COVENTRY CITY

They are the last minute champions of getting out of relegation trouble having disentangled themselves from the drop on the last day on more occasions than any other side.

But it wasn’t always like that. Back in 1883 the club was formed by the men in the choir at a factory in the town and they adopted the name of "Singers FC". Five years later the song faded and they became Coventry City FC, moving into Highfield Road the next year. By 1908, they were in the Southern League and were playing in blue and white quarters and two years later used the excuse of long walks and brine baths for losing in the FA Cup to Forest. It was then that the club went for a No-Briner in future training sessions. It was in 1919 that they were elected into Division Two and their first home game was a resounding 0-5 defeat at the hands of Spurs. That season they took 19 games before they won and used 42 players to do it !!

The first success for the club came in 1934, when they were runners-up in Div. 3 (South), a league they won two years after. Then World War Two came and Hitler got three bombs to hit the Cov pitch fair and square. The stands were untouched, but Jimmy Hill would see to that when he became manager in the 1960’s. He had a Sky Blue dream and everything had to conform. Sky Blue kit was adopted, Sky Blue trains were provided for away travel (although this wasn’t always necessary as they started the trend to beam back games to their home ground in 1965), Sky Blue Social Club, Sky Blue Pink, Sky Blue Radio, Sky Blue stand. It went on. Hill also adapted the "Eton Boating Song" to become the club’s anthem

"Let’s all sing together, Play up Sky Blues,
While we sing together, We can never choose,
Tottenham or Chelsea, United or anyone,
Who will defeat us, we’ll lose after minute one."

Having escaped from Div. 4 in 1959, the 60’s was the most successful era for the club and they won the 1964 Div. 3 championship by 0.175 of a goal (the usual margin they stay up by) and in 1967 the Div. 2 title. Then there was a fire in the main stand which melted the trophy and was made into a set of spoons for the Director’s Room.

The team even earned a European place in the Fairs Cup in 1970, beating Bayern Munich at home, but losing 7-3 on aggregate. The players earned fleeting fame for the Donkey kick perpetrated by Willie Carr and Ernie Hunt in a match against Everton in the 70’s. Carr held the ball at a free kick between his ankles and flicked the ball up for Hunt to volley home. The goal was allowed, but the FA ruled against it’s use again as it was deemed to be touching the ball twice (?). It was named in honour of Jeff Blockley - their immobile centre-half. The ground took shape with an electronic scoreboard to flash up the latest scores from other relegation battles and it became the first drive-in stadium in the country when cars were allowed to park behind the goals. It was 1981 before it became the first all-seater ground in England, a move encouraged by the fans because they didn’t have too much reason to jump up.

In the 80’s Coventry got to the League Cup semi-final before winning the FA Cup in 1987 as under-dogs. In 1977, they played eight consecutive away games and in 1979 played different keepers in three consecutive matches - none of whom conceded a goal. In 1995, Peter Ndlovu scored a hat-trick at Liverpool and became the first away player to do so for 33 years. Unfortunately he still didn’t finish on the winning side !! 

The last gaps ran out in 2001, when the Sky Blues finally succumbed to the trap door and fell into Division One, where, with promises of a new stadium and some crippling debts, the club has struggled to get back near promotion to the top flight.

FAMOUS PLAYERS : - Brian Kilcline, Norman Decline, Bill Glazier, Harry Plumber, David Speedie, Reg Matthews, Matthew Crawl, Roger Rees, Dietmar Bruck.

FAMOUS FANS :- Eddie Jordan (Formula One motor racing owner), David Moorcroft (Athletics chief), Richard Keys (Sky Sports football presenter), Paul King (MTV Presenter formerly lead singer of King), Vince Hill (60’s singer), Geoffrey Robinson MP, Jon Gaunt (Right wing radio shock jock), Brian McFadden (Singer - formerly of Westlife).

AWAY :  Shirts - White with red central stripe and red trim
Shorts - Red
Socks - White and red vertical halves

2 points for a win : 60  -  Division 4  1958-59  and
Division 3  1963-64