Legends Day and Highfield Road Remembered

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From 1969-73 Roy Barry was an inspirational central defender and sometime Club Captain for the Sky Blues and won many plaudits at Highfield Road for his robust yet skilled role at the heart of the City defence over nearly a hundred appearances. Roy has also been a stalwart for CCFPA visiting us for a variety of Association functions, most recently Legends Day 2012, from his Scottish home. Roy has also assisted Dunfermline, the club from whom CCFC signed him, develop its own Association for ex players along the successful lines we have set at the Ricoh.

We have just received some photos taken during the weekend Legends Day weekend in Coventry when he (centre) and, good friend, CCFPA’s Billy Bell (right) reminded themselves of Roy’s playing days at the Club’s previous stadium (after paying homage -along with CCFPA committee man Bob Eales- to Jimmy Hill’s statue outside the Arena) .

Highfield Road, of course, has changed dramatically since Roy’s playing days there but nonetheless the H.R. name plate as well as, in the centre of the Wimpey housing estate, the patch of green roughly coinciding with the H.R. pitch with its commemorative sculptural centrepiece, quicky brought the memories flooding back!

Roy was one of the 50 former players the Association hosted at Legends Day 2012 and they received a rapturous welcome from fans both inside the Ricoh at half time and after the game when the Sky Blues heroes were welcomed one by one (led by the Association’s 200th member Terry Yorath) onto the stage of Lady G’s by Billy. A YouTube Video of the ‘fabulous 50’ former players on stage can be found at:-