On This Day 1973 – Bristol Babes Beaten By Sky Blues In LC
On this day (6th November) in 1973 CCFC Manager Gordon Milne‘s Sky Blues were taking a break from Division One league action and were entertaining Bristol City in a League Cup Third Round replay at Highfield Road having drawn 2-2 with them a week previously at Ashton Gate.
City had easily disposed of Darlington in the second round winning 5-1 at Highfield Road. In the first game with the Robins, former Sky Blue centre forward (and future Sky Blue manager), ‘Cov Kid’ Bobby Gould had grabbed both of Bristol’s goals against his old side (10 and 52 mins.) and it took replies from (now Bobby’s fellow CCFPA members) Wilf Smith (22 minutes) and Les Cartwright (69 mins.) to salvage the tie and force a replay.
In the game this day fifty years ago it was all over in the first half when all the goals were scored. Bristol manager Alan Dicks (formerly an assistant to Jimmy Hill at CCFC), both later becoming Association members ensured it was a hard fought battle and the aggressive Bristolians took no prisoners in front of of a Highfield Road crowd of 13,127.
Sky Blues defender (and CCFPA member) Alan Dugdale did much better at snuffing out the threat from ‘the Gouldfather‘ this time. Young Sky Blues defender Dave Philpotts also had a better game and went close to getting his name on the scoresheet with a couple of headers.