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Matchday Memories: On This Day 2013 – See Gills Gutted By Sky Blues At Sixfields Stadium

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CCFC Skipper & Gaffer

On this day (September 15th) in 2013 we played Gillingham at our thankfully temporary ‘home’ at Northampton Town‘s Sixfields Stadium. Apart from an opening day reverse (2-3 at Crawley Town) the Sky Blues were unbeaten in League One six games in with three wins and two draws. Sixfields was proving a goals-a-plenty ‘home from home’ so far with a 5-4 win over Bristol City followed by a 4-4 draw with Preston North End and a 2-0 victory over Colchester United already in the bag!

However, because of the ongoing supporters’ boycott of the club’s owners there was a crowd of only 2,046 fans (of which 371 were from Kent) to see if City could keep their 100% ‘home’ record. They saw a closely fought game from two teams near the bottom (in City’s case because of a points deduction) with plenty of chances at both ends.

Leon in the Sky Blue

Former Sky Blue player (and now CCFPA member) Steven Pressley saw his team eventually came out 2-1 winners, their second consecutive league win of the season, with both Leon Clarke and (now CCFPA member) Franck Moussa scoring. The Gills featured former Sky Blue forward (and now CCFPA member) Cody McDonald who, wouldn’t you know it, quickly grabbed the Gills’ equaliser after ten minutes after a period of sustained pressure and corner deliveries from the visitors.

Franck in the Sky Blue

Before the second minute of the game was up Leon had slid in to convert a clever cross from (now CCFPA member) Cyrus Christie before City ‘keeper Joe Murphy was beaten by Cody from close range in the six yard box after a bit of penalty area head tennis for the Gills to equalise.

The Sky Blues slightly fortuitously claimed the points eight minutes from time after the Gills’ goalie Stuart Nelson missed a clever CCFC corner kick from (now CCFPA member) Blair Adams, which was headed back across goal by Leon, and Franck was hand to force the ball home from almost on the goal line. Franck’s richly deserved winner for City lifted us out of the bottom four a week after the club had overturned their pre-season ten-point deduction.

Leon celebrates after his early goal

The two teams lined up as follows:-

Cody McDonald in Sky Blue action

Sky Blues (CCFPA members underlined)

Joe Murphy, Blair Adams, Cyrus Christie, Andy Webster, Jordan Clarke, John Fleck, Conor Thomas, Franck Moussa (sub. Jordan Willis -88), Carl Baker (c) (sub. Mathieu Manset -72), Callum Wilson and Leon Clarke.
Unused Subs: Ryan Haynes, Adam Barton, Billy Daniels, Louis Garner and Lee Burge (gk),
 
Gillingham:(managed by Martin Allen)
Stuart Nelson, Michael Harriman (sub. Sam Muggleton -88), Joe Martin, Leon Legge, Adam Barrett (c), Charlie Allen, Amine Linganzi, Danny Hollands (sub. Adebayo Akinfenwa -88), Myles Weston, Danny Kedwell, Cody McDonald (sub. Steven Gregory -79)  Unused Subs: Callum Davies, Bradley Dack, Jake Hessenthaler and George Howard (gk)   Referee:- Trevor Kettle
 
By the time the two sides met again in the return in March the Sky Blues promising start had crumbled in the new year with plenty of Sky Blue defeats on the card. It was the side from Kent who got their revenge with a 4-2 victory in a game of four penalties (two to City) and the visitors down to ten men after 25 minutes with Danny Seaborne sent off. Nevertheless there were enough points picked up to give the Sky Blues an eighteenth place finish four points away from the trap door (ninth without the ten point penalty). Gillingham were just above us two points better off!

CCFC 2013-14

Champions Wolverhampton Wanderers, followed by runners up Brentford climbed out of the division along with, after the playoffs, fourth placed Rotherham United.

At the other end of matters Tranmere Rovers, Carlisle United, Shrewsbury Town and (at the bottom) Stevenage Town experienced that ‘sinking feeling’!

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images.

 

September 15, 2024 · Tagged with

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Matchday Memories: On This Day 2009 – Coleman’s CCFC Claim Blades Win In Cracking Five Goal Contest

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Leon in the Sky Blue

On this day (15th September) in 2009 the Sky Blues, under ‘gaffer’ Chris Coleman, edged a five goal thriller at the Ricoh against Sheffield United. The 3-2 Championship success was a welcome one as it was City’s first win in five.

The Sky Blues took a twelfth minute lead thanks to striker (and now CCFPA member) Leon Best who expertly brought down a great ball over the top from Sammy Clingan to beat the Blades ‘keeper Mark Burn. However, we were then pegged back with a stunning Blades’ equaliser just after the half hour from Jamie Ward beating (now CCFPA member) Keiren Westwood all ends up. All square at half time.

Clinton in the Sky Blue

It was another Sky Blue who is a CCFPA member now Clinton Morrison who restored City’s lead five minutes into the second period capitalising on a rebound after a Michael McIndoe cross.

Martin Cranie in the Sky Blue

On the hour City’s Martin Crainie (briefly back as a Sky Blue trialist pre 2021-22 season) was able to make it 3-1 with his first ever Sky Blue goal with a header from a McIndoe corner.  There was still time for another Blades goal to make the last quarter of the game interesting when James Harper netted from close range. 

A contemporary report complete with the respective managers reactions from BBC Sport can be found here.
 

Chris Coleman‘s CCFC lined up 4-4-2 (CCFPA members underlined):-

Chris Coleman 2009

Keiren Westwood, Stephen Wright, Marcus Hall (sub. Jordan Clarke -84), Sammy Clingan, Ben Turner, Martin Crainie, Isaac Osbourne, Jack Cork, Leon Best, Clinton Morrison (sub. Aron Gunnarsson -85) and Michael McIndoe   Unused subs.: Elliott Ward, Freddy Eastwood, Ashley Cain, Jermaine Grandison and Dimi Konstantopoulos (gk)

Darius in the Sky Blue

Kevin Blackwell’s Blades turned out with the following players (4-5-1):-

Mark Burn, Ryan France, Kyle Walker, Chris Morgan, Andy Taylor (sub. Jordan Stewart -72), Jamie Ward, James Harper, Stephen Quinn (sub. Ched Evans -61), Nick Montgomery, Keith Treacy (sub. David Cotterill -67) and Darius Henderson  Unused subs.: Glen Little, Kyel Reid and Ian Bennett (gk)      Referee:- Anthony Taylor
 

Kyel in the Sky Blue

Ian Bennett in the Sky Blue

Darius Henderson played a handful of games in the Sky Blue shirt in 2016. Two Blades players on their bench also had CCFC links. Wide player Kyel Reid would later (2016-18) wear the Sky Blue and Ian Bennett had a short loan spell with the Sky Blues in 2005.

The Sky Blues season steadily lost momentum as they drifted down the table. Apart from a couple of purple patches wins became a rarity. City’s last eleven games saw six defeats and five draws.

They lost their last game of the season by the crushing margin of 4-0 at home to Watford and Chris Coleman, perhaps inevitably, departed in May with City grateful to survive in nineteenth spot in the Championship, albeit seven points and three spots clear of the drop. Aidy Boothroyd was the next man to try to find Sky Blue success in the CCFC hot seat.

CCFC 2009-10

The relegated trio this season was Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle and, a long way off at the foot of the table, Peterborough United.

At the other end Newcastle United walked the Championship title beaten only four times and with 102 points, eleven clear of runners up (and also promoted) West Bromwich Albion. It was a two horse race as third place Nottingham Forest were a further dozen points behind them! The side that took the final play-off promotion place were Blackpool in sixth a full 32 points behind the Magpies!

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.

 

September 15, 2024 · Tagged with

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Matchday Memories: On This Day 2001 – See Sky Blues See Off Sheff. Utd. As Delorge Delivers

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Sky Blue’s next gaffer Nilsson

Four days after the New York twin towers disaster, on this day (15th September) in 2001 the 16,168 crowd at Bramall Lane, gathered to see Sheffield United take on the Sky Blues, stood in silence in memory of those who lost their lives.  The City were under new management as (now CCFPA member) Gordon Strachan had lost his job after three defeats in the first five games of the new season post relegation culminating in a 1-0 home defeat by top three side Grimsby Town cementing the view that the club was in danger of further decline. Gordon’s managerial record with the Sky Blues ended with 214 games in charge, winning 70, drawing 54 and losing 90 with a win ratio of 32.71%.

Laurent Delorge in the Sky Blue

The Sky Blue Army were looking for a new ‘gaffer’ bounce from the team chosen by new man at the top, the current immaculate Sky Blue Swedish international full back Roland Nilsson (a fairly recent CCFPA recruit) who stepped up to the plate. He was aware that the Blades were also struggling and had yet to win and Roland made five changes to the team that faced the Mariners, mostly to the men playing in front of him.

This seemed to work, as did his substitutions as the Sky Blues beat the Blades by a single goal scored by one of them, Belgian winger (another CCFPA now) Laurent Delorge in the 72nd minute, tidying up from some penalty box mayhem only seconds after coming on (a Sky Blue record).  Roland also had to substitute himself early on going off injured and pleasingly saw his team match the physicality and bite of Neil Warnock‘s men.

Youssef Safri in the Sky Blue

The Blades stayed winless and this Sky Blues success proved to be the start of an unbeaten run of eleven league games (eight wins) which only came unstuck with a 3-2 defeat at Millwall in early November.  

One of these later successes was at Highfield Road at the end of October when the Sky Blues completed the double over the Blades beating them 2-0 with goals from (another recent Association recruit) Youssef Safri and Lee Hughes!

Thanks to former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson you can watch Laurent’s goal on this day by clicking on the link or image below:-

 https://youtu.be/PuNfWQstSwY

City’s team that day (CCFPA members underlined) was:-

Magnus Hedman, Roland Nilsson (sub. Richard Shaw -30), Marcus Hall, Lee Carsley, Gary Breen, Mo Konjic, David Thompson, Youssef Safri, Lee Hughes, Julian Joachim (sub. Laurent Delorge -71) and Ivan Guerrero (sub. Jay Bothroyd -60)

Sky Blue Rob

Pat Suffo in the Sky Blue

Neil Warnock‘s Blades team comprised:-

Simon Tracey, Robert Page, Shane Nicholson, Michael Brown (sub. Patrick Suffo -84), Shaun Murphy, Keith Curle (c), Paul Devlin, Bobby Ford, Carl Asaba, Laurent D’Jaffo (sub. Paul Peschisolido -73) and Peter Ndlovu (sub. Georges Santos -74)  Referee:- Mike Pike

Peter Ndlovu in the Sky Blue

There were plenty of Sky Blue connections in this Blades’ team. Their forward Pat Suffo was at Highfield Road from 2003-05 and their defender, recent ‘gaffer’ of the Welsh national team, Rob Page (who was then on loan at Bramall Lane) became a Sky Blue player 2005-08 and both players later joined this Association. 

Gary in the Sky Blue

The Sky Blues former Zimbabwean ‘Bulawayo Bullet’ from 1991-97, the mercurial Peter Ndlovu had just moved to the Blades after a period playing for Birmingham after leaving CCFC. ‘Nuddy’, of course, became CCFPA’s 300th member more than a couple of years ago.

The Sky Blues recovery under Roland continued and they were to finish in eleventh spot whilst Sheffield United were a couple of places (and six points) beneath them in Division One. Sadly Roland departed at the end of this season to be replaced for 2002-03 by another player-manager Gary McAllister.

In a tight relegation fight it was Crewe Alexandra, Barnsley and (a long way adrift) Stockport County that took the drop.

At the other end the automatically promoted teams were Manchester City (Champs) and West Bromwich Albion. City’s fairly recent landlords, Birmingham City in (in fifth spot) joined the duo as a result of winning the playoffs.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images.
 
 

September 15, 2024 · Tagged with

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Matchday Memories: On This Day 1979 – Ian’s Brace For Milne’s Men Torments Trotters

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Gordon the ‘gaffer’ in City’s infamous brown strip

On this day  (15th September) in 1979 the Sky Blues took on Bolton Wanderers in their third home match of the 1979-80 Division One season. Manager Gordon Milne (now a CCFPA member) must have been reasonably confident as his team had already seen off Bristol City 3-1 and Norwich City by 2-0 at Highfield Road. However, their away form was not so clever so far losing 3-2 at Stoke City on the opening day of the season and being tanned 4-1 at Nottingham Forest and 4-0 at Liverpool in their last league fixture.

Deadly Duo: ‘Wally’ & ‘Fergy’

However, some of the form worries were dispelled this day as City had the deadly duo of Ian Wallace and Mick Ferguson (both CCFPA members now) reunited for the first time since the previous February (due to injuries). Also the Trotters proved a poor side, overly reliant on the offside trap and seemingly relegation fodder.

‘Wally’ had a stormer, not only scoring a brace, the first on nine minutes and City’s last on 61 minutes, but also had a shot handled in the box three minutes after half-time. CCFPA member Barry Powell coolly slotted the penalty home. Ian also missed a sitter which would have given him a hat-trick!

Barry in the Sky Blue

Bolton’s Mike Walsh limped off injured reducing the Wanderers to ten men and Willie Morgan‘s goal nine minutes from the end was their only consolation as the Sky Blues prevailed by three goals to one. The Sky Blue fans among the 15,268 Highfield Road crowd went home well satisfied!

The Sky Blues who did duty that September day in 1979 were (CCFPA members underlined):-

The late Les Sealey, Brian Roberts, Bobby McDonald, Andy Blair, the late Jim Holton, Gary Gillespie, Tommy Hutchison, Ian Wallace, Mick Ferguson, Barry Powell and Steve Hunt.   

Ian Greaves‘ Trotters lined up as follows:-

Seamus ‘Jim’ McDonough, Dave Clement, Peter Nicholson (sub. Christopher Thompson), Roy Greaves, Paul Jones, Mike Walsh, Willie Morgan, Neil Whatmore, Alan Gowling, Len Cantello and David Burke        Referee: Stephen Bates (Bristol)

Front and back of the ‘Matchday Magazine’

Garry in the Sky Blue 1981

The Sky Blues forced a 1-1 draw in the return at Burnden Park five games from the end of the season when it was probably too late for the homesters. Garry Thompson got the 22nd minute equaliser to a fourteenth minute debut goal from the Trotters’ eighteen year old Philip Wilson.

As presaged earlier, Bolton Wanderers indeed finished bottom of Division One in May with only five wins all season (none away from home). They went down with Bristol City and Derby County. The Sky Blues finished in a relatively comfortable fifteenth, eight points clear of the relegation zone!

This season Liverpool became Division One Champions taking the title by a couple of points from great Lancashire rivals Manchester United.

CCFC 1979-80

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.

 

September 15, 2024 · Tagged with

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