Jim's column 31.12.22

It's been a mixed bag results-wise for Coventry City since the return from the World Cup break but it's fair to say that the Sky Blues should have won the first three games. Poor finishing let them down at Reading and the home team's only real effort on goal proved to be the winner. Poor defending cost them two points at home to Swansea after taking a 3-0 lead. Victory came against West Brom with the added-time penalty winner.

The Swansea result was the first time City have thrown away a three goal lead and not won since 1980 when Gordon Milne's young side led Brighton 3-0 with 23 minutes left before the South Coast side rallied and Gordon Smith scored a hat-trick to earn them a point. Milne's youngsters had been exciting the fans with their attacking prowess but had shown to be suspect at the back and seven days earlier had been walloped 5-0 by Everton, the club's biggest home defeat since 1919. That nightmare seemed to be behind them against Brighton as Paul Dyson and Garry Thompson gave the Sky Blues a 2-0 half-time lead. When Tommy Hutchison scored a third on 63 minutes it looked curtains for the Seagulls but Smith had other ideas and pulled a goal back on 67 minutes. He pounced twice more in the 82nd and 86th minutes to gain the draw. The game turned out to be Hutchison's final home game for City before his move to Manchester City for whom he made his debut in a victory at Brighton's Goldstone Ground. The run without a win against the Swans was extended to 14 games – a run that goes back to City's victory in the old First Division in October 1981.

                 Tommy Hutchison scores his final goal for the Sky Blues against Brighton

City also threw away a three-goal lead against Arsenal on the final day of the 1973-74 season. Goals from Colin Stein, Brian Alderson and David Cross saw City lead 3-0 early in the second half. The Gunners didn't fold however and Pat Rice and Ray Kennedy pulled goals back before John Radford sealed a point in the 83rd minute. Many fans reminded me that in 1990 City threw away a four-goal lead against Nottingham Forest in a League Cup tie when Forest pulled things level with an eight minute Nigel Clough hat-trick before Steve Livingstone won the game for the Sky Blues.

The victory over West Brom was the first over the Baggies at the CBS Arena and the first home win over them since 2003-04. In five visits to the Arena West Brom have been a thorn in City's side having won four and drawn one game with the nadir being in 2007-08 when Albion won 4-0 in the league and 5-0 in the FA Cup. The Baggies last trip to Highfield Road in 2003 saw Spurs loanee Johnnie Jackson score the 89th minute winning goal two minutes after coming off the bench. It turned out to be Jackson's final appearance of his loan spell and he returned to Tottenham after just five appearances, three of them off the bench.

I'm not one for mid-season statistics but I have to mention Viktor Gyokeres' phenomenal year for scoring. His headed goal at Bramall Lane on Boxing Day was his 21st goal of 2022 (20 league, 1 FA Cup) and the best year for a City goalscorer since Leon Clarke netted 27 (23 league 4 Cup) in 2013. Clarke's year was the best since George Hudson scored 31 in 1963 and the all-time record was recorded by Clarrie Bourton who netted 43 in 1932. Viktor is also the first City player to score 10 or more league goals in consecutive seasons since Clinton Morrison scored 10 in 2008-09 and 11 in 2009-10. Since then the Sky Blues have had a number of prolific scorers – Clarke, Wilson, McNulty, Armstrong, McGoldrick and Godden – but none have managed Clinton's feat. Viktor scored 17 last campaign and has 12 this season.

Jim's column 29.10.22

Fifty years ago this month Coventry City signed arguably the club's finest player of the modern era, Tommy Hutchison. The Blackpool winger had been on the radar of many top clubs but Gordon Milne, the Sky Blues new manager, knew that his former team-mate 'Hutch' was the man to spark the club's rejuvenation and paid a club record £140,000 to bring him to Coventry. In Coventry City fan's eyes Tommy was a football genius.

Now Tommy has published his autobiography with the assistance of City fan Kevin Shannon. Entitled 'Hutch, Hard Work and Belief' is published by Pitch Publishing. Tommy is in Coventry this weekend and will be signing copies in Waterstones on Saturday morning, at the home game with Blackpool, in the G Casino after the game and at Walking Football on Monday.

Tommy grew up in an austere background – his father was a miner in the Fife coalfields – and readily admits he wasn't that good a footballer in his schooldays. His hard work and persistence earned him part-time football with Alloa Athletic and from there Blackpool spotted him.

Few players have had the immediate impact that 'Hutch' had on coming to Coventry. His arrival, a few days after another Scot, Colin Stein had signed from Rangers, triggered a eight-match unbeaten run with Tommy terrorising a clutch of top full backs in the autumn of 1972. A good number of his markers were booked for persistently fouling the long legged winger including Tony Book, Pat Rice, Mick Mills and Paul Reaney. Rice was one of the Arsenal defenders he left trailing in his wake as he slalomed through the Gunners' defence to score one of City's greatest goals and one mentioned in Nick Hornby's book Fever Pitch.

The 1972-73 season gave City fans so much pleasure and but for an under par performance in the FA Cup sixth round at Molineux the team could well have reached Wembley. Hutch's performances earned him a Scotland call-up early the following season and he realised his boyhood dream of pulling on the Navy Blue jersey. But for an injury he would have made more than two substitute appearances for his country at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany. There were a couple of seasons in the mid 1970s when the football got a bit boring at Highfield Road but you could always rely on Tommy to lift the gloom on the darkest days with his skilful dribbling, turn of speed and great crossing ability. His consistent performances for City should have guaranteed a regular international place and his total of 17 caps was a travesty.

In 1977-78 we saw Gordon Milne's finest team that played thrilling, attacking football and narrowly missed out on a European place. 'Hutch' had another magnificent season setting up many of Ian Wallace and Mick Ferguson's tremendous haul of goals and it was a travesty that he didn't go to the Argentina World Cup. His departure from Coventry in 1980 was sad for him and the fans but a move to Manchester City seemed to give him a new lease of life and although his stay at Maine Road was short he did help his new club to the 1981 FA Cup final and became only the second player to score for both teams in a final. Sadly he had to be content with a loser's medal.

His career took him to Seattle Sounders and later to Hong Kong to play for Bulova before a return to England with two seasons at Burnley and six years at Swansea ending up at Merthyr Tydfil at the age 46 having made over 1000 competitive games. At every club he was adored by the fans and achieved legendary status wherever he played.

What few football fans know about is Tommy's career as a Football Development Officer in Wales and later at Bristol City. Testimonials from his colleagues from this part of his working life illustrate the love he had of football and inspiring youngsters many of them disadvantaged to play the game.

I am always grateful to him personally with helping me launch one of my first books and for supporting the Former Players Association with regular visits from North of the border where he is now retired.

I might be biased but this is one of the most inspiring football biographies I have read and I recommend it to all Sky Blue fans as well as football fans in general. Tom and his ghost writer Kevin Shannon deserve credit for a welcome addition to the Coventry City library of books.

                   Jim & Tommy at book signing before Blackpool game