Matchday Memories: On This Day 1980 – See Clive’s Strike Scrubbed As Sky Blues Take Palace To Cleaners!

Gerry Daly in his heyday

On this day (6th September) in 1980 the BBC’s Match of the Day cameras were at Highfield Road, in front of 13,001 fans, to film CCFC’s fifth Division One game of the season against Crystal Palace. Sky Blues’ manager Gordon Milne (now a CCFC member) was hoping for a reaction to the previous Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at the ‘old enemy’ Aston Villa and certainly got it (albeit with a slice of luck thrown in)!

The youthful Sky Blues had some degree of confidence as they had defeated Arsenal and drawn with Liverpool in their previous two home games. There was a double clean sheet at half-time.  However the Glaziers struck first two minute’s after the break from the first UK footballing £1m teenager, Clive Allen (who was often a ‘thorn in CCFC’s flesh’ over later years)! However, it only took a couple of minutes for the Sky Blues equaliser from Gerry Daly who doubled up soon afterwards (53 minutes) to give the homesters a 2-1 lead (his debut goals for CCFC). 

Andy in the Sky Blue

The game’s real controversy followed a couple of minute’s later when The Palace’s costly striker ‘scored’ from a great shot from outside the box for what he thought was a cast iron equaliser. However, even though cameras later showed the ball had entered the Sky Blues net and rebounded of the back stanchion into play, it all happened so fast the ref and linesmen thought it had struck a post and waved play on despite furious protests from the visitors!  

Palace fumed to no avail and Andy Blair added insult to injury by netting City’s third on 73 minutes, the goal being set up by debut boy Peter Bodak and Garry Thompson (all three now fellow CCFPA members). Bodak became the fifteenth player under 21 to appear in the Sky Blues ranks that season!

After the game both rival managers (Gordon Milne and Terry Venables for Palace) agreed with Clive that it was a goal – only the officials disagreed. You can see the ref’s dilemma yourself by clicking on the image below (courtesy of our former committee member Dean Nelson):-

Gordon Milne’s Men who achieved that 3-1 win over the Palace that day lined up as follows:-

Gordon Milne-CCFC gaffer

Jim Blyth, Mick Coop, Brian Roberts, Andy Blair, Paul Dyson, David Jones, Peter Bodak, Gerry Daly, Garry Thompson (sub. Mark Hateley), Tom English and Steve Hunt

We are delighted to say that every single member of this team, as well as their ‘gaffer’, later became Association members Steve and Mark only a couple of years ago!

Terry Venables‘ chosen Palace XI was as follows:-

Jim Barron, Paul Hinshelwood, Terry Fenwick, Gerry Murphy, Jim Cannon, Billy Gilbert, Neil Smillie, Gerry Francis, Clive Allen, Mike Flanagan and Vince Hilaire   Referee:- D.Webb

Crystal Palace‘s Gerry Francis, of course, later became Sky Blues ‘skipper’

City did the double over an apparently doomed Glaziers/ Eagles winning 3-0 in London in mid February with goals from Gary Bannister and a brace from (now CCFPA member) Tom English.  The Sky Blues also got to the Semi Finals of the League Cup that season and finished sixteenth in the League on 36 points.

CCFC 1980-81

Crystal Palace indeed finished bottom by a country mile and were relegated with only nineteen points along with Norwich City and Leicester City who were also in the bottom three. Whisper it softly but Aston Villa took the title in 1980-81 four points ahead of runners up Ipswich Town.

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