The incredible Sky Blues winning run continues
Another away win, the fourth in a row, extended the Sky Blues’ current run to eight wins in nine league games. The latest victims were Oxford United who fought hard but ultimately were unable to stop the Coventry steamroller.
As the media have pointed out it is 55 years since Coventry had such a good run – an incredible record, especially considering where the team sat two months ago. It’s worth looking back to 1969-70 when Noel Cantwell achieved an identical run. In mid-November 1969 after a 0-0 draw at Burnley in which centre-half Roy Barry had made his first start in a City shirt, the team sat twelfth in Division One. At Turf Moor that day the man Barry replaced club legend George Curtis who came on as an 87th minute substitute in what would be his final appearance for the club.
Seven days later another new signing, John O’Rourke, partnered stand-in striker Maurice Setters up front at home to Newcastle United and a late Ernie Hunt penalty secured the points. After a strong Tottenham side were defeated 3-2 at home City travelled to newly promoted Crystal Palace and, with two Brian Joicey goals, triumphed 3-0. A 3-1 Boxing Day home victory over Ipswich was followed by a 1-1 FA Cup home draw with Liverpool before Manchester City were put to the sword 3-0 with the striking partnership of Neil Martin and O’Rourke clicking into gear.
The FA Cup replay at Anfield was lost and five days later the five game winning league run was ended at Elland Road but City were straight back on the winning trail with a 1-0 win at Hillsborough and a 2-0 beating of Arsenal. The eighth win in nine came in a night game at West Ham’s Upton Park with two Martin goals in a 2-1 win that took the Sky Blues to fourth place in the league table.
The run came to an end at Goodison Park when the league leaders Everton were held 0-0 in one off the finest away performances of the era. Against a rampant Everton side Cantwell set up to frustrate the Toffees and defended with their lives with Roy Barry marshalling his defenders in style. The quality of the performance and enormity of the result made the fans almost forget that the winning run was over. The fans were now dreaming of a European place.
The 11-game unbeaten league run came to a shuddering halt seven days later when Chelsea came to Highfield Road. After Everton Dave Sexton’s side were the outstanding English club side that season and would win the FA Cup. An 18-year-old Alan Hudson and a dazzling Peter Osgood helped the Blues to a 3-0 victory to give City a reality check.
There’s no question that the arrival of Barry and O’Rourke was a major factor in that incredible run and two weeks after the Chelsea game Barry tragically suffered a broken leg against Sheffield Wednesday.
In his absence City never quite reached the heights of that nine-game run but still did enough to qualify for the UEFA Fairs Cup by finishing sixth at the end of an incredible season – the highest league position that the club has ever achieved.
