On this day (10th April) in 1976, the Sky Blues under longstanding manager Gordon Milne (now a CCFPA member) had faced a sticky time recently in Division One not having won in the league since 21st February eight matches ago. The Sky Blues had also gone down 2-0 at home to East Midlands’ rivals Leicester City last time out. So, a revival was needed on this day in the club’s game at Stoke City – and, thankfully, that’s what they got!
Milne’s men grabbed themselves a single goal victory at the Victoria ground in front of 16,059 and made sure they were safe for another season with four matches left! This was almost ample revenge for the 3-0 defeat they suffered to the Potters at Highfield Road the previous September!
The Sky Blues hero was (now CCFPA member) Barry Powell who notched his seventh goal of the season and, remarkably, his sixth from long distance (over twenty yards from the goal)! Barry scored past England international ‘keeper Peter Shilton, who later spent time at CCFC, and whose son Sam Shilton played a handful of games as a youngster for the Sky Blues 1995-99.
Stoke City were poor and barracked by their home supporters but the Sky Blues had to wait until the eighth minute of the second half for Barry to get his crucial goal.
Stoke’s eighteen year old debutant No.9 Garth Crooks came closest to salvaging some pride for the big spending Potteries club but Sky Blues goalie Jim Blyth (also now a CCFPA member) proved equal to his two serious attempts to stoke a come-back!
Milne’s men that day lined up as follows:-
Jim Blyth, Graham Oakey, Chris Cattlin, the late John Craven (sub. Donal Murphy), Jimmy Holmes, Mick Coop, Les Cartwright, Alan Green, Mick Ferguson, Barry Powell and Tommy Hutchison.
We are very pleased to report that manager and all his team except John (who died at a tragically early age in the USA) went on to join this Association. Good to see Jim, Chris, Jimmy and Tommy back in Coventry last year at our Legends Day 2023 reunion at the CBS Arena. Barry also was at the CBS Arena this time last season as our ‘special guest’ in the Sky Blues Championship game against Watford.
Tony Waddington‘s defeated Potters side fielded that April day comprised:-
Peter Shilton, John Lumsden, Mike Pejic, John Mahoney, Denis Smith (sub. Alan Dodd), Alan Bloor, Terry Conroy, Jimmy Greenhoff, Garth Crooks, Sean Haslegrave and Geoff Salmons Referee:- Ray Tinkler (Boston)
In a relatively comfortable season for the Sky Blues they secured an fourteenth place finish in Division One with Stoke City two places and a point better off! Midland rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers went down in twentieth spot with Burnley and (bottom) Sheffield United beneath them.
Liverpool pipped Queens Park Rangers for the title, by a single point.
Leave a Reply