Matchday Memories: On This Day 1983 – Sky Blue Bamber Harms The Hoops On Psycho’s Debut!

Bobby Gould- Sky Blue Manager

On this day (12th November) in 1983 the Sky Blues ‘gaffer’ was Bobby Gould, our ‘Cov Kid’ former dashing Sky Blue centre forward who is now is a CCFPA member. This was the first of his two spells managing his home town club. Today he was looking for a Division One treble for the Sky Blues, the team having beaten both Stoke City and local rivals Birmingham on their own patch on the previous two Saturdays. He therefore chose a side to take on Queen’s Park Rangers at Highfield Road and they duly obliged winning one goal to nil! The Hoops, themselves, had won their last three away games so the Sky Blues win was particularly impressive.

Stuart in the Sky Blue

The 11,796 home crowd were buzzing as they witnessed an exciting debut from a young defender Stuart Pearce (also now a CCFPA member), a £25k signing from non-league Wealdstone and destined to go onto great things!

The Sky Blues deserved to win a brilliant game by more than the one goal, an eleventh minute header from Dave Bamber converted from a corner by (fairly recent CCFPA recruit) Steve Hunt. Rangers’ goalkeeper, Peter Hucker thwarted the Sky Blues with a string of excellent saves and Sky Blues defender Ashley Grimes also hit a post.

Bobby’s dazzlers (CCFPA members underlined) comprised:-

Dave in the Sky Blue

Perry Suckling, Brian Roberts, Stuart Pearce, Ashley Grimes, Trevor Peake, Sam Allardyce, (CCFPA committee man) Dave Bennett, Micky Gynn, Dave Bamber, John Hendrie (sub. Nicky Platnauer) and Steve Hunt

Rangers XI lined up:-

Peter Hucker, Warren Neil, Ian Dawes, Gary Waddock (sub. Mike Flanagan), Alan McDonald, Terry Fenwick, Gary Micklewhite, Ian Stewart, Tony Sealy, Simon Stainrod and John Gregory     Referee:- R.Guy

The undefeated run continued another six games until defeat at Nottingham Forest at the end of December 1983 which was just as well as the second half of the season did not go so smoothly and it took a last gasp 2-1 Highfield Road win over Norwich City to keep the Sky Blues up in nineteenth place on the last day of the season.

CCFC 1983-84

Q.P.R., who got revenge over the Sky Blues the following March beating us by the odd goal in three, finished in a heady fifth spot that season. As Liverpool took the Division One title by three points from Southampton the trio relegated to Division Two were all from the Midlands. In a bad day for City’s local rivals Birmingham City (20th), Notts County (21st) and rock bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers all suffered the drop!

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the photos