Matchday Memories: On This Day 2001 – Gawp At Grave Grimsby Game; Gets ‘Gaffer’ Gordon Gone

Gordon the Gaffer

A week before the New York twin towers disaster, on this day (8th September) in 2001 (now CCFPA member) Gordon Strachan‘s Sky Blues were in trouble. Three defeats in the first five games of the new season post relegation threaten a further decline. There were calls from the Sky Blue Army for both WGS and Chairman Bryan Richardson to go before more damage was done.

Magnus in the Sky Blue green

The 1-0 defeat inflicted on the Sky Blues by top three side Grimsby Town cemented the view that the club was struggling. The Mariners’ Phil Jevons scored the only goal of the game just before the hour after punishing a bad mistake by the Sky Blues’ Swedish International goalkeeper (and now CCFPA member) Magnus Hedman with a lob. Magnus had made the mistake of trying to dribble the ball outside of his area and was dispossessed. Though the Sky Blues raised the tempo after this reverse they nevertheless failed to breach the Grimsby Town defence, with the returning John Eustace and Julian Joachim (both now CCFPA members) looking rusty.

Sky Blue’s next gaffer Nilsson

There were only 14,980 fans at Highfield Road suffering on this day. The fans got their scalp as this match proved to be Gordon’s final match in charge before the Sky Blues’ experienced Swedish international full back Roland Nilsson (a fairly recent CCFPA member) took over the managerial reins. Gordon’s managerial record with the Sky Blues was 214 games in charge, winning 70, drawing 54 and losing 90 with a win ratio of 32.71%.

Thanks to former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson you can watch highlights from that fateful day by clicking on the image below:-

City’s team that dire day (CCFPA members underlined) was:-

Magnus Hedman, Roland Nilsson, Marcus Hall, Lee Carsley, Gary Breen, Mo Konjic, Youssef Chippo (sub. Ysrael Zuniga -75), John Eustace (sub. Youssef Safri -76), Julian Joachim, Jay Bothroyd and Keith O’Neill (sub. David Thompson -58)

Steve in the Sky Blue

The Mariners XI was:-

Danny Coyne, John McDermott, Tony Gallimore, Danny Butterfield, Paul Groves, David Beharrall, Alan Pouton, Menno Willems, Phil Jevons (sub. Wayne Burnett -88), Jonathan Rowan (sub. Mike Jeffrey -76) and Stuart Campbell    Referee:- P.Armstrong

CCFPA member, and former Sky Blue striker, Steve Livingstone whose birthday is on this day was on the Mariners’ staff but not in the team today!

In better news, City returned the compliment on Boxing Day winning 1-0 in Cleethorpes with a fortieth  minute Lee Hughes strike. The Sky Blues recovery under Roland continued and they were to finish in eleventh spot whilst Grimsby Town ended up in nineteenth in Division One just a point clear of trouble.

In a tight relegation fight it was Crewe Alexandra, Barnsley and (a long way adrift) Stockport County that took the drop.

At the other end the automatically promoted teams were Manchester City (Champs) and West Bromwich Albion. City’s recent landlords, Birmingham City (in fifth spot) joined the duo as a result of winning the playoffs.

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