Sky Blue Thinking: Coventry City’s four great escapes of 80’s – part one

Coventry City is a remarkable club. If you only started following English football in the last 20 years you could be forgiven for thinking they were a lower league club. But people of my generation know them as an established top-flight club having spent 34 consecutive seasons in the First Division between 1967-2001. During that period only Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool could claim the same.

It wasn’t without incident. They won the Second Division in 1966-67 to reach the First Division for the first time in their history. Their first two seasons at the top level saw them finish just one place above the drop zone.

During the 70’s it happened again twice. In 1977 some skullduggery from chairman Jimmy Hill helped keep them up on the last day. Four bottom-half finishes at the beginning of the 80’s led them to an amazing period where they had four successive seasons fighting against relegation, all of which went down to the wire.

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This is the story.

1982-83

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Dave Sexton was in his second season in charge of the club. Sexton joined after getting sacked by Man Utd. He almost took QPR to a League title in 1976 when they came within a point of winning it. At Highfield Road, he signed the player who’d been his skipper at QPR, Gerry Francis. He joined ex-Utd midfielder, Gerry Daly. They added much-needed experience to a side full of promising youngsters such as Mark Hateley, Danny Thomas and John Hendrie.

The season had been a rollercoaster ride for the club and the supporters. Financial worries had meant they’d been forced to sell some of their best players in recent seasons. Scottish international, Tommy Hutchison had gone to Manchester City, Garry Thompson to West Brom. By early 1983 they only had 14 players. Morale was at rock bottom and the results began to reflect this.

The season had promised much for Sky Blues fans. Towards the end of January, they were sitting in fifth. But their form dropped alarmingly, so much as April was nearing an end they had only won once more. Languishing in 16th, things were very tight in the battle to stave off relegation.

They went to bottom club, Brighton who’d won their FA Cup Semi-Final just a week before. A late goal from Terry Connor won it for the home side.

Coventry had just four games to save their season yet could be forgiven for believing there were enough clubs below them to keep them out of trouble.

Coventry’s remaining fixtures were all against sides in the top half.

West Brom (h)

Everton (a)

Stoke City (a)

West Ham (h)

The May Day weekend was going to be crucial and next up was the visit of Midlands rivals, West Brom. The Baggies’ season had mirrored Coventry’s. Towards the end of March they were lying in fifth but six straight defeats saw them just two points better off than Coventry and this was a must-win for both clubs.

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West Brom were without their star striker, Cyrille Regis, who’d been injured in their defeat to Spurs the week before. In came 19-year-old Mick Perry for only his third start for the club. It was a dream game for the Wimbledon-born teenager as he scored his first goal for the club, with what proved to be the winning goal.

Coventry were in trouble. Six defeats in their last seven and no victories.

Swansea and Luton both picked up a point each, but it was Birmingham who really caught the eye. They trailed to a Colin West header for most of their match up at Sunderland. Noel Blake then converted a penalty and Mick Harford headed in a late winner. This now meant five clubs were separated by two points with Brighton and Swansea struggling to stay up.

For Bank Holiday Monday Coventry were off up to Merseyside to take on Everton. Centre-back Paul Dyson picked up an injury against West Brom and his season was over. Peter Hormantschuk replaced him. Steve Hunt, who once shared a dressing room with Pelé at New York Cosmos, also sat this one out with former Partick Thistle striker, Jim Melrose coming in.

Graeme Sharp’s 13th of the season won it for Everton from the spot and City were consigned to their fourth defeat in a row. They’d picked up just two points from their last 13 matches and this was looking terminal.

Elsewhere, Luton and Sunderland both earned points to take them above Coventry. Birmingham were once again against a side in the bottom six as they took on Brighton at St. Andrews. Ian Handysides gave Birmingham the lead but Gordon Smith grabbed a point for Brighton and they were still alive at the bottom. Birmingham swapped places with Man City, who didn’t play, to send them into the bottom three. Brighton’s point wasn’t enough to keep them off the bottom as Swansea finally ended their six-game winless run with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. Future Liverpool Assistant-Manager, Colin Pascoe scored his first goal for the club. Gary Shaw got his 15th of the season to level things. A Darren Gale goal won it for the Swans to lift them off the bottom.

The following weekend Coventry made the one-hour’s journey up the M6 to Stoke City. Stoke hadn’t won for four matches but were up in ninth, so had little worry about falling into the same pit Coventry were trying to get out of.

The anticipation was almost too much for Sky Blues fans, as the club set about their most important match since their last day heroics in 1977. If Coventry could turn their form around a win could secure their First Division future. But another defeat could put them into the bottom three if Birmingham and Man City won.

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Hunt was back, with Melrose dropping to the bench. Jacobs had now picked up an injury so John Hendrie started. It was Hendrie who gave the visitors the lead in the first half. Goals from two youngers, Hateley and Danny Thomas finally confirmed a 3-0 win for the Sky Blues.

They’d gone 13 games since their last win and this couldn’t have come at a better time. A huge sigh of relief for everyone involved at the club. They weren’t completely clear of the drop, but if Luton failed to win their game in hand, they would be.

Two of the bottom three were up against each other as Man City travelled to Brighton. Kevin Reeves scored the winner for Man City and perhaps their flirting with the drop would be over? For Brighton, it meant they hadn’t escaped. They would go into the FA Cup Final a fortnight later knowing they were already a relegated club.

Luton hosted Everton but their recent form deserted them as the visitors ran out 5-1 winners. It was a chastening experience for the Hatters. They’d gone six matches without defeat and had gone up to 16th. But this thrashing saw them drop back into the bottom three. They had a game in hand but their final two matches were away to the Manchester clubs.

Birmingham won at home to Spurs. They were still not certain of being safe but this would go a long way towards it. Harford was again on target as Mick Halsall confirmed their victory and they were putting together a season-saving run with four wins in their last five unbeaten matches.

Swansea’s defeat at Old Trafford consigned them to the Second Division. It had been a dream trip for the Swans who played in the top flight for the first time in their history after their meteoric rise up through the divisions from Fourth to First. They were top of the league early the year before, but after just two years the dream was over. Four years later they were back in the fourth tier.

Luton visited Old Trafford to try and save their season, but they were well beaten. Paul McGrath scored twice as United won 3-0. This meant Coventry were now safe, at last.

Man City and Luton were due to meet each other on the final day with Luton needing to win to stay up, and send City down.

English football hadn’t come up with the idea of a ‘Final Day’ as we know it today, but this season just managed to have the final round of fixtures on the same day. It created wonderful drama too as Luton Town won at Man City to send City down. Raddy Antic scored the only goal of the game and in memorable scenes at the end of the match, Luton manager David Pleat skipped across the turf to congratulate him.

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Coventry’s final match was a disappointing defeat at home to West Ham. It spelled the end of an era too for several people.

Les Sealey, Steve Whitton, Gary Gillespie, Hateley and Thomas all played their last games for the club as they were sold. The supporters had grown impatient of Jimmy Hill too and his time as manager and chairman was finally at an end. It felt like a mutiny. Hill had been synonymous with the club but now the fans had turned against him.

Manager Dave Sexton soon followed him out the door as the club made desperate attempts to reverse the second half of the season’s fortunes.

In came Bobby Gould. Born in the city he began his career as a striker at the club. But he was not amused at the exodus of talent claiming his task was made harder like tying one hand behind his back.

They were still a First Division club, but they went into the new season with some trepidation. Staying up by one point was mighty close.

Join us in part two when we look at the following season and another battle against relegation for the Sky Blues fans to endure.