Matchday Memories: On This Day 1990 – See Sky Blues Rock Rangers With Gynn Goal & Livvo Brace

John Sillett CCFC gaffer

On this day 32 years ago former Sky Blue full back (the late) John Sillett was still in charge of team matters – though he would be replaced by Terry Butcher in mid November.  City were facing their seventh Division One fixture of the season against Queens Park Rangers at Highfield Road. Their sole victory so far was in the first game at HR, a 3-1 defeat of Everton. Two draws and three defeats had seen the Sky Blues in sevententh place so the very modest crowd of 9,897 were hoping for some improvement in the league particularly as they had beaten Bolton Wanderers in the Rumbelows Cup at HR just three days previously! Pleasingly Sillett’s Sky Blues delivered with another 3-1 home win against the Hoops.

Big Cyrille watches the ball

Jose Perdomo tries one

 

 

 

 

Steve Livingstone in action

Micky in the Sky Blue

Having scored twice against the Trotters, young striker Steve Livingstone was introduced for his first full game of the season alongside (the late) Cyrille Regis and Kevin MacDonald, the trio replacing David Speedie (the focus of an off field incident), David Smith and Kevin Drinkell. All six players are now CCFPA members!

Q.P.R. were sent home with their tails very much between their legs as City produce a solid win with the Sky Blues Uruguayan midfielder Jose Perdomo spraying elegant passes around the pitch though not looking match fit just yet. 

It was Big Cyrille’s young replacement that does the damage. ‘Livvo’ helped himself to another brace (one in each half), the first as early as the second minute and the second five minutes after the hour mark. These goals sandwiched a sixteenth minute goal for Micky Gynn and made Livvo top scorer after only one full game!! The Hoops’ Les Ferdinand got a late consolation after 78 minutes. 

The contemporary Coventry Telegraph report can be found here. Thanks to former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson you can see some match highlights by clicking on the link or image below:-

https://youtu.be/9jketkTVxWg-

Livvo grabs his first

The two teams lined up as follows:-

Sky Blues: (We are pleased to say that, apart from Jose, all team members and their manager later joined CCFPA!)

Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows, Paul Edwards, Kevin MacDonald, Brian Kilcline, Trevor Peake, Kevin Gallacher, Micky Gynn, (the late) Cyrille Regis, Steve Livingstone and Jose Perdomo (sub. David Smith -)                              

Unused Sub: Kevin Drinkell.

Queens Park Rangers:

Kenny Sansom in the Sky Blue

Roy in the Sky Blue

Tony Roberts, David Bardsley (sub. Justin Channing -71), Kenny Sansom (sub. Simon Barker -75), Paul Parker, Alan McDonald, Danny Maddix, Ray Wilkins, Wilson, Les Ferdinand, Roy Wegerle and Andy Sinton.   Referee: Tom Fitzharris (Bolton)

Both Kenny Sansom and Roy Wegerle later wore the Sky Blue with distinction and Kenny is currently a fairly recently recruited Association member.

There was a different story in the return at Loftus Road in mid March when Rangers beat CCFC (now under Terry Butcher) by the only goal of the game scored by Les Ferdinand, obviously enjoying playing against the Sky Blues this season!

CCFC 1990-91 under John Sillett

Though CCFC got to the quarter finals of the League (Rumbelows) Cup in 1990-91 eventually being knocked out by Sheffield Wednesday by the only goal of the game at Highfield Road, in Division One Butcher’s Boys finished the season well clear (ten points) off relegation in sixteenth spot.

Sunderland and bottom club Derby County were the fall-guys this season. Despite having a point deducted Arsenal still took the Division One title by seven points from Liverpool. 

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

 

Matchday Memories: On This Day 1973 – Foxes Flummoxed Away As Les’ Debut Goal Sees Sky Blues 2nd

On this day (29th September) in 1973  The Sky Blues under Gordon Milne had gone off like a train in Division One with two 1-0 home wins within three days at the start of the season against Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool and only being beaten twice in their first nine games!

Sky Blue Manager Gordon

Today, as they approached kick-off in their tenth league game of the season against East Midland rivals Leicester City, they remained (as they had done all season) in the top six of Division One but were still looking for their first away win in the League at Filbert Street. This was a tall order since, in an even better start, the Foxes had yet to taste league defeat.

Alan Green

However, by the end of the match the Boys in Blue had lost for the first time this season, City were back to second place (their highest ever) and they had got their first win of the season on the road! The Foxes dropped to sixth. There was a Filbert Street crowd of 29,317 to see the enthralling contest.

Nippy Alan Green replaced the injured Colin Stein (now both CCFPA members) in the City forward line. The Sky Blues won the game with a goal in each half.  On the quarter of the hour mark City’s winger Brian Alderson profited from a slip by Alan Birchenall to fire home a fierce cross shot past future Sky Blue Peter Shilton.

Brian Alderson in the Sky Blue

A goal to the good at half-time, the Sky Blues doubled their advantage and took the game after seventy minutes with a deflected shot (off the unfortunate Birchenall). The scorer was Welsh youngster Les Cartwright who made a scoring League debut from off the bench (the first so to do since 1965)! Sky Blues’ star Tommy Hutchison was fresh from winning the first of his Scottish international caps.

Les Cartwright in the Sky Blue

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

Bill Glazier, Mick Coop, Jim Holmes, Dennis Mortimer, John Craven*, Alan Dugdale, Wilf Smith, Brian Alderson*, ‘Ernie’ Hunt* (sub. Les Cartwright), Alan Green and Tommy Hutchison

Sadly three members of this team asterisked (*) have since passed away.

The Foxes’ team comprised:-

Peter Shilton, Steve Whitworth, Denis Rofe, Malcolm Partridge, Malcolm Munro, Graham Cross, Keith Weller, Jon Sammels, Frank Worthington, Alan Birchenall and Len Glover     Referee: Harry New.

Peter Shilton

England international ‘keeper Peter Shilton later joined the Sky Blues to assist the goalkeeping department  though he never played for the first team, but his son Sam Shilton, an outfielder, was with the Sky Blues from 1995-99 and got a handful of first team outings.

The Foxes got their revenge in the return in late December taking the points with a 2-1 victory at Highfield Road with Les Cartwright again on the mark for Sky Blues after just ten minutes. However, Len Glover and Frank Worthington scored to give the Foxes their win.

CCFC 1973-74

The Sky Blues also could not sustain such a wonderful start to the season and slipped to sixteenth in Division One by season’s end. Leicester City finished in a comfortable ninth spot in the Division. On the brighter side, the Sky Blues also had a great run to the Quarter Finals of the League Cup eventually going out to Manchester City by 2-4 at Maine Road. The late Brian Alderson got both Sky Blues goals.

Leeds United took the title by five points from runners up Liverpool. At the other end of the table the three relegated clubs (in descending order) were Southampton, Manchester City and, bottom of the pile, Norwich City.

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

Matchday Memories: When The Queen Met Noel & Maurice In 1963

With the recent passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II memories have been stirred to when she was present on FA Cup final day. Back sixty years ago in 1963 her Majesty presented the trophy to future Coventry City manager  Noel Cantwell who at the time was captain of Manchester United. 

In the United side was future CCFPA member Maurice Setters. United lined up against Leicester City who also had Sky Blue connections with Ken Keyworth playing up front for the Foxes and would join Sky Blues the following season. Richie Norman wore the number three shirt for Leicester and later became Sky Blues coach under (now CCFPA member) Gordon Milne in the mid 1970s.

The game finished 3-1 to United with David Herd scoring two and Denis Law scoring the other United goal and Ken Keyworth scoring the Foxes goal.

Noel Cantwell and Maurice Setters on the train with the FA Cup

Queen Elizabeth II presents the FA Cup to Manchester United captain Noel Cantwell

Members News: Former Sky Blues Defender Is 35 Today. ‘Happy Birthday’ Aaron!!

Aaron in the Sky Blue

Born in Newport, Isle of Wight on 29th September 1989, our former Sky Blues defender is the youngest of the two former Sky Blues ‘Birthday Boys’ today. Aaron Martin is celebrating his 35th Birthday today and pulled on the Sky Blue shirt in two periods with the club  for a couple of months in 2013 (on loan) and also from September 2014 to June 2016, initially on loan.

Aaron became a professional from trainee in 2009 with Southampton who brought him in from local Conference side Eastleigh where he had started two years earlier (and where former Sky Blues Reda Johnson and CCFPA member Gary McSheffrey have also practised their trade).

Between 2009-14 Aaron played 29 games (two goals) for the south coast club but spent loan periods with Salisbury, Crystal Palace and, in 2013, the Sky Blues making a dozen league appearances for us in his first attachment with us.

Aaron Martin in Sky Blue action

Moving to Birmingham City from the Saints on a free in January 2014 he made a further eight appearances before moving (again on a free) to Yeovil Town at the end of that season. Another fourteen  appearances (three goals) for Yeovil followed before he came to the Ricoh at the end of September 2014 (initially on loan) and was then signed by CCFC on a free in January 2015.  Turning out for the Sky Blues a further sixty times he contributed two goals to the Sky Blue cause.

However, then Aaron moved on to Oxford United for the 2016-17 season and in two seasons there finished up with thirty appearances. Aaron, also joined the Association in 2016.

Aaron Martin (Eastleigh)

Signing on for Exeter City in July 2018 Aaron made 72 appearances for the Grecians (contributing six goals). In November 2020 Aaron moved north of the border to play for Scottish Premiership side Hamilton Academicals (where he appeared 26 times) but following their relegation at the end of the season moved back south to sign for League two outfit Port Vale in June 2021 where he netted three times in his 36 games for the Vale.

In the summer of 2022 he returned to where he started at Eastleigh and was made captain and. He left the club in April 2024 having made  44 appearances without netting. We are unsure whether he has hung up his boots prior to this season.

We wish our member ‘Many Happy Returns’ of the day and hope you have a great birthday today Aaron! We look forward to seeing you back in Cov at an Association event whenever commitments allow!

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