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On This Day 2001 – Sky Blues Wear Down Wombles At Wimbledon
On this day (24th October) in 2001 the Sky Blues were in Division One having been relegated from the top flight the previous season. Manager Gordon Strachan had paid the price on 8th September for a lacklustre start to the season and only one win in the first five games. Gordon had gone on to sign for Southampton and made former Sky Blue (and now fellow CCFPA member) Paul Williams his first Saints signing. Swedish international former Sky Blue defender (another CCFPA member now) Roland Nilsson had taken up the Sky Blues managerial challenge and was doing really well with six league wins and two draws (no defeats) so far wins since his reign began. Today City fans in the meagre 5,883 crowd at Wimbledon FC‘s ground Plough Lane were looking for the excellent run to continue especially after the Sky Blues had won three and drawn two of their last five matches on their travels.
City fans got their wish as a 76th minute goal from (now CCFPA member) David Thompson did the business and brought the points back to Coventry from Terry Burton‘s Wombles (and the unbeaten run continued for another two games until the Sky Blues lost by the odd goal in fine at Millwall in early November! In truth the game was not much to write home about with few chances and David’s 25 yard screamer past Wombles ‘keeper Kelvin Davies was one of the few highlights. Andy Goram was steady between the CCFC sticks for his third game since coming as a short term signing to vecover regular No.1 (and CCFPA member) Magnus Hedman and, together with a sturdy Sky Blue defence, gave Wimbledon little sight of goal.
