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On this Valentine’s Day (14th February) in 1976 Sky Blue manager Gordon Milne picked a team to take on sixth place West Ham United at Highfield Road and masterminded an easy victory by two clear goals over the disappointing Londoners. Former Sky Blue Graham Paddon was in the Hammers’ team who had saved a point in a 1-1 draw with the Sky Blues at Upton Park in early November.
Now an Association member, Chris Cattlin was back after injury for his first Sky Blue game of the season and got a win on his 200th league appearance. There were 16,156 patrons who turned up to Highfield Road to watch.
Tommy in the Sky Blue
Barry in the Sky Blue
Mick in the Sky Blue
The Sky Blues mercurial winger Tommy Hutchison (now a CCFPA member) was on electric form and made both goals, one in each half. First, a minute before the break, Tommy set up fellow CCFPA member Barry Powell who netted with a blistering shot. In the ninth minute of the second half, with Hammers goalie Mervyn Day clutching at thin air, ‘Hutch’ set up Sky Blue defender Mick Coop to score with a swerving shot to the top corner.
Sky Blue Manager Gordon
Milne’s men that day lined up as follows:-
Jim Blyth, Graham Oakey, Chris Cattlin, the late John Craven, Alan Dugdale, Mick Coop, Les Cartwright, Barry Powell, David Cross, Donal Murphy and Tommy Hutchison.
We are delighted that, apart from John who later passed away in the USA at a tragically early age, all the Sky Blues players in this team as well as their ‘gaffer’ went on to join this Association.
The Hammers team (managed by John Lyall) lined up:-
Mervyn Day, John McDowell, Frank Lampard, Patsy Holland, Tommy Taylor, Mick McGiven, Alan Taylor, Graham Paddon, Billy Jennings, Trevor Brooking and Keith Robson Referee:- N.Ashley
CCFC 1975-76
The Sky Blues got themselves a respectable fourteenth place finish in Division One in 1975-76. The Hammers flirted with relegation finishing in eighteenth spot, six points and two places above the drop. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and Sheffield United, propping up the table, went down.
Liverpool pipped Queens Park Rangers by a point for the title.
Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.
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