FAC 25th Anniversary: Herbert Exhibition Kicks Off with Excellent turnout of the ’87 squad
The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum kicked off its new exhibition, ‘From Highfield Road to Wembley Way’ on Thursday evening with a VIP launch at 6pm followed by a first look for timed ticket holders at 7pm. The exhibition on the upper floor gallery at the Museum which remains open till the end of June was very well received by the first day audience. 
The VIP launch attracted an excellent turnout of the ‘Boys of 1987’ as well as a good sprinkling of other Association Full Members, CCFPA committee members and Associate Members.
Just before 6pm the following members of the victorious 1986-87 squad gathered expectantly in the Herbert Museum:-Dave Bennett, Paul Culpin, Micky Gynn, Steve Ogrizovic, Trevor Peake, David Phillips, Cyrille Regis and John Sillett (and their guests) as well as other Sky Blue stalwarts from earlier eras like Ron Farmer, Ian Goodwin and Lol Harvey. Ian and Lol are pictured below with CCFPA Patron and CCFC Chairman John Clarke). They were met by CCFPA committee members Bob Bromage, Bob Eales and Mike Young (Jim Brown and Frank Pritchard were also present later in the proceedings as were Associate members who had helped out with the exhibition preparations lending memorabila etc including Suki Singh, Lionel Bird, Dean Nelson and Kev Monks).
- Ian, Lol & John
The VIP guests were then taken to the upper floor of the Herbert where they were formally welcomed both by its Chief Executive, Ludo Keston and (representing the ’87 squad CCFPA committee member and scorer of one of the Sky Blues’ goals in the final Dave Bennett. The doors of the exhibition were then opened to reveal an exhibition space full of glass display cabinets packed with memorabilia from the team (including Dave’s shirt and Cup winner’s medal) and from supporters (e.g. news items, scarfs, rosettes, replicas and the like). Adorning the exhibition walls a brief pictorial history of the Club’s achievements and its award winning programmes through the years is also provided especially focussing on Jimmy Hill’s 1960’s ‘Sky Blue Revolution’. The assemblage was also especially delighted to view an excellent set of large scale contemporary photographic portraits of the 1987 squad specially commissioned from Coventry University’s nationally acclaimed photographer Paul Smith (see below).
Appropriate audio-visual stimulation is provided from several TV screens dotted throughout the exhibition. Various items redolent of CCFC’s chequered past were also in place (e.g. Highfield Rd. turnstiles and a replica dressing room for kids (of all ages) to play in together with interactive features like table footballs and a memory wall for fans to add their memories of that wonderful week for Coventry in May 1987 when CCFC won the cup and brought it back to an ecstatic City bathed in Sky Blue. The Herbert had also commissioned a special video of the F.A.Cup win (available on DVD from the shop) featuring interviews with many of the squad and others who shared their memories of the time. This could be watched from a mini grandstand within the exhibition.
During the evening we managed to round up most of the squad present (albeit with some difficulty given that they had to be dragged away from the many fans in the room surrounding each one) for a ‘team picture’ which was taken in front of the back -wall festooned with a giant mural of the victorious squad at the Final. They are pictured at the head of the article in happy mood. (The photo shoot was preceded by Cyrille Regis (pictured left) taking on a junior fan at table-football with Paul Culpin, Dave Phillips and Trevor Peake dying to join in!)
The ’87 squad evidently took great pleasure in viewing the exhibits and chatting with the other guests present who reluctantly started to leave the exhibition about an hour later to make room for the first cohort of the general public who had massed in large numbers downstairs eager to see the exhibition from 7pm. The crowd in the packed atrium of the Herbert were themselves welcomed (right)by Dave Bennett before being unleashed to see the delights upstairs. The exhibition is certain to be a success for the venue as it also gears up for the Olympic celebrations.
‘From Highfield Road to Wembley Way’ remains open at the Museum in Jordan Well, Coventry (CV1 SQP – Tel. 024766294739 www.theherbert.org) until 1st July 2012. It is completely free to attend and CCFPA strongly recommends that you go and see it!
