ImageOn this last day of the first month of the season (31st August 1976), following their patchy start to the Division One campaign the Sky Blues were on League Cup duty on this evening. That had opened their League campaign with a pair of losses, 1-0 at Middlesbrough and 2-0 at home to Manchester United then managed a 4-2 home victory over Leeds United last time out.
They had drawn fellow Division One club Bristol City in the League Cup Second Round tie (entering the competition at this stage) and had travelled to Ashton Gate to meet the Robins. They were pleased to come away with a close, 1-0 win to please the Sky Blues fans among the 13,878 crowd!
Terry in the Sky Blue
The Robins had been unbeaten so far in their league games in the top flight (the first time they had been there since 1911)! New Sky Blue signing from Leeds United (now a CCFPA member) Terry Yorath was given his debut and made captain for this game. Terry almost had a bad mistake punished by Donny Gillies when the Bristol striker latched on a wayward 35 yard back-pass from the new ‘skipper’!
The only goal of the game went the Sky Blues way four minutes from the break with a rocket header from our No.9 Mick Ferguson (another Association member now).
Mick in the Sky Blue
The Sky Blues team coach managed to break down on the return journey to mar an otherwise positive night provided by the 1-0 win which earned City the right to take on Nottingham Forest in Round Three!
The Sky Blues were back at Ashton Gate again in the league in early November and the two sides fought out a goalless stalemate which would make for an exciting season’s end when the two teams met again in the return in the last game of the season in extraordinary circumstances (see below)!
Sky Blue Manager Gordon
The Sky Blues’ side that August night comprised (CCFPA members underlined):-
Jim Blyth, Mick Coop, Bobby McDonald, the late John Craven, Jim Holmes, Alan Dugdale, Les Cartwright, Terry Yorath, Mick Ferguson, John Beck and Donal Murphy
Gary Collier 1983
Bristol City‘s defeated team lined up:-
Ray Cashley, Gerry Sweeney, Brian Drysdale, Gerry Gow, Gary Collier, Geoff Merrick, Trevor Tainton, Tom Ritchie, Jimmy Mann, Donny Gillies and Clive Whitehead Referee:- Dermot Reeves
Experienced Bristol City central defender (from 1972) Gary Collier moved to Highfield Road in 1979 for £325k after 193 league games for the Robins, but was not a success and made only a couple of appearances in the Sky Blue before being moved on to Portland Timbers in the USA in March 1980 for a profit!
CCFC 1976-77 Season. Gordon Milne (Team Manager) & Ron Wylie (assistant Manager),
In the League Cup the Sky Blues breezed past the Forest by three clear goals in September with first half goals from ‘Fergie’, a Mick Coop penalty and one from Les Cartwright. However, they came unstuck at Goodison in Round 4 losing by the same margin to Everton!
Alan Dicks & Gordon Milne share a celebratory cuppa!
The Sky Blues found the rest of the Division One season very much a struggle and in a nail biting and controversial end to the season finished in nineteenth spot a point and a place above the drop zone with Bristol City on the same points one place above. On the very last day the two sides produced a 2-2 draw at Highfield Road, a scoreline that ensured both clubs survived at the expense of Sunderland.
Alan Dicks pitchside at LD22
The controversy concerned the late kick-off which the Black Cats fans always maintained was engineered by Sky Blues former legendary ‘gaffer’, now Chairman, Jimmy Hill. The quarter of an hour delay meant news of the Rokerites’ final result filtered through to the players who realised if they kept the score the same both would be safe.
The last few minutes were played out in very gentlemanly style to the pleasure of Gordon Milne and Bristol’s manager Alan Dicks (a previous assistant to JH at Highfield Rd – and now a CCFPA member). We were pleased to see Alan back again in Coventry recently attending our Legends Day 2022 (right).
As well as the Black Cats, Stoke City and bottom club Tottenham Hotspur went down. At the other end of the table Liverpool took the title by a point from ‘the other Sky Blues’, Manchester City.
Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.
Share Post