capel & collindridge
Well-Known Member
I've really enjoyed reading this thread. It's prompted some online searches to fill in the sketchy memories of my first Coventry match. All I could remember for certain was that it was against Leyton Orient in the Third Division South when I was about seven. I thought I remembered clearly that Peter Taylor was our keeper (long before he teamed up with Cloughie) and Frank Austin and Roy Kirk were our full backs. Perhaps I'd tried to remember the names of all the team but got bored somewhere along the line (up). I knew Eddy Brown was our chief goal scorer. I always thought it must have been the 1953-4 season. After a few searches I found the 11 v 11 site and confirmed my first match must have been the game on August 22nd 1953. I think my Dad took me to most games that season - I can definitely remember quite a few of them. The team against Orient, as listed on 11 v 11, was:
Goalkeeper Reg Matthews
Defender Roy Kirk
Full back Lol Harvey
Full back Dick Mason
Centre half Martin McDonnell
Wing half Noel Simpson
Outside Left Jimmy Hill
Centre forward Eddy Brown
Winger Gordon Nutt
Inside forward Bill Bradbury
Inside Forward/Wing half Don Dorman
So I guess I was wrong about Peter Taylor playing in that match. But he was our usual goalie. Reg Matthews was only just emerging. We won 4-0. We usually won our home games to cries of "Come on the old five!" I remember Eddy Brown got a couple and apparently Don Dorman and Jimmy Hill scored the others. Of course that Jimmy Hill wasn't the Jimmy Hill who made us what we are. He wasn't even the most memorable Hill of that era. Peter Hill and Brian Hill were the players most people remember. But I didn't realise that Lol Harvey was playing that day. Later on Lol Harvey seemed to become a bit of a favourite with the crowd, but I always thought he was dreadful. Perhaps he had a bad game that day and the impression stuck. Gordon Nutt was our most exciting forward. At least that was what I thought as a seven year old. A couple of years later it was Ray Sambrook who really was magic. But among all the blurred memories of that 53-4 season, I still remember clearly the excitement of the news of a double signing the following summer bringing a new left wing partnership of Tommy Capel and Colin Collindridge. Hence my name on SBT.
Goalkeeper Reg Matthews
Defender Roy Kirk
Full back Lol Harvey
Full back Dick Mason
Centre half Martin McDonnell
Wing half Noel Simpson
Outside Left Jimmy Hill
Centre forward Eddy Brown
Winger Gordon Nutt
Inside forward Bill Bradbury
Inside Forward/Wing half Don Dorman
So I guess I was wrong about Peter Taylor playing in that match. But he was our usual goalie. Reg Matthews was only just emerging. We won 4-0. We usually won our home games to cries of "Come on the old five!" I remember Eddy Brown got a couple and apparently Don Dorman and Jimmy Hill scored the others. Of course that Jimmy Hill wasn't the Jimmy Hill who made us what we are. He wasn't even the most memorable Hill of that era. Peter Hill and Brian Hill were the players most people remember. But I didn't realise that Lol Harvey was playing that day. Later on Lol Harvey seemed to become a bit of a favourite with the crowd, but I always thought he was dreadful. Perhaps he had a bad game that day and the impression stuck. Gordon Nutt was our most exciting forward. At least that was what I thought as a seven year old. A couple of years later it was Ray Sambrook who really was magic. But among all the blurred memories of that 53-4 season, I still remember clearly the excitement of the news of a double signing the following summer bringing a new left wing partnership of Tommy Capel and Colin Collindridge. Hence my name on SBT.