HuckerbyDublinWhelan
Well-Known Member
99/00 with Mcallister, Keane, chippo and Hadji.. 98/99 was good when we had Whelan, Huckerby and Boateng.
What was your favourite ever season watching city in the league (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Evo1883
- Start date
Houchens Head
Fairly well known member from Malvern
Same for me BBR. Best times ever at Highfield Road!
Old Warwickshire lad
Well-Known Member
66/67 give us the old five.
capel & collindridge
Well-Known Member
For me, it has to be Highfield Road and at a time when I could attend every week because the ground was within walking distance of home. That meant there could be a familiar family pattern of the day of preparing to get to Highfield Road quite early to buy a programme and soak in the atmosphere, watching the game and usually being pleased with the result because we didn't lose many of our home games. Then there would be going home for tea while listening to the football results and checking the the pools, then rushing out straight away afterwards to wait for the pink uns to be thown on the pavement near the newsagents before they were carried inside unwrapped and sold. I liked to be the family member that went and collected our pink un so I could read Nemo's match report as I walked slowly home. Once autumn set in and it already dark by the time the pink un was delivered,. I would stand near the light from the chippy and read it there. Then I'd have to run home with it, to make up the lost time!
The sad thing was that we weren't that good a team in the years of 1955-6 and 1956-7. So for most people, these are not seasons to remember. But the magic of supporting your team no matter where it is in the table has never changed. With just two up and two down and 24 teams in the league, most teams would remain in the same division season after season. We were a good Third Division team, but never quite so good as teams like Bristol City, Ipswich, Southampton or Brighton. Older fans often said we were unlucky to be relegated from Division Two in 1952. But from 1955/6 to 1956/7 hardly any of our Division Two team were left. We did have two great talents: Reg Matthews - chosen to make his full England debut in 1956. He was the first Coventry-born footballer to be capped by England and one of only five post-war players to be capped while playing for a Third Division club. He was the most expensive goalkeeper at the time he signed for Chelsea in November 1956 for £22,000. Because Matthews was so good, the weaknesses of defenders like Lol Harvey didn't really matter.
We also had the magic of Ray Sambrook who scored 14 goals for us as a winger in the 1956/7 season . Sadly, we played a friendly against First Division Man City in August 1957 and Sambrook was star performer and scored twice in a one-sided pre-season 3-1 win. Man City promptly signed him and he played fairly regularly for them for three or four years scoring a goal evey four or five games.
They were also the years that stalwarts like Roy Kirk, Noel Simpson, Peter Hill, and Ken McPherson were regular team members, when youngsters like Frank Klentzenbauer, Steve Makone and George Curtis first played for our first team, and my old favourites Tommy Capel and Colin Collindridge left and my new ones, Jack Boxley and Jimmy Rogers, newly signed from Bristol City, arrived. Between them, Hill, Boxley, Rogers, Sambrook and McPherson scored 59 league goals in the 56/57 season.
Yet the following season, I learned about the City curse. After hovering around the top half of the table, for season after season, it was decided that Third Divisions North and South were to be replaced by a Third and Fourth Division. The top 12 teams in Third Divisions N and S would become the following year's Divison Three and the bottom 12 would make up the new Division Four. It was one of the few seasons when we ended up the season in the bottom half of the table, nine places above the bottom team. Just our luck!
The sad thing was that we weren't that good a team in the years of 1955-6 and 1956-7. So for most people, these are not seasons to remember. But the magic of supporting your team no matter where it is in the table has never changed. With just two up and two down and 24 teams in the league, most teams would remain in the same division season after season. We were a good Third Division team, but never quite so good as teams like Bristol City, Ipswich, Southampton or Brighton. Older fans often said we were unlucky to be relegated from Division Two in 1952. But from 1955/6 to 1956/7 hardly any of our Division Two team were left. We did have two great talents: Reg Matthews - chosen to make his full England debut in 1956. He was the first Coventry-born footballer to be capped by England and one of only five post-war players to be capped while playing for a Third Division club. He was the most expensive goalkeeper at the time he signed for Chelsea in November 1956 for £22,000. Because Matthews was so good, the weaknesses of defenders like Lol Harvey didn't really matter.
We also had the magic of Ray Sambrook who scored 14 goals for us as a winger in the 1956/7 season . Sadly, we played a friendly against First Division Man City in August 1957 and Sambrook was star performer and scored twice in a one-sided pre-season 3-1 win. Man City promptly signed him and he played fairly regularly for them for three or four years scoring a goal evey four or five games.
They were also the years that stalwarts like Roy Kirk, Noel Simpson, Peter Hill, and Ken McPherson were regular team members, when youngsters like Frank Klentzenbauer, Steve Makone and George Curtis first played for our first team, and my old favourites Tommy Capel and Colin Collindridge left and my new ones, Jack Boxley and Jimmy Rogers, newly signed from Bristol City, arrived. Between them, Hill, Boxley, Rogers, Sambrook and McPherson scored 59 league goals in the 56/57 season.
Yet the following season, I learned about the City curse. After hovering around the top half of the table, for season after season, it was decided that Third Divisions North and South were to be replaced by a Third and Fourth Division. The top 12 teams in Third Divisions N and S would become the following year's Divison Three and the bottom 12 would make up the new Division Four. It was one of the few seasons when we ended up the season in the bottom half of the table, nine places above the bottom team. Just our luck!
Evo1883
Well-Known Member
Jesus as in, jesus, start the song?
hill83
Well-Known Member
Yeah
Fergusons_Beard
Well-Known Member
Thanks for that C&C.
Thanks for sharing those great memories-not many blokes on here that were witness to the 50’s CCFC matches.
I always wondered why you had your user name-and now I know-feel a bit of an idiot that I didn’t realise it would be City related.
Off to try and find more info.
PUSB
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
rob9872
Well-Known Member
1) The Entertainers because were simply that.
2) Last season as I've never known anything like us being in and around the top, such a shame it was cut short. Shame it was at St Andrews too.
3) The L2 season, not just the play offs, but many new grounds, a lot of camaraderie among fans rather than the doom and gloom as we slid down the leagues, rock bottom was actually quite good (also daughter started coming to away games with me)
4) The season after we won the cup so 87/88 - so many full houses due to the uptake in season ticket sales before the final. If I'm honest I don't remember too much about 86/87 apart from the cup run
2) Last season as I've never known anything like us being in and around the top, such a shame it was cut short. Shame it was at St Andrews too.
3) The L2 season, not just the play offs, but many new grounds, a lot of camaraderie among fans rather than the doom and gloom as we slid down the leagues, rock bottom was actually quite good (also daughter started coming to away games with me)
4) The season after we won the cup so 87/88 - so many full houses due to the uptake in season ticket sales before the final. If I'm honest I don't remember too much about 86/87 apart from the cup run
Offhegoes
Well-Known Member
Really enjoyed 1992/1993. After the woeful 91/92 season where our biggest achievement was five 0-0's in a row, Bobby Gould brought a bit of fun back. Ndlouv was now a regular, and of course John Williams the flying postman, and Phil Babb were signed. The emergence of Lee Hurst as a gifted central midfielder and we suddenly starting seeing the best of Rosario. And who can forget Micky Quinn. From August-Feb it was great, but the wheels came off when Rosario was sold, and Quinn stopped scoring. Gould was gone by October the following season.
capel & collindridge
Well-Known Member
Re my user-name: It was reading a thread on this forum about being excited about new transfers that made me remember how, even as a child, I got really excited over the summer holidays, about new players arriving. I think I thought at that time you had to sign two new players at a time. Tommy Capel and Colin Collindridge both came from Forest. A couple of years later Jack Boxley and Jimmy Rogers both came from Bristol City. I was deluded.
But nowhere near as deluded as some folk on here still are!
;-)
Tile Hill Phil
Well-Known Member
Has to be 77/78 when Wallace and Fergie were on fire.We were the first team that season to reach 100 goals scored in our matches. The League 2 promotion season in 2018 was pretty good too, that Notts County away play off game will always live in the memory.
Calista
Well-Known Member
And conceded 76 if I remember rightly
Yes, that season stands out for pure entertainment. I doubt whether any team before or since has played in such an adventurous way in the top flight of English football, I recall being about 4 or 5 nil down at the Hawthorns and Milne replaced a defender with a striker to try and get back into the game! Ended up 7-1 I think so it kind of worked.
The league campaign in 86-87 is underrated IMO - if we hadn't gone and won the cup people would still have said it was one of our best seasons. That was a great side.
Grendel
Well-Known Member
And conceded 76 if I remember rightly
Yes, that season stands out for pure entertainment. I doubt whether any team before or since has played in such an adventurous way in the top flight of English football, I recall being about 4 or 5 nil down at the Hawthorns and Milne replaced a defender with a striker to try and get back into the game! Ended up 7-1 I think so it kind of worked.
The league campaign in 86-87 is underrated IMO - if we hadn't gone and won the cup people would still have said it was one of our best seasons. That was a great side.
The 7 - 1 wasn’t that season to be fair and we had a +13 goal difference - we had a terrible run of results in the last 7 games and could have easily finished top 4
D
Deleted member 9744
Guest
I think the 7-1 was the next season but I think we lost 6-0 at Everton.
D
Deleted member 9744
Guest
I enjoyed 77/78 and 98/99 but it has to be 86/87. It wasn't all about the cup run and we played good football in the league too. Regis and Bennett were great that season. I remember the West Terrace would stand up as soon as either of them got the ball anywhere near goal.
Calista
Well-Known Member
Wow the memory really plays tricks! I'd forgotten that we carried on in a similar vein the next year, only less successfully.
Yes, I saw the 6-0 thrashing at Goodison Park too ... no complaints with that one, we played a ridiculously open game and they scored six with ease. Sadly I was in the Everton end for that one, no fun at all.
Yes, I saw the 6-0 thrashing at Goodison Park too ... no complaints with that one, we played a ridiculously open game and they scored six with ease. Sadly I was in the Everton end for that one, no fun at all.
Johhny Blue
Well-Known Member
Watching Fergie and Wallace that season was a thrill. Expected a goal every time we went forward
Johhny Blue
Well-Known Member
I remember Ferguson breakaway on his own towards the kop (v Birmingham?) He got to about 25 yds out and seemed to think “ Fuck it i’ve run far enough” and smashed it in. Vardy’s goal against Liverpool a couple of seasons ago reminded me of it. A real confidence goal
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ovduk78
Well-Known Member
We were down the side, I don't know if they even had an away section at the game. We did have chances though and their goalie, George Wood, made some good saves. 3 days later I was on the coach for the League Cup game at Anfield, I think I skipped off school early to get the train to Coventry, walk to HR and then got on 1 of the many coaches. My mum & dad didn't even know I was at the game and only found out the next morning when the couple on the coach who let me sleep on their settee called my mum to tell her that I was ok.
Can anyone remember the disallowed goal by Tommy Hutch , memory is playing up but I have it in my mind that it was a header ?
ovduk78
Well-Known Member
I am sure it was a header too and it was very late on at the kop end.
ovduk78
Well-Known Member
Our fans were fantastic. I am sure we had the stand on the side with the Kop to our right and the Anfield Road end, no idea how many fans we had there that night. I managed to get back to the coach with no trouble but could see it all kicking off outside, the coach driver closed the doors to keep it outside & if all coaches did that many fans must have got a kick in because of it.
It was rough alright, horse's charging , we were walking down the side and they discovered one lad hiding his scarf then it all went up.
Sky Blue Harry H
Well-Known Member
Just watched a video of all of Huckerby's goals for us. In August 98 he scored v Chelsea from a Dublin flick on and the commentator referred to the pair having netted 37 (or 38?) goals between them the previous season (97/98) Wow - forgot that they were that prolific!
Tile Hill Phil
Well-Known Member
It was the Kemlyn Road Stand we were in, and a few of our fans were in the Anfield end terracing We took about 8,000 fans that night and the atmosphere we created was brilliant, and it did kick off outside.
Johhny Blue
Well-Known Member
He put one through Ray Clemence’s legs late in the first game from outside the box late on and it hit the post. We were so close to a big win that night.
NortonSkyBlue
Well-Known Member
I remember the mist, the fear in the air after the game, the fantastic support in the ground, the wonderful performance but I think I am still shivering from the cold after windows were bricked in our coach. The 70’s were a wonderful time to be alive...