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Bluebirds registered a 2-0 away win that day.
Overall, City and Coventry have met 28 times, with Coventry winning 14, City 10, and the other four winding up as draws. Last year, their first outside the top flight in 35 years, Coventry finished 11th with a 20-6-20 record. This year, they are 8th thanks to a mark of 11 wins, 8 draws, and 8 losses. They're unbeaten in their last six league contests, collecting 14 of a possible 18 points.
Here are some stats comparing Cardiff City's and Coventry City's records in FA Cup 3rd round play:
The Big Picture
* Cardiff have won the FA Cup once, in 1927, and reached the final on
one other occasion, in 1925. The Bluebirds got to a semifinal in 1921
and to quarterfinals in 1922 and 1924. Coventry won the FA Cup in
1987 and have reached the quarterfinals on four occasions, in 1910,
1963, 1982, and 1998.
* This year marks the sixth season in a row that Cardiff have reached
the third round. It marks the 39th consecutive season that Coventry
have played in the third round.
* Cardiff's all-time record covering 82 3rd round FA Cup matches
stands at 28 wins, 18 draws, and 36 losses. Coventry's all-time 3rd
round record covers 69 games and shows 32 wins, 12 draws, and 25
losses.
* In 34 Ninian Park 3rd round games, Cardiff's all-time record shows
13 wins, 11 draws, and 10 losses. Coventry have hosted 33 contests in
this round, winning 20, drawing 7, and losing 6.
* The Bluebirds have played 46 away from home in the 3rd round,
showing 15 wins, 5 draws, and 26 losses. (Cardiff have played two
third-round replays at neutral sites, losing both.) Coventry have
played 36 times away from home, winning 12, drawing 5, and losing 19.
* Both clubs' 3rd round histories go back a long way. Cardiff made
their first appearance in this round during the 1919-20 competition,
losing at Bristol City 2-1. Coventry's first appearance came in the
1909-10 competition, when the Sky Blues recorded a 3-1 home win over
Nottingham Forest of the First Division. The win propelled them into
what were then the quarterfinals, where they lost 2-0 at home to
Everton, another top-flight club. At that time, Coventry were members
of the Southern League's First Division.
Against the Great and the Not-great:
* Cardiff have played 37 of their 82 3rd round matches against
top-division clubs. That's 45% of all such contests. During one
astonishing stretch starting in 1976-77, the Bluebirds drew a
top-flight opponent six out of a possible seven times.
Coventry have played 28 of their 69 3rd round games against
top-division clubs, or 41% of all such matches.
* Cardiff have taken the measure of a top-division opponent in the
3rd round on seven occasions since World War II -- West Brom in the
1949-50 competition, Leeds in both 1956-57 and 1957-58, Sheffield
United in 1971-72, Tottenham in 1976-77, Middlesborough in 1993-94,
and Leeds United last year. In only one of those seasons were the
Bluebirds a top division club as well. Cardiff's all-time 3rd round
mark versus top-division clubs checks out at 12 wins, 8 draws, and 17
losses.
Since the resumption of league play with the 1946-47 season, Coventry
have won four 3rd round matches against top-division clubs -- West
Brom in the 1971-72 competition, Leeds in a 1980-81 replay, Wolves in
a second replay in 1983-84, and Liverpool in 1997-98. Coventry were a
top-tier club on all four occasions. The Sky Blues' all-time 3rd
round record against top-flight clubs shows 7 wins, 6 draws, and 15
losses.
* When Cardiff met Yeovil Town four years ago, it marked only the
second time that the club had ever met a non-league opponent in the
3rd round. Peterborough United were the Bluebirds' only other
non-league opponent. Cardiff won that one, back in 1953-54, at Ninian
Park. The score was 3-1.
Coventry have met non-league opponents on three occasions. In
1982-83, they whipped Worcester City 3-1. In 1988-89, the Sky Blues
suffered one of the top FA Cup giant-killings at Gander Green Lane,
losing to Sutton United 2-1. In 1996-97, they drew with Woking 1-1 at
home, then won 2-1 away. Not surprisingly, it's the match with Sutton
United that's remembered today. The U's were 13th in the GM Vauxhall
Conference at the time, Coventry 5th in the old First Division. Welsh
international David Phillips figured prominently in the storyline,
netting the equaliser for Coventry early in the second half after the
U's had gone up via a Tony Rains header following a corner a few
minutes before the break. A Matthew Hanlon goal (via another corner)
shortly after Phillips's strike provided the difference, though
Coventry's Regis, Kilcline, and Houchens had good chances later on.
Biggest Wins, Biggest Losses:
* Cardiff's biggest 3rd round win came in the 1921-22 competition,
when the Bluebirds powdered Nottingham Forest 4-1 at Ninian Park. City
have two 3-0 wins as well, versus Bristol City at Ninian in 1923-24
and at Plymouth in 1958-59.
Coventry's top 3rd round win came just four years ago when the
then-Premiership club whipped Macclesfield Town (in their one year as
a Division Two club) 7-0. That match was played at Highfield Road.
* Cardiff's worst 3rd round defeats: a 6-1 pasting at the hands of
Aston Villa at Villa in 1928-29 and a 5-0 loss at Charlton in 1937-38.
Coventry's worst 3rd round setback came way back in 1910-11, a 5-0
loss at Burnley.
John Heyda