The Coventry City years: 1980-1982

I’m breaking with tradition and moving away from individual heroes to remember past seasons from when I began watching the Sky Blues. ITV4’s ‘Big Match Revisited’ currently serves up a Saturday and Sunday dose of classic action in the days when football on TV was the exception and not the rule. The club we follow up and down the country doesn’t even feature on the ‘Sky Text’ index pages any more, we’re a miniature column in The Times’ ‘Game’ supplement every Monday morning and there’s a half hour wait on Sky Sports News for a five second clip of our goal action...but it never used to be like this.

 

It all started so well – for me anyway – 1980/81. Paul Dyson’s header past Ray Clemence in front of 31,000 at Highfield Road took the two points against champions Liverpool.  A crushing 3-1 win over Arsenal in August 1980 with a majestic body swerve past Pat Jennings and finish from Gary Gillespie was followed a few weeks later by Everton winning 5-0 at City. Surely that wasn’t meant to happen, I didn’t think teams lost by that score at home – I was only six at the time.

 

Tommy English scored my first live hat-trick in a 4-1 defeat of Leicester City, I’d see many more until the turn of the millennium until they began to dry up, we must have saved a fortune in match balls. At this point the image of Wembley reared its head with a terrific League Cup run which ended at West Ham in the cruellest of fashions – the last minute winner. A 1-1 draw with Cambridge in round four had seen my first night game sat in the front row of the West Stand. I missed the 5-0 thumping of Watford in the quarter-final and the semi-final epic against the Hammers but, never mind, I thought, we’ll get another opportunity next year.

 

Three points for a win arrived in 1981/82 along with our all-seater stadium as City beat Manchester United on the opening day. Two weeks later and Leeds ripped out the Sky Blue Stand seats as a once great force in English football struggled to cope with their decline – we’ve never ripped out the seats although we’ve felt like it many times. We knocked Swansea off top spot with a 3-1 win in October 1981 while it took us until December to win an away game, 2-1 at Spurs. A week later and I viewed the orange ball for the first time at Highfield Road - Manchester City with Ray Ranson, Bobby McDonald and Tommy Hutchison in their side conquered the frozen conditions with a 1-0 win in the only game I’ve ever left early – well I had forgotten my gloves.

 

There was no League Cup glory this time around, Everton's Mick Ferguson saw to that as his towering header in front of his once adoring West Terrace sent us heading for the exits in shock. The immutable law of the ex I’d come across for the first time, how could he do it to us? After Christmas Notts County thrashed us 5-1 on a school night as the brilliant Mercia Sound sport team reported the bad news – and they had three disallowed.

Martin Singleton, fresh out of the youth team, scored on his debut past Everton’s Neville Southall before we turned on the style to wallop Sunderland 6-1, inspired by Gerry Francis in midfield. Then came two hat-tricks in four days through Mark Hateley in the 5-5 epic draw at Southampton before Steve ‘The Cannonball Kid’ Whitton smashed in a treble at Maine Road.

We had a quarter-final run in the FA Cup until Big Cyrille sent us packing 2-0 on a sodden day at the Hawthorns after we’d thrashed Roy Barry’s Oxford United 4-0 in the previous round.

West Brom 2 City 0 FA Cup quarter-final March 1982

January 1982's 'Goal of the Month' was Peter Bodak’s solo effort at Maine Road in the fourth round, definitely worthy of another watch, he had so much ability it was frightening, what a shame he fell out with Gordon Milne.

'Bodak's the name, scoring's my game'

A semi-final and a quarter-final, these cup runs were becoming the norm, I’d surely look forward to many more in seasons to come....

Next week...1982/83 and 1983/84

Nicky Platnauer and Graham Withey - from Eastville to the game of their lives

The summer of 1983 brought an influx of lower league players to Highfield Road following the departure of the club’s famous youth policy of the late 70’s and early 80’s. Bobby Gould brought hitherto unknown talent to the home of football and, as we all know, unearthed the likes of Trevor Peake, Michael Gynn, Dave Bennett and Micky Adams. He also introduced a duo from Bristol Rovers, his former club, who spent less than two seasons with the club but made an instant impact upon their arrival. Their names were Nicky Platnauer and Graham Withey.

Graham Withey appeared in a City shirt on 27 occasions and scored seven times. Signed as back up to Terry Gibson and Dave Bamber, his transfer fee was £5000 and he would score past Ray Clemence on his debut at White Hart Lane and made a substitute appearance in the famous 4-0 win over Liverpool. After two seasons he was sold to Cardiff City and went on have a distinguished career in the lower divisions with Yeovil, Bath City and Cheltenham Town amongst others.

 

Nicky Platnauer played 53 times for the Sky Blues and scored six goals following his £10000 move from Eastville. His debut came as substitute in the 3-2 win at Watford on the opening day and he would spend most of the time in midfield with his trusty left foot. Not only did he open the scoring in the first minute against Liverpool with a grass level diving header, he went on to be named the club’s Player of the Year at the end of 1983/84, no mean feat with Terry Gibson in the side.

 

His departure from City coincided with Bobby Gould leaving at Christmas ’84 and he transferred to Birmingham City from where he took in spells at Cardiff, Notts County and Leicester amongst others on his way to 450 senior appearances. Both men contributed to one of the most memorable days ever witnessed at Highfield Road in December 1983 and they will go down in history as part of the side who demolished the champions along with Raddy Avramovic, Brian Roberts, Stuart Pearce, Trevor Peake, Sam Allardyce, Dave Bennett, Michael Gynn, Dave Bamber, Terry Gibson and Gerry Daly.

Nicky Platnauer's finest moment - December 10th 1983

On his visits to City with Forest and Southampton David McGoldrick was always on the periphery, used as a substitute or substituted. When we signed him I was sceptical but how wrong can you be. Six goals so far and we are still in October - last season’s top scorer scored just nine goals and it’s rare to see a Sky Blues’ striker in the goal scoring charts. Mark Robins will be planning for the new year, there won’t be any waiting until late December to sort out new deals for his loan stars, that mistake won’t happen again. A new idol may be forthcoming at the Ricoh, we have to rewind to big Mo for the last one. As the song goes: ‘he scores when he wants, he scores when he wants, David McGoldrick he scores when he wants’  - last season the team couldn’t score for love nor money, what a refreshing change.

 

Roy Wegerle - from Tampa Bay to his time at Highfield Road

Swindon Town’s only season in the top flight came in 1993/94. The Wiltshire club, led by John Gorman, won just five games, conceded 100 goals but made many friends with their pass and move style, inspired by former manager Glenn Hoddle. During the season a Norwegian international bagged their only hat-trick, a former FA Cup winning captain shored up their back line and Sky cameras missed their last minute leveller at Highfield Road.

In April 1993 Kevin Gallacher departed Highfield Road in a swap deal with Blackburn Rovers’ Roy Wegerle. Until his departure in the close season of 1995 the USA international appeared 63 times and scored on 11 occasions for City.

 

The visit of Swindon was broadcast to the nation and it was Wegerle’s fine finish from a move inspired by Chris Marsden that looked to have taken the points until Andy Mutch’s non-televised last gasp leveller stunned the sky blue hordes (forward to 3:40 mins and also check out Richard Keys' jacket).

City 1 Swindon 1 January 1994

The return fixture at the County Ground brought a 3-1 defeat for City as Jan Aage Fjortoft bagged a treble and Brian Kilcline kept City's strikers at bay. Julian Darby netted for the Sky Blues on a cold February day in front of just over 14000 supporters.

Swindon 3 City 1 February 1994

Wegerle inspired an eight-game unbeaten run at the beginning of 1993/94 which included the 3-0 triumph at Arsenal, a 1-0 at home to Liverpool and the late comeback (2-1) at home to Newcastle when Mick Harford headed the winner. Bobby Gould played Wegerle in a floating role which befitted his undoubted talent. His quick feet and creative passing brought chances galore for Mick Quinn and Peter Ndlovu as the Sky Blues entertained the supporters. They ended ‘93/94 in 11^th position and completed the double over both Arsenal and Tottenham.

One of Wegerle’s finest moments in football came at Elland Road as he waltzed through Leeds’ defence in a QPR shirt as you can see below - an artist at work - a player who was able to hold the crowd’s attention with his trickery and invention.

Roy Wegerle's finest moment

With four of the Sky Blues’ squad numbers over 30 it highlights the wind of change at the Ricoh. Introducing fines for poor marking at set-pieces amongst others is an interesting move and Robins’ disciplined aura seems to have gone down well with the City support after the Hi-di-Hi tenure. It’s about time there was a shake-up at the Ricoh, we pay hard earned cash (travel and ticket) to watch our side and have each spent thousands of pounds down the years. Mark Robins appears to see what we have all been seeing for years, finally, finally we might just have found the man to take us forward after years of being stuck in reverse.  A 4-0 away win is a great start to the week, bring on Di Canio and his Wiltshire wonders.

Paul Telfer - from Kenilworth Road to Parkhead via the Sky Blues

Connections between Saturday’s opponents, Bournemouth, and the Sky Blues are few and far between in recent years. One man departed trophy laden Parkhead after winning two Scottish league titles and, via retirement, rocked up at Dean Court following six years in sky blue and a total of 12 seasons with Gordon Strachan. Having scored on his City home debut he would end his time at Highfield Road carried off on a stretcher with a broken leg. The place was Villa Park, the leg was his and the end result was relegation. His name was Paul Telfer.

 

Telfer spent seven seasons with Luton before Ron Atkinson signed him in the close season of 1995 for £1.5 million. Until his departure in 2001 he appeared 225 times and scored on 12 occasions. A mainstay on the right side of midfield, Telfer overcame a quiet start to win over the City faithful, renowned for his stamina, heading ability and reliability as an unsung component of the Atkinson/Strachan era.

His first professional goal for Luton came at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane, coincidentally at the same Kop end he powered home a free-kick in the FA Cup quarter-final replay of 1998.

 

Paul Telfer's first professional goal for Luton

 

Sheff Utd v City FA Cup Quarter-Final 1998

 

If fate decreed Telfer would have taken City to a semi-final at Old Trafford against Newcastle but as history points out the Blades levelled in added time and triumphed on penalties. Manchester City were on the receiving end of his home debut as he powered home a header from Ally Pickering’s fine cross in the match remembered for Isaias inspiring the Sky Blues. ‘Telf’ would have been a pivotal player in the second tier but departed when his contract expired reuniting with Strachan at Southampton and Celtic, playing in the 2003 FA Cup final against Arsenal. Following two brief retirements he played for Bournemouth and Gary McAllister’s Leeds side before moving into the coaching side and is now player-coach at Conference South side Sutton United... now there's a side with connections to the Sky Blues.

Joe Murphy, Richard Wood and Adam Barton are the only three players to play against MK Dons who also lined up at Yeovil on the opening day such is the wind of change at City. In Tuesday's game we controlled just 36% of possession against a side renowned for their ball retention. All the more frustrating then to see how wasteful we have become with throw-ins. Instead of a throw to feet and taking the return we resort to tossing up a hopeful lob in the forlorn hope the recipient will control the ball on their head, beat two men and find a team-mate. After working so hard to force opposition error I cannot understand the logic as we needlessly turn a throw-in into a 50/50 ball and surrender possession - basic skills, surely? A final comment looks at Murphy's contribution each time the ball threatens his goal and runs out of play. Instead of getting on with the game he'll leave the ball to berate whoever comes into his eyeline. I've never seen a City 'keeper waste so much time when he has the ball, if we're winning 1-0 with minutes to go then fine but that has hardly been the case in the last 12 months. Having said that I admire the way he controls his area and marshals his back four, I just wish he'd get on with the game.