 draw at Highfield Road saw the Sky Blues travel to Bramall Lane for a replay. An early paul Telfer goal looked to have won the tie but the Blades equalised with virtually the last kick of the game and a goalless extra time meant penalties. Kicking into the rabid United Kop end City’s penalty takers froze (including the normally deadly Dion Dublin) and the Blades triumphed 3-1.

During the summer I received an email from Alan White of Binley regarding the ‘other’ Jimmy Hill who played for Coventry City in the 1950's. Alan believed he was a Binley boy and that his late Dad often used to tell him that he knew him well. He recently acquired a programme of the Millwall v Coventry game played at the Den on Boxing Day 1955 in the old Division 3 South. In the City line-up at no.11 is Hill.J , along with Matthews, Austin, Timmins, Jamieson, Kirk, Harvey, Moore, Uphill, McPherson and P.Hill.

Although Jimmy possibly lived in Binley he came from Wishaw in Scotland where he was born in 1931. As a 17-year old Jimmy Hill looked set to be an outstanding left-winger as he dazzled for City’s youth team, Modern Machines FC and was given his debut at Hull in 1949. His first team chances however were limited and it was only after Norman Lockhart left for Aston Villa in 1952 that Hill won a regular place. He played 68 games and scored eight goals before losing the left wing berth first to Colin Collindridge then later to the prodigious Ray Sambrook and he moved to Millwall in an effort to get first team football. His stay at the Den was short and he went on to play for Wisbech Town and Shrewsbury. I am pretty sure he lived in Coventry until his death in 1993.

  * In 1985 1,086 watched a Full Members Cup game at Highfield Road against Millwall when neither side could progress in the competition.