Matchday Memories: On This Day 1985 – Mackay’s Men Bash The Baggies (Ex Sky Blue Steve Sent Off)!

On this day (28th September) in 1985, in their tenth Division One game of the 1985/86 season, the Sky Blues met Midland rivals West Bromwich Albion at Highfield Road. Sky Blues manager Don Mackay can’t have been happy with his team’s start to their top flight campaign so far with only one win, albeit by 5-2, against league new boys Oxford United to show so far. Today was a real chance, however, to get the show on the road because the Baggies were in even worse form than the Sky Blues having lost eight games in a row. They were truly awful in this game as well and the Sky Blues had little trouble inflicting on them their ninth defeat, this time by three clear goals! Their manager Johnny Giles resigned after the game to be replaced by (albeit briefly) Nobby Stiles!

Micky in the Sky Blue

Steve Hunt in the Sky Blue

Current CCFPA President Kirk Stephens was back in the City side after injury and popular former Sky Blue Steve Hunt (a  Association recruit) returned to Coventry for the first time in the West Brom midfield but certainly had an unhappy time and went on to ‘blot his copy book’! The Sky Blues really took the Baggies apart after they conceded a seventeenth minute penalty when Baggies debutant Mickey Thomas handled in the box. Future Sky Blue ‘gaffer’ (and now CCFPA member) Micky Adams put the penalty away with aplomb and the 1-0 scoreline remained up to half-time.

Hunt seemed on edge on his first return to the club he had served so well, being lucky not to have been initially cautioned by referee Mr Dimblebee for a rash tackle on the Sky Blues Brian Borrows (also now a CCFPA member). However, the referee was not so sympathetic later when Steve kicked out at (now CCFPA committee member) Dave Bennett and was rightly was sent-off!

Terry in the Sky Blue

Peaky in 1987

The game was put beyond the Baggies reach in the second half as two goals finished them off. First, the Sky Blues diminutive striker  Terry Gibson popped one in just two minutes after the break. Then, ten minutes later CCFC’s elegant defender Trevor Peake (and now Terry’s fellow CCFPA member) applied the coup-de-grace, the Sky Blues fans among the 10,270 crowd went home happy and the Baggies went home with their tail between their legs!

Mackay’s Men for this game comprised:-

Don Mackay at CCFC

Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows, Greg Downs, David Bowman, Kirk Stephens, Trevor Peake, Micky Adams (sub. Kenny Hibbitt), Lloyd McGrath, the late Cyrille Regis, Terry Gibson and Dave Bennett

We are delighted to report that all members of this team later went on to join CCFPA!