Jim's column 2.11.2019

What a blow for the Sky Blues to concede that added-time equaliser at Peterborough last weekend. Max Biamou's stunning 86th minute bicycle kick appeared to have clinched a deserved three points but Muhammed Eisa squeezed home a 95th minute leveller. City fan John Baker, who lives in the Peterborough area, pointed out that Posh have scored late goals on City's last three visits to London Road. Last season Louis Reed scored a consolation goal for Posh in the 97th minute and in December 2016 Michael Bostwick scored a Posh equaliser in the 93rd minute after City had led for over 70 minutes with a Jordan Willis goal. It was an excellent game and in the tradition of the games between the two clubs going back to 1961 when a rampant Posh, managed by former City boss Jack Fairbrother, won 3-1 at Highfield Road. Since then the Sky Blues have the edge over their rivals and haven't lost at home to Posh in 11 games since then.

Last week's home win over Fleetwood was the third time in five games that the team have come from behind to win at home, a remarkable achievement. Before the Blackpool game this season the team had failed to recover from a deficit in a home league game since April 2016 – a total of 74 games. City's record of coming back from a losing position isn't great and three is the most in a season since 2012-13 when coincidentally Mark Robins was also in charge – he took the Sky Blues to comebacks in three games (Walsall at home and Stevenage and MK Dons away) whilst Steven Pressley had taken over by the time the team made it four for the season. The best record in the modern era was in 1977-78 when Gordon Milne's team came from behind to win on six occasions on their way to finishing seventh in the old First Division.

Roger Hillier wrote to me asking about City's games in the Winston Churchill Remembrance Trophy. The friendly trophy was initiated in 1965 and a game between City and Fulham was played on the day of Churchill's funeral, 30th January. There was no game the following season but in March 1967 West Ham came to Highfield Road for a friendly game and the trophy was again on offer. West Ham won on penalties (City's very first penalty shoot-out) after a 3-3 draw. Roger believes that this was the first time a penalty competition settled a game in England.

Roger was interested in the Fulham game and I was able to give him some details of the game. Fulham, then a First Division side, brought a strong team and included internationals Johnny Haynes, George Cohen and Bobby Robson, and a young Rodney Marsh. George Hudson gave the Sky Blues a 34th minute lead which they held until 13 minutes from time when John Key, later to join City and be part of the 1967 promotion team, scored an equaliser. Five minutes from time Scottish international Graham Leggatt scored the winning goal and after the game City chairman Derrick Robins presented the trophy to former England captain Haynes. The attendance on a very cold day was 10,881.

Jim's column 11.1.14

There was another remarkable comeback at Oakwell last Saturday which saw the Sky Blues reach the fourth round of the FA Cup, only the second time they have achieved that as a Division 3 side the other being the famous FA Cup run of 1962-63.  It was also the first victory over a club from a higher division since they knocked out Blackburn Rovers in a Ricoh replay in 2009. The Fourth round draw has given City a plum draw at Emirates less than eighteen months after a 6-1 defeat there in the League Cup.

Steven Pressley's team just don't know when to give up and they have now come back from a goal down to get a result in their last four games, three of which have resulted in victories. This season they have now come back from a goal down to win on five occasions (MK Dons, AFC Wimbledon, Peterborough, Rotherham and Barnsley) this season, all in the last six weeks and a record surely beckons.

My goal time records are incomplete before the early 1960s but since then the most comebacks to win has been six, achieved in 1962-63, 1977-78 and last season.

Last season the team came from behind to win against:

Birmingham (h) League Cup

Walsall (h)

Stevenage (a)

MK Dons (a)

Preston (h) JPT

Scunthorpe (a)

The news of the passing of the great Eusebio was very sad & took my mind back to the 1960s and the early years of the European Cup. British television gave little coverage to the competition unless an English club was involved but always broadcast the final. I remember as a boy watching the 1962 final between Benfica & Real Madrid with grainy black and white images relayed from Amsterdam. Real were probably past their peak but Di Stefano, Puskas & Gento were still world stars and they were expected to beat the Portuguese upstarts. A First half Puskas hat-trick gave Real a 3-2 lead but after the break Benfica equalised and the young, virtually unknown, Eusebio took over, causing all sorts of problems with his electric pace  and dynamic shooting. He scored twice in five minutes to make it 5-3 and guaranteed the trophy went to Lisbon. 

It was the same scoreline at Goodison Park in 1966 World Cup quarter final. Portugal were heading for a shock exit 3-0 down to the little men from North Korea when Eusebio got his act together and scored four goals to take Portugal through to a semi-final against England. Fortunately England got the better of him (or Nobby Stiles did) in the semi final and although Euesbio did score England triumphed to reach the final.

During those golden years of football Eusebio was Pele's only rival as the best player on the planet and in 1973 news broke that he would be appearing at Highfield Road for Portugal against Northern Ireland who had to play matches away from Ulster because of the troubles. Several readers have reminded me of the game, which ended 1-1, and believed they had seen Eusebio and George Best in the same game. Sadly they are mistaken, George was out of football at the time & wasn't selected by his country but Eusebio played, showed many of his great touches and scored a penalty which turned out to be his final international goal. Sadly there were only 11,000 at Highfield Road for what remained the only full international ever played on the ground.

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