Matchday Memories: On This Day 1981 – KK’s Saints Suffer Sky Blue Stunner (Ta Steve & Thommo)

Dave Sexton- CCFC Manager

On City’s seventh fixture in the 1981-82 Division One season on this day (26th September) in 1981 new Sky Blue ‘gaffer’ Dave Sexton was hoping his team would find their third win in a patchy start to the season. Since beating Leeds United 4-0 at at their new all seater Highfield Road stadium in the middle of the month they had drawn 2-2 at Brighton and lost by the odd goal in three against Liverpool at Highfield Road in midweek.

Sexton’s boys, once more at home, were looking for a quick return to winning ways against Southampton, managed by Lawrie McMenemy, this afternoon and the Sky Blues fans among the 12,611 crowd were rewarded with a 4-2 victory over a team then in a similar place in the table.

Steve Hunt in the Sky Blue

Three players scored braces in this game, Kevin Keegan for the Saints and Steve Hunt and (his now fellow CCFPA member) Garry Thompson for the Sky Blues! There were a lot of attacking options for the Sky Blues in this game and they certainly exposed the Saints’ defensive frailties ruthlessly.

Garry in the Sky Blue 1981

It was the visitors who scored first, however, with Keegan slotting home past Sky Blues ‘keeper Jim Blyth (another Association member now) in the twentieth minute. It took less than ten minutes for the Sky Blues to get on terms with a Steve Hunt snap shot two minutes before the half hour. That was all the scoring in the first half as the two teams took their half time break one goal apiece.

Rudi Kaiser in the Sky Blue

Things took a while to take off in the second period but two goals from City’s powerful centre-forward Garry Thompson within the space of ten minutes (60 and 69 minutes), made respectively by Danny Thomas and Rudi Kaiser (all later CCFPA members), changed the complexion of the game.  Keegan then completed his double on 77 minutes with a ‘soft’ penalty kick harshly awarded for inadvertent hand ball against Steve to give the Saints a bit of a hope for a revival. However this was dashed five minutes from the final whistle by a fine individual finish from Steve Hunt after a great run through the Saints’ defence! So the game finished 4-2 to the Sky Blues.

Sexton’s Sky Blue XI was as follows (all bar Stevie Whitton later went on to join this Association):-

Jim Blyth, Danny Thomas, Brian Roberts, Steve Jacobs, Paul Dyson, Gary Gillespie, Rudi Kaiser, Gerry Daly, Garry Thompson, Steve Whitton and Steve Hunt

The Saints’ line up was as follows:-

Peter Wells, Ivan Golac, Nick Holmes, Graham Baker (sub. Dave Puckett), Dave Watson, Malolm Waldron, Kevin Keegan, Mike Channon, Steve Moran, David Armstrong and Alan Ball      Referee:- B.Newsome

The six goals between the two sides at Highfield Road today was bettered by the ten goals shared at the Dell the following May -but that’s a story for another day!

CCFC 1981-82

The Saints gained the bragging rights in terms of league position this season finishing seventh in Division One. The Sky Blues finished safe enough in fourteenth spot a full eight points above the drop zone which saw Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and, bottom of the pile, Middlesbrough relegated.

Liverpool took the Championship by four points over runners up Ipswich Town.

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