Raffaele Nuzzo - a five goal howler at Tranmere and its arrivederci Highfield Road

In the season when City failed to win on their travels (1999/00) it should have come as no surprise that a cup tie against lower league opposition would follow suit. Tranmere Rovers, then in the second tier, welcomed Gordon Strachan’s men to Prenton Park for the Worthington Cup second round, first leg tie in September 1999. A weakened City side lined up with Gary Breen at right-back, Gavin Strachan and Marc Edworthy in midfield with Gary McSheffrey, then just 17 years of age, leading the line. Messrs Hadji, Whelan, Keane and Aloisi were absent yet perhaps the biggest surprise for the travelling sky blue army saw on-loan Inter Milan ‘keeper Raffaele Nuzzo line up between the posts for his sole City outing. Between 1991 and 2000 Nuzzo was loaned out by Inter on many occasions to third tier Italian clubs and his spell at Highfield Road lasted from June to November 1999. By the time the final whistle blew at Tranmere his bags were packed and bound for Heathrow.

 

City led through Gary McAllister’s strike and there was no sign of the calamity the second-half would bring. Five goals - 50, 58, 63, 80 and 90 minutes - from Scott Taylor and a treble from David Kelly along with a red card for David Burrows ensured the tie was over before it reached Highfield Road. Nuzzo transferred from Inter to Reggiana in 2000, took in a loan spell at Wigan in 2001, before finally becoming Reggiana first-choice in 2005. His retirement came in 2007 at the age of 34 after just over 120 first team appearances in 16 seasons.

Five league games in and we’ve been outwitted by each side we’ve pitted our wares against. I can’t connect with this division, in the Premier League and Championship you knew all the players in every team. In League One I haven’t a clue who half the opposition players are yet they are tactically superior, sharper and hungrier for the ball. I’m not being disrespectful, just honest. Gary Johnson, Danny Wilson, Peter Shirtliff, Steve Davis and Gary Smith have set up their teams with a plan of action to not just counter our efforts but to take the three points. The Ricoh will be the best stadium fellow teams visit this season, as a result they’ll raise their performance level and see us as a major scalp. I’ve had 22 top flight seasons and 11 desperate second tier campaigns, my main ask is to be entertained by my club. If I’m driving 200 miles round trip I want wingers, ball to feet, skilful forwards and defenders bringing the ball out of defence to begin attacks. What I’m getting is long balls up to small strikers, a midfield so narrow they all fit in the centre circle and a defence unable to concentrate for 90 minutes. As I write Dennis Wise has still not been appointed manager, I’m assuming he’s amongst the shortlist of nine. His appointment will get the fans onside, two or three wins in succession and they’ll be flooding back in their droves. A bit of success is all we crave, heaven forbid if we got a bit of glory, we wouldn’t know how to cope it’s been so long. Eventually, we’d savour the moment and to quote Martin Tyler, as Sergio Aguero netted to clinch the title, “drink it in, savour it” – I think we’d drink Coventry dry.

 

The twilight year - Don Hutchison's time at City

It’s no coincidence that Coventry City's most successful season post-Premiership saw the introduction of experienced heads to complement the younger players. Micky Adams' 2005/06 side comprised Richard Shaw, Dennis Wise and Don Hutchison alongside the likes of Gary McSheffrey, Andy Whing and Kevin Thornton in a campaign that provided rare cheer during a decade of frustration, false promises, mismanagement and flattened expectations.

After a slow start to the season, Hutchison signed in November on loan from Millwall prior to Wise's January arrival. It was clear from day one that 'Hutch' still possessed the ability to dictate the tempo of matches. During his Liverpool days there was extravagance and pace, now he kept it simple and was hugely effective in his cameo role. The phrase 'let the ball do the work' summed up his contribution as he made 15 starts and appeared 25 times from the bench during his playing year at the Ricoh. A little nutmeg here, a slide rule pass there, he made the game look easy, drawing on his top flight days with the Reds, Sunderland, West Ham and Everton. A professional in the twilight of his career he led by example and drew regular applause from the City faithful.

Hutchison can lay claim to scoring the most spectacular goal during our second tier stay. Boxing Day 2005, in front of 25,000 at Elland Road, saw Neil Sullivan clutching thin air as Don's swerving, dipping Papiss Cisse style half-volley crashed into the top corner of the net from distance. It's a strike you never tire of watching and summed up his quality while at City.

A bit of class from 'Hutch'

Sadly, an injury picked up in November 2006 sidelined him and he would never appear in sky blue again, released in the summer of 2007 by Iain Dowie. The value of Hutchison, Wise and Shaw cannot be underestimated, they were never replaced and we failed to build on falling just shy of the play-offs. It was clear last season that experience was sadly lacking, two or three wise heads will be key to our hopes of a successful campaign in the third division, we cannot rely solely on youth again.

League One countdown – 95 days to go
Fixtures release - 34 days to go
Transfer activity - we're still not allowed to make any

A word to the Wise

During their football careers Dennis Wise and Kevin Thornton made front and back page headlines. Wise dominated the news in 1995 with his infamous taxi incident while Thornton became renowned for his antics away from the Ricoh Arena which overshadowed his performances in sky blue. Wise responded by becoming Chelsea’s sixth highest appearance maker of all time and captained the Kings Road side to FA, League and Cup Winners Cup glory. Thornton at just 25 is currently without a club following his departure from Nuneaton Town last November.

Wise became City’s oldest outfield player at the age of 39 when he made his debut against Derby in January 2006. He scored in his first three league games and took the adoration of the City support. In his four month cameo he scored six times in 13 games as, along with Don Hutchison, they took City to an eighth place finish, their most successful season since relegation. One of his finest moments came at Hull’s KC Stadium when his overhead kick levelled matters before Stern John sealed the 2-1 win. Micky Adams released him in the summer along with Richard Shaw and City would miss both players more than they realised.

Kevin Thornton had the footballing world at his feet. Every time his name was read out over the PA system the City faithful roared their approval. Here was a man who made things happen and was not afraid to put his foot in. There was an edge to his game which he channelled on the pitch but his misdemeanours off the pitch ensured his selection was sporadic. Over four seasons he started just 19 games and appeared from the bench over 30 times. Of the two goals he scored for the Sky Blues his debut strike came at Hull in August 2006 finding the net with just five minutes remaining. Under Iain Dowie and Chris Coleman's stewardship Thornton spent further time in and out of the side before the club’s patience finally ran out. In the summer of 2009 he was released along with Michael Mifsud, both players having failed to realise their true potential at Coventry City.

The atmosphere once again at the Ricoh was terrific on Saturday. Throughout the campaign Andy Thorn and his players have received excellent backing home and away from the City faithful who have spent their hard earned monies travelling the length and breadth of the country. It will be a defining moment when City leapfrog Bristol City but for the West Country side it will be a crushing blow having evaded the relegation zone for many months. They face West Ham, Birmingham and Forest in the coming weeks with a final day trip to Burnley. Games never go to plan at this stage of the season and I wouldn't put it past us to sneak a late winner at Hull just as Kevin Thornton did five seasons ago. Maybe if someone had spoken a word to the wise, he would still be orchestrating matters in sky blue today.