Matchday Memories: On This Day 1980 – Five Goal Sky Blues Reverse To Toffees Hard To Chew!!
Gordon Milne-CCFC gaffer
On this day (27th September) in 1980 Sky Blues’ manager Gordon Milne (now a CCFC member) had mixed results so far with his team and last time out in the league had lost 2-0 at Ipswich Town. However, four days before today’s game the Sky Blues had recovered their shooting boots with a midweek 2-1 win at the Goldstone, home of Brighton & Hove Albion in the Third Round of the League Cup.
City today were back in a League contest and faced Everton at Highfield Road and were brought down to earth with an enormous bump and were kept scoreless for the second league game in a row. The Liverpudlians raced into a 3-0 lead within the first half-hour and two further second half goals wrapped up a 5-0 win as early as the seventieth minute for the Toffees and an embarrassing ‘Reverse Old Five’ for CCFC. The 15,001 Highfield Road crowd was not impressed! The Toffees had now scored five twice on the trot!
Sky Blue Jimmy Blyth
‘Harry’ in the Sky Blue
The damage was done by future Sky Blue Bob Latchford (with a brace on 26 and seventy minutes), another two for Joe McBride (thirty and 62 minutes) plus the sixth minute opener from Peter Eastoe. City’s defence was dire as our Scottish international ‘keeper Jim Blyth boobed for two of the goals. Jim’s now fellow CCFPA member ‘Harry’ Roberts (now also CCFC’s club host at home games) also gifted Everton‘s fourth goal by Joe McBride.
Bob Latchford scores
Tommy Hutch im 1979
It also didn’t help that Tommy Hutchison was carried off with concussion! The Sky Blues slipped down to fifteenth in Division One. This proved to be City’s heaviest defeat of the season and their worst ever league score at home.
The Sky Blues team today were:-
Jim Blyth, Mick Coop, Brian Roberts, Andy Blair, Paul Dyson, Steve Jacobs, Tommy Hutchison (sub. Peter Bodak -69), Gerry Daly, Mark Hateley, Tom English and Steve Hunt
We are delighted to say that all members of this management and team later went on to join this Association!
Gordon Lee‘s Everton XI was as follows:-
Bob Latchford in the Sky Blue
Seamus McDonagh, John Gidman, John Bailey, Billy Wright, Mick Lyons, Gary Stanley, Steve McMahon, Peter Eastoe, Bob Latchford, Asa Hartford (sub. Eamon O’Keefe -37) and Joe McBride Referee:- H.Newsome
The Toffees extended the Sky Blues Merseyside misery in late February minning the return at Goodison by three clear goals, so City got no points and conceded eight times without reply in the two games against Everton – dreadful!
The Sky Blues got to the Semi Finals of the League Cup that season getting past both Cambridge United and Watford (both requiring replays) before West Ham United, perhaps unluckily, put them out, over two legs, just one step from Wembley! CCFC finished sixteenth in the League on 36 points and Everton were tucked in just above us in fifteenth on the same points.
CCFC 1980-81
The relegated trio were, Norwich City, Leicester City and, bottom of the pile, Crystal Palace (with only nineteen points). We don’t like to mention it but Aston Villa won the Division One Championship this season four points clear of runners up Ipswich Town!
Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images.
