When Coventry came to Cardiff City Stadium in mid October they were bottom of the table and needed the help of the awful Bobby Madley to win 1-0. The hopeless referee’s disallowing of a Callum Robinson goal should have been the worst injustice City would suffer this season, but, by deeming Robinson being fouled by the goalkeeper in the penalty area and Gary Madine stamping on an opponent to both be worthy of a yellow card in the recent game against Blackpool, Josh Smith surpassed Madley.
That said, Madley’s howler came in a game which Coventry deserved to win for me and it was cleat that their position at the bottom was a false one brought on by them having to postpone a series of early season home matches.
Indeed, Coventry’s form had been so good since then that promotion rather than relegation looks the more likely way for them to get out of the Championship these days – although their upward momentum has stalled somewhat on the back of six goals conceded in their last two games.
Still, a visit from the 22/23 version of Cardiff City is the best cure for any Championship side that has suddenly started conceding goals. We’ve lost our two visits to Coventry by 1-0 since their return to the second tier and could have no complaints about the outcome on either occasion. I wouldn’t be surprised if tomorrow’s game ends up with the same score or maybe Coventry will manage more than just the one – nil seems right for us though.
Here’s the usual quiz on our next opponents, I’ll post the answers on Friday.
60s. This forward spent all of his country playing a hundred miles or more away from his birthplace in the north east of England. The first three letters of his first two clubs were the same, but he enjoyed far more success at the first of them, although his brilliant scoring rate at the second club persuaded Coventry to sign him after less than twenty games for them. He didn’t spend too much time at Coventry either, but he was there long enough to be on the winning side in a game against City. Having had a couple of transfers in just over a year, he was more settled at his next club, spending four years in blue in a side which was becalmed in the second tier throughout that time. The goals did not come as regularly as previously for him, but when he left for a non league club which sounded like it was named after a historic battle, his career goalscoring rate was not far short of a goal every other game, while his record at international level was even better. Who am I describing?
70s. The fact that a sports and school clothing business in Coventry bears his name is purely coincidental, but this midfielder made a positive impact when he began his career with the Sky Blues some three hundred and fifty miles from his birthplace. Early in a new decade, he was on the move after three years at Coventry and he was an unused sub in a European Cup Final for his new club, while he was in their team when they beat Barcelona 3-0. He was unable to establish himself though and, after a loan move to nearby animals, moved out of the Midlands for the first time in his career to join striped birds. Never a prolific scorer, he did manage a novel hat trick when scoring three penalties in a game for his new club, before a move back to one of his former teams and then a loan to Yorkshire, followed by a permanent transfer to footwear specialists. An injury forced his retirement from the game at the age of thirty, but can you name him?
80s. One meanders on a trip to Hartlepool? (4,7)
90s. These three players were all on the books of Premier League Coventry for a season in the mid nineties, but, within five years, they’d all played senior football for Cardiff City – name them?
00s. Who won a single Welsh cap while a Coventry player during this decade and later had three spells at Newport County, one of them while on loan from Eastleigh?
10s. Even more depressed Swansea fan/player maybe?
20s. Rib cake?
Answers:
60s. Ray Pointer scored over a hundred goals for Burnley during his seven years with the club. Moving on to Bury in 1965, he scored seventeen times in nineteen league appearances for them before joining Coventry He scored thirteen times in twenty six games for the Sky Blues, but didn’t find the net in their 3-1 win over City in March 1966. Pointer signed for Portsmouth later that year and stayed until 1972, although his games per goal rate dropped to around one in five, he managed to take his career league appearances figure over four hundred before finishing his career with Waterlooville – Pointer scored twice in the three games he played for England while at Burnley.
70s. Andy Blair was born in Kirkcaldy, but moved to Coventry as a child and was in their team as a teenager. Blair was on the bench for Aston Villa’s European Cup win in 1982, but started for them in the European Super Cup win over Barcelona a few months later. Following a loan move to Wolves, Blair signed for Sheffield Wednesday in 1984 before returning to a Villa side now in decline two years later. A loan move to Barnsley followed and Blair played a few games for Northampton before knee problems forced his retirement.
80s. Dean Emerson.
90s. Willie Boland, John Williams and Tony Sheridan – the last named was an Irishman who was on Coventry’s books in 94/95, but never played a game for them. Sheridan was recommended to Coventry by Bobby Gould who came him a chance with City when he was our manager – Sheridan started in the FAW Premier Cup games at Cwmbran and Llanelli in 00/01.
00s. David Pipe played for Wales in a 2-0 defeat to the USA in San Jose in 2003.
10s. Jack Grimmer.
20s. Josh Eccles.