Members News: ‘Boys Of 87’ Hero David Is Still A Winner!

David in the Sky Blue

Thanks to our friends at CovSupport News Service, a Facebook page run by Associate Member Kev Monks, for alerting us to the following news about our member David Phillips via a post (reproduced below) on Thursday last. David, of course, is a Sky Blue hero being one of the ‘Boys of 87‘ that brought the F.A.Cup back to the Sky Blue City in May 1987. He has supported the Association’s Golf Day several times and has been a matchday ‘special’ guest at Sky Blue games at the CBS Arena in the past.

‘Special Guest’ David tells Billy all about it in October 2024!

David started out his footballing career in the early 1980s as a Plymouth Argyle apprentice before joining Manchester City in August 1984. He came to Highfield Road in June 1986 and as well as becoming a CCFC F.A.Cup winner the midfielder (sometimes full-back) netted 9 times in his 117 Sky Blue games before leaving for Norwich City for £0.5m in July 1989. Between 1993-2001 when he hung up his boots David then featured successively for Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City and Stevenage Borough.

Aaron Phillips in the Sky Blue

Though German born to an RAF family in 1963 David finished with a total of 62 caps (netting twice) for Wales between 1984-96 (including whilst with CCFC. Post retirement David coached CCFC’s Under 14s for a time and has continued in the coaching profession (see below) as well as doing media work co-commentating/ summarising for BBC Wales on games involving Swansea City, Cardiff City and Wrexham. Congrats to David from all at CCFPA for extending his current contract at Future Pro!

Some Sky Blue fans may have forgotten that David’s son Aaron Phillips has also played for CCFC (2012-16) furthering his career at Nuneaton Town (loan- 2013), Northampton Town (2016), Kidderminster Harriers (2018) and St Ives Town (2019).

Matchday Memories: On This Day 1972 – Bob’s Sky Blues Go Thai & Draw Pele With Santos!

The circular programme

On this day (June 13th) back in 1972 caretaker Sky Blue gaffer Bob Dennison had taken his players on a tour of the Far East. They had played and won two games in Seoul against the national side of South Korea, three in Japan including two against their National XI (winning two and losing one). 

On this day they were finishing their tour against illustrious opponents from Brazil in an invitation tie in the Thailand capital Bangkok.  Bob was warming the seat for the ‘M’ men managerial duo of Joe Mercer and Gordon Milne who had taken over during the month (Noel Cantwell having been sacked the previous March).

Gordon Joe & Eddie Plumley signing Tommy Hutchison 1972

Bob Dennison (CCFC Caretaker)

The Sky Blues opponents were Brazilian side FC Santos and by far the biggest attraction for the 32,000 crowd as well as, no doubt, for the Sky Blues team members, was the presence in the Santos team of world renowned Brazilian Striker Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known to all as Pele! Santos were fresh from beating Newcastle United, also on tour in Thailand, in Bangkok.

CCFC in Thailand June 1972

The game’s organisers clearly put Pele centre stage as the special souvenir football shaped programme (above) showed.

Alan in the Sky Blue

‘Cutty’ in the Sky Blue

Pele, naturally, had a great game and scored a 25th penalty against the Sky Blues to give his side the lead. Two minutes after the break (now CCFPA member) Alan Green grabbed an equaliser for the City.

Ten minutes from time the Brazilians sneaked into the lead again with a goal from Edu only for (now CCFPA member) Quintin ‘Cutty’ Young to force a great 2-2 draw from the Brazilians with a header five minutes before the final whistle.

Chris Cattlin with Pele in Thailand 1972

Billy Rafferty and Pele

Alan Green with Pele

The Sky Blues players were very pleased to be on the same pitch as the world superstar and found Pele very sociable after the game.

This can be seen from the personal photo with Sky Blues full back, and long-time CCFPA member Chris Cattlin (above). 

Nice shirt and tie Chris (very 1970s)!

Alan & Ernie Hunt with Pele’s No.10 shirt

Much praise was offered by Pele to young Alan Dugdale (also now a CCFPA member) who marked the superstar so well that he presented Alan with his No.10 shirt after the game (left)! Thanks to Alan for the photo!

The travelling squad for the 1972 close season Far East tour listed below was (all CCFPA members apart from Colin). They are also pictured above higher up this posting:-

Bill Glazier, Neil Ramsbottom, Mick Coop, Wilf Smith, Chris Cattlin, Jimmy Holmes, Alan Dugdale, the late Ernie Machin, Roy Barry, Billy Rafferty, Bobby Parker, Colin Randell, Mick McGuire, Dennis Mortimer, Willie Carr, Quinton Young, Chris Chilton, the late Bobby Graham, the late ‘Ernie’ Hunt and Alan Green.

Good to see Jimmy, Dennis and Quinton at Legends Day 2024!

From the late Bob Dennison‘s personal archive of the tour we finish with some shots of the Sky Blues in the Orient (not Leyton!):-

Mick, Neil & Dennis take a stroll

Roy, Chris Chilton, Willie & Ernie Machin in a tourist pose

Chris, Roy & Ernie Machin on manoeuvres

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the images.

Matchday Memories: On This Day 1983 – Bulawayo Saints Bag Four From Bobby’s Sky Blues!

Bobby Gould- Sky Blue Manager

Finally, a couple of season’s after the tour game in Indonesia covered in our last post, in 1983 it was former Sky Blue player (and CCFPA member) Bobby Gould who led the Sky Blues into their first African adventure with a tour of Zimbabwe.

In the third game of the tour, having kicked off by beating the national Zimbabwe side 5-2 in Harare and five days later an Under 20 XI 4-2 in Gweru, the young Sky Blues travelled to take on the Bulawayo Saints in the country’s second city.

This time the Sky Blues came out second best and the local side beat the visitors 4-2. The Gouldfather must have regarded this as a poor birthday present!

Sky Blue Steve

Steve Hunt in the Sky Blue

Steve Whitton, who had scored hat-tricks in the previous two games (with rookie striker Steve Mardenborough adding the extra goals), scored again but this time it was (now CCFPA member) Steve Hunt who got the other Sky Blues’ goal.

There were three more games to complete in the African tour and the Sky Blues won one, drew one and lost one (see later postings for details on their respective anniversaries). Several members of the tour party including Gary Gillespie, Mark Hatelely and Danny Thomas (all now CCFPA members) rejected new contracts for the 1983-84 season and left the club. ‘The Gouldfather’ was faced with rebuilding his side, signing eleven new players for the upcoming 1983-84 season.

In the summer of 1983, the Sky Blues once more faced the Zimbabwe national team in a friendly game at Highfield Road as part of a reciprocal agreement following City’s tour of the African country the previous May. Around 3,000 watched City’s 2-0 win with one of the goals coming from an on-trial Arsenal star Charlie George!

Thanks to former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson for the clipping of the Sky Blues team that day (above) and to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the other images.