Matchday Memories: On This Day 1970 – City’s Euro Adventure Begins in Bulgaria (& 2010 Reunion Remembered)

 

John in the Sky Blue

Neil in the Sky Blue 1970

The Sky Blues sixth place finish in 1969-70 gave them the chance of an inaugural fixture in their first ever European campaign this season. They had drawn Bulgarian side Trakia Plovdiv (now Botev Plovdiv) in the first round of the UEFA (European Fairs) Cup over two legs.

On this day (16th September) now over half a century ago, in 1970, the first leg saw the Sky Blues travel to Plovdiv and 15,000 fans (including about fifty from Coventry) saw the Sky Blues prevail 4-1 with our inside forward (the late) John O’Rourke getting a hat-trick (on 39, 69 & 89 minutes) and centre-forward Neil Martin the other goal, two minutes before the break. Both forwards later became CCFPA members. Trakia’s Petar Radkov got the Bulgarians only goal with the Sky Blues 3-0 up after 75 minutes.

The two teams line up before the game

The Sky Blues greeted by young Bulgarians pitchside before kick-off

City had to survive considerable early pressure from the home side but nerves were settled after John O’Rourke took advantage of ‘Ernie’ Hunt‘s shot being only parried by the Trakia goalie, Mihail Karushkov. Neil then scored a stunning 25 yarder to send the visitors in at half time with a two goal cushion.

Trakia subbed their man between the sticks for Dragan Radenkov at the break. Nevertheless, the Sky Blues lead was extended by another O’Rourke goal exploiting a Ivan Gluhchev error. After Trakia got their goal, the slight hope of a revival was crushed by John’s third goal, a tap-in.

Fans celebrate City’ European adventure

The return leg was played at Highfield Road in front of 20,930 at the end of the month and the Sky Blues repeated their victory, this time by two clear goals both scored in the first half by CCFPA members Brian Joicey after half an hour and, his now fellow CCFPA member, Jeff Blockley five minutes later to produce a 6-1 aggregate.

The history books show the City went out on aggregate in the next round to the mighty Bayern Munich losing 4-1 in Germany but beating the Germans 2-1 in the return. Therefore the Sky Blues won both home ties in their, so far, only European adventure!

John O’Rourke thwarted this time by Karushkov

The teams in this historic game fifty years ago were as follows:-

CCFC’s Manager, Noel Cantwell

Noel Cantwell‘s Sky Blues  were:-

Bill Glazier, Mick Coop, Wilf Smith, Ernie Machin*, Jeff Blockley, Geoff Strong*, Ernie Hunt*, Willie Carr, Neil Martin, John O’Rourke* and Dave Clements

Sadly four of this historic Sky Blues team (asterisked*) have since passed away, both Ernies, Geoff and scorer John. We are pleased to say all members of this team later went on to join this Association.

Trakia Plovdiv (managed by Vasil Spasov) lined up:-

Mihail Karushkov (sub. Dragan Radenkov-46), Vangel Delev, Ivan Gluhchev, Vidin Apostolov, Ivan Zagduma, Hristofor Marinov, Georgi Popov, Dinko Dermenjiev (capt), Upinov, Bogomir Stanoev and Petar Radkov  Referee: F.Rion (Belgium)

The 1970 Players Team Photo 2010

Roy & Dinko exchange pennants 2010

Such international and inter-city friendships were forged between clubs and fans in these two games that forty years after these historic ties, now well over a decade ago in 2010, CCFC and CCFPA hosted a reunion of the 1970 Sky Blues at the Ricoh and were honoured to entertain visiting guests from Bulgaria. 

Ten players from the Sky Blues’ 1970 squad came.  Roy Barry; Jeff Blockley; Dietmar Bruck; Willie Carr; Chris Cattlin; Mick Coop; Ian Goodwin; Trevor Gould; Ernie Hannigan; and Billy Rafferty were entertained. Ernie Hannigan (since sadly passed away) flew in from his Australian home. Our warmest welcome was for our very special guest, Bulgarian International and ‘Player of the Century’  Dinko ‘Chiko’ Dermendjiev, the Trakia captain who was welcomed by CCFC captain of the time Roy Barry and then CCFC chairman Ray Ranson.

A great day of reminiscence was had by all and the reunion prompted a great friendly social media interchange between fans of both clubs. A full photo record of this reunion can be found by clicking the ‘Galleries’ tab above and selecting the third option in the drop down list provided.

Flowers are presented to the team pre match

The next time City qualified for Europe was in 1986-87 after winning the F.A.Cup final. Sadly the Heysal tragedy saw English clubs banned from the Cup Winners Cup so City have had to wait even longer for their next chance…… Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.

Matchday Memories: On This Day 1969 – Cantwell’s CCFC Force First Forest Top Flight Flop v City!

On this day (16th September) in 1969 under Noel Cantwell were well into their third season in the top flight and were facing a team, Nottingham Forest, that they were yet to beat in Division One. Beaten only twice in their first nine league games they fancied their chances and did enough to beat their East Midlands’ rivals on this day by the odd goal in five.

Neil in the Sky Blue

The club’s matchday magazine (right), self proclaimed ‘Britain’s No.1 since 1967′, pictured Sky Blues’ Scottish No.9 Neil Martin outjumping Liverpool‘s Ron Yeats in City’s 2-1 defeat at Anfield ten day’s previously.  The decent crowd at Highfield Road of 26,038 went home satisfied as their favourites took both points  with goals from Neil, Dave Clements (now Neil’s fellow CCFPA member) and eighteen year old Graham Paddon .

Dave Clements in Sky Blue action

The win was well deserved especially since the Sky Blues had to come back from behind. Forest’s Graham Collier struck first (his debut goal for the Garibaldi Reds) after 26 minutes. The Sky Blues were on equal terms at the break as, four minutes from half-time, Neil Martin flicked in a header from a cross by (now CCFPA committee member) Dietmar Bruck. Seven minutes into the second period City’s Irish international (another Association member now) Dave Clements produced a thunderous shot to give the Sky Blues the lead the day after his birthday!

Graham Paddon

It was the visitors who then found an equaliser, on 77 minutes, and wouldn’t you know it, it came from former Sky Blue favourite Ronnie Rees who fizzed one in against his old club. The Sky Blues were not to be denied, however, and a minute later came another debut goal set up for the Sky Blues Graham Paddon by City’s ‘Cheeky Chappie’ Ernie Hunt. The points and the victory were in the bag as City held out for a welcome win.

CCFC’s Manager, Noel Cantwell

Cantwell’s CCFC lined up against Forest like this :-

Bill Glazier, Mick Coop, Dave Clements, Dietmar Bruck, George Curtis*, Jeff Blockley, Ernie Hunt*, Ian Gibson*, Neil Martin, Maurice Setters* and Graham Paddon*

Sadly (*) five players have since passed away. We are pleased to say that every member of the team except Graham later became CCFPA members.

Ron in the Sky Blue 1964

Matt Gillies  put out the following Forest team:-

Alan Hill, Peter Hindley*, John Winfield, Bob Chapman, Terry Hennessey, Henry Newton, Ron Rees, David Hilley, Graham Collier (sub.Liam  O’Kane ), John Barnwell and Ian Storey-Moore     Referee:- B.Homewood

As well as Ronnie Rees (also now a CCFPA member) the Forest had future Sky Blue defender Peter Hindley (1973-76) in their side. Both have sadly since passed away, most recently Ronnie a few months ago.

 

This season, the Sky Blues well and truly laid the Forest bogey, contriving to do the double over them by, three matches from the end of the season in April, walloping them 4-1 in Nottingham thanks to a hat trick from (the late) John O’Rourke and a goal from Brian Joicey (both later CCFPA members).

The Sky Blues had a great season under Cantwell finishing, still in their highest ever position in the top flight, in sixth spot therefore qualifying them for their first ever place in European competition in 1970-71. They were still sixteen points shy of eventual Champions Everton but got only eight points less than runners up Leeds United.

CCFC 1969-70

 

Nottingham Forest finished fifteenth well clear of relegation worries. The pair that suffered the drop to Division Two were Sunderland and (a point beneath them) Sheffield Wednesday.

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

Matchday Memories: On This Day 1922 – Red & Green Citizens Vanquish Vale Thanks To Toms

On this day a hundred and three years ago the Coventry City’s first team played in Division Two of the Football League and their Reserves in the Southern League (newly moved from the Birmingham and District League). This was the club’s fourth season post World War One and the team turned out at this time in the civic colours of Red and Green (reflected in CCFC’s programme cover from that season- right) – about as far from the Sky Blues as you could get!

CCFC Manager – Albert Evans

The ‘Citizens’ were managed by one Albert J. Evans and David Cooke remained their influential ‘Acting President’ chairman and benefactor.  Walter J. Harris headed a Board of Directors of seven hardy souls!

CCFC had begun the 1922-23 campaign modestly with only one win and a draw in their first five games. Today’s sixth fixture was an away game against Potteries side Port Vale. Exactly a week previously they had lowered the City’s colours at Highfield Road by the odd goal in three with our goal scored by Bill Toms who had scored three out of the club’s four goals so far! Revenge in the Potteries would be sweet and that’s what the club from Coventry got!

Bill Toms (1922-23)

Once more it was the visitors who prevailed, this time City winning by the only goal of the game – and it was no big surprise that it came from that man Toms again!  The majority of the Staffordshire crowd of 12,733 would have gone home pretty disappointed as CCFC rose four places to thirteenth.

Bill was quite a character. A Mancunian, he had won the Military Cross in the Great War before becoming a football professional and travelling aound a bit. Before arriving at Highfield Road he had played for the likes of Eccles Borough (1914), Southport Central, Manchester United (1919), Plymouth Argyle (1920) and Oldham Athletic (1922).

Before leaving us for Stockport County in June 1923 Bill had scored a very respectable nineteen goals in his 31 games including CCFC’s first ever Football League hat-trick in the 7-1 demolition of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Day 1922! He later went on to play for Wrexham (1923), Crewe Alexandra (1934) and finished off with non-league Winsford United in 1925.

The teams on this day fully a century ago were as follows:-

Coventry City:

Jerry Best; Teddy Winship & Jimmy Lawrence; George Allon, Joe Jones & George Hadley;  Jimmy Dougall, Tom Storey, Alec Mercer, Bill Toms & Arthur Wood

Port Vale (managed by Joe Schofield): 

Teddy Peers; Len Birks & Peter Pursell; Ernest Collinge, ‘Jack’ Hampson & ‘Billy’ Briscoe; ‘Billy’ Harrison, Bob Connelly, James Smith, W.H.Pritchard & ‘Billy’ Agnew

The result put the City in good heart for the next home game at Highfield Road the following Saturday against Manchester United which they won 2-0 in front of 19,500 with goals from both Bill and Alec.

CCFC 1922-23

The final Division Two table, in a difficult season, saw CCFC manage to finish eighteenth out of 22 clubs. Port Vale were one place above us on the same points. Champions Notts County and runners up West Ham United went up whilst Rotherham County (United’s predecessors) and bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers went down.

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

Members News: ‘Happy 47th Birthday’ To Nineties Sky Blue Forward Andy Ducros!

Sky Blue Andy Ducros

It falls to CCFPA to wish one of our younger recruits, former young Sky Blue forward Andrew Ducros, a very ‘Happy 47th Birthday’ today!

Andy is one of those footballers who, after a brief taste of top flight football, has then plied his trade in the lower leagues. He started his professional career with CCFC, then a top flight club, but this proved to be his only taste of senior football! This was perhaps due to his diminutive stature being a little over 5’4″ in height, so he keeps the distinction of being probably one of the smallest ever players in the Premier League!

Born in Evesham,  on 16th September 1977, Andy was a product of the Sky Blues’ youth system and was given his first chance, off the bench, by Sky Blue ‘gaffer’ ‘Big Ron’ Atkinson (now a fellow CCFPA member) on the first day of the 1996-97 season in the Sky Blues’ disappointing Premier League opener.  Andy’s CCFC debut, on 17th August 1996, saw the Sky Blues lose 3-0 at the Ricoh to Nottingham Forest. His full debut four days later, partnering Dion Dublin (another fellow CCFPA member now)  in the Sky Blues’ attack, went a little better as City drew 1-1 at West Ham United.

Andy Ducros in Sky Blue action

Three more appearances off the bench followed in the next three games but Andy was not called upon again for first team duties until the following season (1997-98), when Gordon Strachan had taken over the managerial reins, but the young striker only got one start and a couple of appearances from the bench that season.

By the time Andy moved on to near neighbours Nuneaton Borough in 1999 Andy had pulled on the Sky Blue first team shirt only nine times in the League and had not yet managed to find the net. With the Borough, Andy found better luck and clocked up nine goals in his 36 outings there before joining Kidderminster Harriers in 2000. He did reasonably well with the Harriers netting four goals in 57 games between 2000 and 2003 when he transferred to Burton Albion.

The Borough must still have valued the attacking midfielder as he spent parts of 2002 and 2003 back on loan at Nuneaton whilst with the Carpetmen and got one goal in another ten outings with City’s near neighbours.

Sky Blue Andy in action

Four years with the Brewers saw Andy complete 142 games with Burton (scoring a dozen goals) before he was released from his contract in June 2007 allowing him to move on to another Midland outfit Solihull Moors where he spent a little over two seasons before shifting again for the 2009-10 season to Redditch United. On 2nd February 2010 Andy moved once more to sign for Zamaretto League Premier Division side Evesham United which appears to be his final port of call before hanging up his boots.

Andy, we look forward to entertaining you at an Association event and/or Sky Blues home game in Coventry during the current season! In the meantime, have a great day celebrating your birthday today.

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