Matchday Memories: On This Day 1982 – Sexton’s Sky Blues Strangle Canaries’ Cheeps
On this day (30th October) in 1982 a smallish crowd of just 8,210 turned up at Highfield Road to watch Dave Sexton‘s Sky Blues take on the Canaries of Norwich City in a Division One game. The East Anglian club were newly returned to the top but still a poor side. Both teams were short of confidence and the game, apart from the goals, was pretty pedestrian.
The Sky Blues were jeered and given the slow hand clap by the disappointing and disappointed crowd from the start. However, CCFC eventually showed slightly more invention and got the points with a 2-0 win.
CCFPA member Paul Dyson starred in a defence that did enough to keep a clean sheet. Both Sky Blues goals came late. The first, thanks to a header from young Sky Blues striker Mark Hateley (son of his fellow CCFPA member, the late Tony Hateley), came with only a quarter of an hour to go.
This was his first of an injury affected season. His young striking partner Garry Thompson (also a CCFPA member) grabbed the second five minutes from time to give the game a modicum of excitement as the game expired!
