Jim's column 22.4.23

A thrilling few days in the Championship saw the teams chasing the four play-off places concertina after some surprising results. Luton and Middlesbrough have tied up third and fourth places but the race for the two remaining places still has seven clubs contesting for them with two others, Watford and Swansea, not mathematically out of the picture. It's crazy to think that with only three games remaining the Sky Blues could finish anywhere from fifth place to thirteenth.

The Sky Blues' dramatic finish at Blackburn kept them in the hunt for a play-off place and the team now have two home games to confirm their credentials for a top six finish. Whatever the outcome the team have performed beyond all expectations to still be in the race at this stage. One factor in the success has been the away form since February. Since losing at West Brom on 3^rd February they are unbeaten in eight away games with four wins and four draws. This is the best unbeaten away run since 2020 when Mark Robins' team were unbeaten in eight away games from December through till the start of lockdown in March. You have to go back to 1988 for a longer run – John Sillett's team went ten away games unbeaten. The club record is 12, set by Jimmy Hill's promotion team in 1966-67.

Ben Wilson has to get a mention this week. Not only has he set a new club record for the number of clean sheets (currently 19) but also for his unbelievable equalising goal at Ewood Park on Wednesday evening. He became only the second Coventry goalkeeper to score a goal in a competitive game – the other was Steve Ogrizovic at Hillsborough in 1986. Ben's goal, nudged home at close range from a stunning Hamer corner, was very different to Oggy's 80-yard punt which caught the wind and bounced over Wednesday 'keeper Martin Hodge, but both goals earned their scorers a place in the club's history.

The 19th clean sheet at Loftus Road beat the club record for a season set by Harry Storer's mean defence in 1938-39 and equalled by Billy Frith's Division Four promotion team in 1958-59. The 1939 record was however set in a 42-game season.

Viktor Gyokeres' goals at QPR took him to 20 league goals for the season – the first City player to reach this target since Marc McNulty in the League Two promotion season in 2017-18. Gyokeres joins an elite list of City strikers to reach 20 goals in a Sky Blue shirt over the last 50 years. Bobby Gould was the last Coventry player to score 20 goals in tier two, in the 1966-67 promotion season, since then the following have reached 20.

                                  Bobby Gould

1977-78 Ian Wallace (Division One) 21 goals in 41 games

2013-14 Callum Wilson (League One) 21 goals in 37 games

2017-18 Marc McNulty (League Two) 23 goals in 40 games (plus 2 subs)

2022-23 Viktor Gyokeres (Championship) 20 goals in 41 games (plus 2 subs)

When you consider the top City strikers who have donned the Sky Blue shirt in the period, for example Cyrille Regis, Terry Gibson, Dion Dublin, Gary McSheffrey, Viktor's performance is exceptional. He has now scored 40 league goals for the club a total which brings him level with Bobby Gould and Neil Martin in the all-time table of the club's leading scorers. Amazingly two more goals will lift him into the all-time top twenty.

I heard recently that former Coventry City 1960s youth team player Malcolm Knox had died in New Zealand. Malcolm came from Willenhall and attended Caludon Castle school and was signed as an apprentice by the club around 1963. According to Trevor Gould who was a year below Malcolm at school, Malcolm was a left back but had a strong right foot. He played in the FA Youth Cup team in 1965-66 alongside Mick Coop, Willie Carr and Pat Morrissey.

Jim's column 26.5.2018

What a remarkable night at Meadow Lane last week. The Sky Blues turned in one of their finest performances for many years to confound the experts and reach the League Two play-off final. For ten or so minutes in the second half things got a bit hairy but Lee Burge's fine save from Jon Stead steadied the ship and the team ran out worthy winners and could have scored several more goals. As it was 4-1 is the biggest away win in a League Two play-off tie.

The Notts County hoodoo was well and truly consigned to the dustbin as City won at Meadow Lane for the first time since a 3-0 victory at the start of the 1963-64 promotion campaign. Mark McNulty took his tally for the season to 28 in all games, equalling George Hudson's record in that same campaign. Since the Second World War only three players have scored more than McNulty:

Ray Straw 30 (1958-59)

George Lowrie 29 (1946-47)

Terry Bly 29 (1962-63)

So it's on to Wembley for the second time in just over a year to face Exeter City on Monday afternoon. Exeter lost in the final to Blackpool twelve months ago and on league form probably start as the favourites but we all know that anything can happen (and often does) at Wembley. The record crowd for a League Two final is 61,589 for the first at the new Wembley in 2007 between Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury. That record will not be broken as at the time of writing City have sold around 36,000 and Exeter 10,000.

The Sky Blues and Exeter are relative strangers these days; this season was the first time the clubs have been in the same division since 1958-59 when City won promotion out of the old Division Four at the first attempt. In 36 Football League games (all but this season in Division Three South) City have won 15 and lost 12 with nine draws but the Grecians have won only once in Coventry whilst City have won five at St James' Park. Exeter did however win an FA Cup tie at Highfield Road in 1955 (1-0) and a Division 3 South cup game in 1934 (1-0) but City prevailed in a Football League Trophy game at the Ricoh in 2014 (3-1).

The clubs did meet in the Southern League between 1910-14 and the Grecians generally had the upper hand. The first league meeting took place at St James' Park in December 1926 and the home side ran out 8-1 winners, a record defeat for City at the time. Four Exeter players scored a brace that day (Messrs Dent, Purcell, Blackmore and Compton) with Jimmy Heathcote netting a consolation for City.

This season's games were entertaining with the Sky Blues ending Exeter's eight-game unbeaten start to the season with a 2-0 home victory in September with an own-goal from Troy Brown and a late second from Devon Kelly-Evans. In the return in January the Grecians got their revenge when Ryan Harley's early goal was enough to win the game.

Next week is the final column of the season and my delayed stats review of the season will be ready for publication.

Jim's column 21.4.2018

I'm writing this before last night's home game with Stevenage, a game that will help decide Coventry City's fate this season. The Sky Blues need three wins from their final four games to make certain of a top-seven finish and thus earn a play-off position for the first time ever. They may not need three wins however, depending on the results of the clubs around them.

I've been doing some research into the teams that have played in the play-offs since they were inaugurated in 1987. The first season, for the only time, featured three sides immediately below the automatic promotion places plus the side immediately above the relegation places. So, for example, in the Division Two play-off games Charlton Athletic, who had finished 20th in the old Division One battled it out with Oldham, Leeds United and Ipswich who had finished 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively in the old Division Two. In the days before the play-off finals were played at Wembley, Charlton beat Leeds in the final after two legs and a replay, to retain their top flight status. The following season the system was unchanged and Chelsea, who finished fourth from bottom in the old Division One, were relegated in a two-leg play-off final against Middlesbrough. In 1989 the system changed and the four sides immediately below the promoted teams fought it out for the extra promotion place with a two-leg final. The final became a one-off game at Wembley in 1989 and has remained unchanged since then with the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff hosting the final when Wembley was closed for rebuilding.

In the 30 years since the play-offs were introduced Preston North End have qualified the most times, with 10 appearances, but have only made it to the final three times, all of them ending in defeat. Last season's Championship play-off winners Huddersfield Town are second best with nine appearances with five final appearances and four victories. Ipswich have reached the play-offs on eight occasions (all in the championship) but have been knocked out at the semi final stage seven times but won the final once in 2000. Lower down the leagues Scunthorpe have reached the play-offs eight times but won the final only twice. Tranmere and Torquay who are no longer in the league have both reached the play-offs on six occasions each.

Looking at City's possible opponents in the League Two play-offs there are mixed findings. Exeter reached their first play-off last season but lost at Wembley to Blackpool. Notts County have reached the play-offs four times. They won the Division Two play-off in 1991, a year after winning the Third Division final and been losing finalists on one other occasion. Lincoln have a miserable record, qualifying for the League Two play-offs five years running between 2003-2007, losing the final twice and semi-finals on three occasions. Mansfield, perhaps City's greatest threat of reaching the top seven, have twice reached the League Two play-offs but never won them.

All City fans are acutely aware that their team has never qualified for the play-offs but how many other teams have failed. The simple answer is ten but five of those have an unbroken run in the top flight since 1987 and one, Aston Villa, have spent only two seasons out of the top flight and gained automatic promotion in one (1988). Villa also look certain to be in this year's Championship play-off. Then there are the two clubs playing in the Football League for the first time this season, Forest Green and Newport County. The old Newport were voted out of the league in 1988 so barely had a chance to reach the play-offs. That leaves two others: Crawley Town and Oxford United. Whilst neither has been in the play-offs both have won promotions in the last few years.

So strictly speaking City aren't the only side not to have reached the play-offs but their record since leaving the Premiership in 2001 is without doubt the worst of all.

It's award time again and congratulations go to Jack Grimmer who has been selected in the PFA League Two team of the season. He is only the seventh Coventry City player to be honoured since the awards were introduced in 1974. The others are:-

1983 Danny Thomas (Division 1)

2009 Danny Fox (Championship)

2009 Keiren Westwood (Championship)

2013 Leon Clarke (League One)

2014 Callum Wilson (League One)

2016 Adam Armstrong (League One)

                                                          Danny Thomas winning a CCFC player of year award

In 2015 the Football League (EFL) introduced their own awards and Lee Burge and Jordan Willis were the first City players selected for their efforts this season. The awards are testimony to the excellent defensive performances (Yeovil apart) put in by the club's defenders this season. It is still possible for the defence to set a new club record low goals conceded in a 46-match season. The record is 47, set in the 1958-59 promotion season. Before last night the team had let in 41 goals.