Coventry's most important/memorable games (1 Viewer)

MPC · Nov 18, 2021

Hi all, I've been tasked with selecting the 5 biggest, most important or most memorable matches in Coventry's history.

Plenty of options to choose from (trophy wins, cup finals, promotions, great escapes, etc...) but that isn't great for me (!) as I only need the top 5 so hopefully you guys can help on that front.

As a starter, I've gone for:
Coventry 3 Tottenham 2 (FA Cup final, May 16 1987) - Self-explanatory.
Tottenham 1 Coventry 2 (May 11, 1997) - final-day escape, again.
Coventry 6 Derby 2 (April 30, 2005) - final game at Highfield,
Coventry 3 Exeter 1 (Play-Off final, May 28 2018) - Escape from L2 and key to current revival

Coventry 2 Oxford 1 (EFL Trophy final, April 2 2017) - ????? Not sure about this one. It was the first trophy in a while, but not really on the grand scale of some of the other results.

Cheers!

skybluesam66 · Nov 18, 2021

Coventry 2 bristol c 2 77 great escape
Coventry 3 West ham 2 81 1st semi final - amazing game
Coventry 4 Spurs 3 86 Maybe the best ever game at HR
Coventry 2 WBA 0 29th May 22 This will happen

Deleted member 5849 · Nov 18, 2021

Most important games in history?

Blast From The Remote Past: On This Day 1920: CCFC Survive In What Became ‘The Bury Affair’ : Coventry City Former Players Association || CCFPA

www.ccfpa.co.uk

MPC · Nov 18, 2021

Yep, most important games in the club's history. As you can probably tell, my knowledge is very limited before the 1980s!

Sky_Blue_Dreamer · Nov 18, 2021

Probably have to include the Wolves game where we won promotion in 1967 and was our highest ever attendance.

In terms of memorable, but overall not important, the 5-4 League Cup win against Nottingham Forest in 1990. 4 up in about half an hour including a Kevin Gallagher hat-trick. Forest got it back to 4-4 with a Clough hat-trick before we got a winner. Mad game.

Others that stand out are Ndlovu's hat-trick at Anfield in '95, and Terry Gibson's in '83, plus the 3-2 wins against Man U in '97 and Arsenal in '99.

Important would be getting relegated against Villa as much as what has happened since can be linked to that relegation and the consequences of it.

*Oh, and the late kick-off between us and Bristol that resulted in both us staying up. Though you might get a few angry Sunderland fans.

fatso · Nov 18, 2021

Robbie Keane's debut, ok so it's not in the top 5, but an unforgettable game nonetheless.
Ndlovu's hattrick at Anfield.
City 5 Norwich 4
City 5 Forest 4
Sunderland 4 City 5
Arsenal 0 City 3 (Qinn hattrick)
Loads of great games over the years.

City 3 Bristol 2 (10 men score 3 goals in second half to come from behind to win)

Portsmouth 3 City 3 (9 men come from behind to salvage a point)

Man City 1 City 3 F.A. cup rd4 (Peter Bodak scored "that goal"

City 5 Liverpool 1

City vs Everton 1970, the Donkey Kick game.

City 4 Everton 1 (thrash the champions on the last day of the season to stay up!
Fuckin av it !!! )

clint van damme · Nov 18, 2021

MPC said:
Hi all, I've been tasked with selecting the 5 biggest, most important or most memorable matches in Coventry's history.

Plenty of options to choose from (trophy wins, cup finals, promotions, great escapes, etc...) but that isn't great for me (!) as I only need the top 5 so hopefully you guys can help on that front.

As a starter, I've gone for:
Coventry 3 Tottenham 2 (FA Cup final, May 16 1987) - Self-explanatory.
Tottenham 1 Coventry 2 (May 11, 1997) - final-day escape, again.
Coventry 6 Derby 2 (April 30, 2005) - final game at Highfield,
Coventry 3 Exeter 1 (Play-Off final, May 28 2018) - Escape from L2 and key to current revival

Coventry 2 Oxford 1 (EFL Trophy final, April 2 2017) - ????? Not sure about this one. It was the first trophy in a while, but not really on the grand scale of some of the other results.

Cheers!

I've said it many times, and it was an amazing day, but if we'd lost to Spurs in 1997 I don't think we'd have had the amount of shit we've had in the last 20 years.

Marty · Nov 18, 2021

Wasn't important, but the most memorable for me was against Derby at home in the early 2000's. 3-0 with 2 absolute crackers from McAllister and Hignett.

Sky Blue Pete · Nov 18, 2021

Marty said:
Wasn't important, but the most memorable for me was against Derby at home in the early 2000's. 3-0 with 2 absolute crackers from McAllister and Hignett.

Was one of those the volley??

Marty · Nov 18, 2021

Sky Blue Pete said:
Was one of those the volley??

Yes, scraped in on the under side of the bar.

long way home · Nov 18, 2021

Cov v Luton, Killer scored last 15 mins , memorable due to being most nervous I've ever been.

Cov v Spurs, Regis scored header off his own rebound off bar.. memorable due to best game at HR

Wembley 87 we are remembered for that by other fans in and outside UK. Made us memorable, created notoriety and a soft spot from many outside our club towards us. We belonged after that with the big boys in the biggest league in the world.

Under MR have been the most important for different reasons. Wembley changed the outlook on our owners towards what the club and what we could be. But a few that stand out are

Notts county away
Sunderland at Brum- Godden
Ipswich away- Godden
Rotherham away- Leo
Forest at home CBS Arena

All have had an effect on the belief with fans and players alike.

lord_garrincha · Nov 18, 2021

The Spurs relegation game in 97 is an interesting one in terms of importance.

Don't get me wrong... I was in the away end, absolutely delighted... But had Boro not been docked points and played the game (they would have still stayed up even if it was a heavy-ish defeat)... Would it have been easier to get promoted back in 98/99 or even the season after.

All ifs & buts... and the answer would probably still be no... But I do wonder.

EDIT... I have just seen this has been mentioned... sorry!

COV · Nov 18, 2021

clint van damme said:
I've said it many times, and it was an amazing day, but if we'd lost to Spurs in 1997 I don't think we'd have had the amount of shit we've had in the last 20 years.

CCFC 4 Everton 1 '85
CCFC 2 QPR 1 '86
CCFC 2 Norwich 1 '84

All more important than '97 in my opinion, at that time in the late 90s I think we'd have probably come straight back up. If we'd have gone down in the mid 80s that would have been much harder to bounce back from- no money, dwindling crowds, general apathy.

Bit of a tangent but our most important game which we didn't play in... Notts County 2 Luton 1 1992- we'd made a total balls of saving ourselves at Villa Park & would have failed to make the inaugural Premier League season had Luton won.

Brighton Sky Blue · Nov 18, 2021

clint van damme said:
I've said it many times, and it was an amazing day, but if we'd lost to Spurs in 1997 I don't think we'd have had the amount of shit we've had in the last 20 years.

How long do you think we’d have taken to go back up?

Sick Boy · Nov 18, 2021

Notts C away needs to be in there, more so than than the Checkatrade

Happy_Martian · Nov 18, 2021

Sick Boy said:
Notts C away needs to be in there, more so than than the Checkatrade

Disagree. While the playoff semi was an amazing game, I think it's the Checkatrade final that put Robins stamp on the team and with 40,000+ Cov fans present, showed the management and SiSu that the team could have the support and backing they hoped for. That one game started the snowball, the playoffs increased our momentum.

Gynnsthetonic · Nov 18, 2021

Luton home 1985 1-0 Killer
Everton home 1985 4-1
Sheff Wed away 1987 ¼ final 1-3
Wimbledon away 1996 0-2 Ndlovu double plus 3 pitch invasions
Notts County Away 2018 play off 1-4
Loads more I dare to mention

clint van damme · Nov 18, 2021

Brighton Sky Blue said:
How long do you think we’d have taken to go back up?

No idea. I don't think it's possible to say.
But we wouldn't have saddled ourselves with 3 or 4 more seasons of EPL debt, our relegation wouldn't have coincided with the collapse of digital and we might not of ended up homeless- all supposition ofcourse.

Was it price worth paying for a quite incredible away day?

COV · Nov 18, 2021

Happy_Martian said:
Disagree. While the playoff semi was an amazing game, I think it's the Checkatrade final that put Robins stamp on the team and with 40,000+ Cov fans present, showed the management and SiSu that the team could have the support and backing they hoped for. That one game started the snowball, the playoffs increased our momentum.

Not sure about this- lose the Checkatrade and... not much impact really, lose to Notts County would have meant another season in L2 and a step closer to the club imploding completely

COV · Nov 18, 2021

clint van damme said:
No idea. I don't think it's possible to say.
But we wouldn't have saddled ourselves with 3 or 4 more seasons of EPL debt, our relegation wouldn't have coincided with the collapse of digital and we might not of ended up homeless- all supposition ofcourse.

Was it price worth paying for a quite incredible away day?

"incredible" is an interesting way to describe it, never felt closer to having a heart attack in my life

Brighton Sky Blue · Nov 18, 2021

clint van damme said:
No idea. I don't think it's possible to say.
But we wouldn't have saddled ourselves with 3 or 4 more seasons of EPL debt, our relegation wouldn't have coincided with the collapse of digital and we might not of ended up homeless- all supposition ofcourse.

Was it price worth paying for a quite incredible away day?

I guess the answer depends on whether Richardson would have tried to spend his way back up, or sell up and cut his losses.

clint van damme · Nov 18, 2021

COV said:
"incredible" is an interesting way to describe it, never felt closer to having a heart attack in my life

With our game kicking off late there was no respite from the tension because the other two games were in progress at halftime, it was mental, I'm genuinely surprised someone didn't have a heart attack or faint.

clint van damme · Nov 18, 2021

Brighton Sky Blue said:
I guess the answer depends on whether Richardson would have tried to spend his way back up, or sell up and cut his losses.

I think we'd have still had a fire sale, though again, just guesswork on my behalf.
Though after would haveleft of their own accord anyway.

Tommo1993 · Nov 18, 2021

Checkatrade final was a big game. But it paled far into insignificance a year later. Notts 2nd leg was brilliant. Felt right up against it after drawing at home, how many of us were pleasantly surprised on the night? But most of us believed after that that we had way too much for Exeter.

Terry_dactyl · Nov 18, 2021

Not a particularly important game albeit I think it was one of those seasons when any point was celebrated…a 0-0 draw vs Arsenal at Highbury.
Memorable in my family, referred to as the 0-0 drubbing. It felt like we didn’t get out of our penalty area, let alone our half.Dublin at centre back, Ian Wright breaking Oggy’s nose (again), felt like a win.
Again, not particularly important but beating Liverpool 5-1 was ridiculous.
Loads of others but worth saying The crazy wins this season will live with me forever too…and we’ve got a long way to go!

Theonlywayisskyblue · Nov 18, 2021

Couple slightly off at a tangent:

1979 Bobby Robson said Mick Ferguson wasn't worth the money we wanted; Cov 4 Ipswich 1 Fergy scored all 4 Blast From The Past: On This Day 1979 – Ferguson 4 Ipswich 1 -Fab. Fergie’s Four Irritates Ipswich : Coventry City Former Players Association || CCFPA
1980 League cup 5th round Watford 2 Cov 2 never seen so many City fans in an away ground

lord_garrincha · Nov 18, 2021

Terry_dactyl said:
Not a particularly important game albeit I think it was one of those seasons when any point was celebrated…a 0-0 draw vs Arsenal at Highbury.
Memorable in my family, referred to as the 0-0 drubbing. It felt like we didn’t get out of our penalty area, let alone our half.Dublin at centre back, Ian Wright breaking Oggy’s nose (again), felt like a win.
Again, not particularly important but beating Liverpool 5-1 was ridiculous.
Loads of others but worth saying The crazy wins this season will live with me forever too…and we’ve got a long way to go!

The Oggy save with his foot when on the ground

SBT · Nov 18, 2021

There's a short book about this very topic, if anyone wants to read someone else's take on it:
Amazon product ASIN 0752427180

The 'From the Author' product description is a particular highlight on that link btw

slowpoke · Nov 18, 2021

slowpoke said:
That Watford away game was unbelievable I think it started with the away end of about 3000 or so but thousands turned up with us having almost two thirds of the ground I remember walking past the home turnstiles and there were dozens of police stopping Cov going in that end because the end Cov were in was full, they then opened some gates allowing hundreds of Cov in free. I’m not sure what would have happened had we lost the draw thankfully the draw seemed to pacify everyone.
QUOTE]

Deleted member 5849 · Nov 18, 2021

SBT said:
The 'From the Author' product description is a particular highlight on that link btw

Superb!

I also quite like the way the author is credited, mind you.

Terry_dactyl · Nov 18, 2021

lord_garrincha said:
The Oggy save with his foot when on the ground

Yes!
One of the most memorable bits was Dion’s leg extending from nowhere to clear off the line…had looked a certain goal.
We were down the front behind the goal and felt really close to the action. I loved Highbury.

Sky Blue Harry H · Nov 18, 2021

MPC said:
Hi all, I've been tasked with selecting the 5 biggest, most important or most memorable matches in Coventry's history.

Plenty of options to choose from (trophy wins, cup finals, promotions, great escapes, etc...) but that isn't great for me (!) as I only need the top 5 so hopefully you guys can help on that front.

As a starter, I've gone for:
Coventry 3 Tottenham 2 (FA Cup final, May 16 1987) - Self-explanatory.
Tottenham 1 Coventry 2 (May 11, 1997) - final-day escape, again.
Coventry 6 Derby 2 (April 30, 2005) - final game at Highfield,
Coventry 3 Exeter 1 (Play-Off final, May 28 2018) - Escape from L2 and key to current revival

Coventry 2 Oxford 1 (EFL Trophy final, April 2 2017) - ????? Not sure about this one. It was the first trophy in a while, but not really on the grand scale of some of the other results.

Cheers!

I was at all of them - you forgot the pre-season game at Hereford in about 1976 (lost 2-0?) when I lost all feeling in my face due to the cold, having travelled on a Yamaha 100, misjudged the travelling time and missed half the game.

dan87 · Nov 18, 2021

MPC said:
Hi all, I've been tasked with selecting the 5 biggest, most important or most memorable matches in Coventry's history.

Plenty of options to choose from (trophy wins, cup finals, promotions, great escapes, etc...) but that isn't great for me (!) as I only need the top 5 so hopefully you guys can help on that front.

As a starter, I've gone for:
Coventry 3 Tottenham 2 (FA Cup final, May 16 1987) - Self-explanatory.
Tottenham 1 Coventry 2 (May 11, 1997) - final-day escape, again.
Coventry 6 Derby 2 (April 30, 2005) - final game at Highfield,
Coventry 3 Exeter 1 (Play-Off final, May 28 2018) - Escape from L2 and key to current revival

Coventry 2 Oxford 1 (EFL Trophy final, April 2 2017) - ????? Not sure about this one. It was the first trophy in a while, but not really on the grand scale of some of the other results.

Cheers!

I would also include Coventry 4 Everton 1, the win we needed against the champions to stay up In 1985.

Sky Blue Harry H · Nov 18, 2021

Theonlywayisskyblue said:
Couple slightly off at a tangent:

1979 Bobby Robson said Mick Ferguson wasn't worth the money we wanted; Cov 4 Ipswich 1 Fergy scored all 4 Blast From The Past: On This Day 1979 – Ferguson 4 Ipswich 1 -Fab. Fergie’s Four Irritates Ipswich : Coventry City Former Players Association || CCFPA
1980 League cup 5th round Watford 2 Cov 2 never seen so many City fans in an away ground

I spent most of the pre-match gaining entry via that crush in the street, trying to protect my brother's ribs (been broken the previous week-end playing footie) Great game, mad following, and we confused the locals, as someone on our coach decided to start chanting 'Chelsea' and everyone joined in - no idea why?!

MPC · Nov 18, 2021

Cheers for this everyone, makes interesting reading to see all the different views.....although I'm not sure I'm much closer to a definitive top 5!

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