Its Sam!! Club Captain Sam Ricketts Becomes CCFPA’s Latest Signing

Frank presents Sam with his official CCFPA tie after signing him up.

Now all can be revealed. The Association’s ace recruitor Frank Pritchard did not have to travel far this time to bag his latest signature for CCFPA. It’s current Sky Blues club captain and defender Samuel Ricketts.

It is only because Sam has recently been forced to announce his retirement from the game due to a knee injury that he becomes eligible to be seen as a former rather than current Sky Blue player and has agreed to sign for us.

The popular 35 year old ends his professional career at the Ricoh after 56 appearances in all competitions for CCFC. Clocking up exactly 50 League appearances since signing from Wolves on a free in July 2015 Sam scored his solitary Sky Blues goal in hus sixth outing, a 2-2 home draw with Southend United in August of that year.

In an extensive professional career which began with Oxford United in August 1999 and also took in Telford United, Swansea City, Hull City and Bolton Wanderers (as well as loan spells at near neighbours Nuneaton (2002-03) and Swindon Town) Sam has amassed 577 career appearances (18 goals) in 16 years. Though born in Aylesbury Sam has used his family eligibility to gain over 50 international caps for Wales!

Sam’s experience and leadership skills made him the Sky Blues’ first choice for captaining both club and team when he was playing and both attributes will be sorely missed by CCFC on the field of play in the New Year.

We await to see what 2017 will bring for the rest of Sam’s career and we look forward to seeing him turn out at Association events in the near future. Welcome to the Association Sam!

Lloyd Here For New Year Trotters

Lloyd in 1987 Cup strip with medal

CCFPA’s first ‘special guest’ of 2017 is saving his first time for the Sky Blues home game next Monday afternoon (2nd January 2017) against Bolton Wanderers.  Sky Blues F.A.Cup winning defender Lloyd McGrath will be at the Ricoh to see if the Sky Blues can resurrect their League One season after such a disappointing first half with a victory over the high flying Trotters. Lloyd will be hoping the City’s defence show the qualities of gritty resilience he brought to the Sky Blues of his day and the necessary skill (and, if needed, the luck) Lloyd brought to the 1987 F.A.Cup final by expertly pinging the ball off Spurs defender ‘Gary Mabbut’s Knee’ for our winning goal in the 3-2 extra time victory!

Lloyd’s date at the Ricoh for CCFPA follows his appearance a few weeks ago as guest speaker at the same venue for our sister organisation, CCFC’s Diamond Club (for supporters of over 50 year’s standings) at their Xmas celebration on December 8th.   CCFPA and the Diamonds have many members in common as well as sharing Joe Elliott as President of both organisations.

Lloyd in the Sky Blue

As then in his Q&As around the supporters’ lounges before Monday afternoon’s game Lloyd is bound to be invited by club host and fellow former CCFC defender and CCFPA member Brian ‘Harry’ Roberts to reminisce about the F.A.Cup winning years. Lloyd may also discuss his eleven interesting years at Highfield Road from starting out as an apprentice in 1983 through to leaving CCFC in 1994 making well over 200 first team appearances. After a spell playing abroad with Sing Tao he saw out the rest of his professional career with Pompey retiring in 1997.

Lloyd remains a popular figure in the locality running the Hawkesmill Sports and Social Club in the north of Coventry. After the game he will no doubt be coaxed by CCFPA’s vice chairman Billy Bell to take the stage in Lady Gs at the Arena to comment about the result and the Sky Blues performance and further reminisce about his Sky Blues years. If you can’t make it to the game Lloyd will also be providing valuable analysis and insight, as the game unfolds, to the BBC CWR commentary team; so listen in if you can’t be there!

ID of the Association’s Newest Member To Be Revealed Soon

Our newest member is about to sign

As we told you yesterday, the Association’s prime new member recruitor Frank Pritchard has made another signing for CCFPA. Here are some more clues as to his identity.

Our latest member has made international appearances for two UK national teams having played over 50 times for a country different to that where he was born.  He has also played for football league clubs in both countries!

In a 16 year professional football career, excluding loan spells, our newest member has never stayed more than four seasons with any of his six clubs before joining the Sky Blues (but has always made at least 40 league appearances for each). Curiously, though born in Buckinghamshire his career has been largely based in the North and Midlands and has never featured a Club based further south than Oxfordshire (apart from loan spell in Wiltshire)!

Another view of his distinctive boots

As well as playing for and captaining the Sky Blues our man also had a loan spell at near neighbours Nuneaton Borough since the turn of the millennium.

Sadly it was at the Ricoh that our latest member decided to hang up his boots due to a persistent injury.  If you can’t guess who Frank’s latest signing is we promise to reveal all before the New Year is upon us. Watch this space!

Guess Who The Newest CCFPA Member Is?

The Association hopes all our readers have had an enjoyable Xmas break (though Boxing Day had a somewhat disappointing flavour for CCFC fans down Bristol way).

To cheer things up, however, CCFPA Recruitment Officer has been on his travels again and managed to sign up for the Association a man of the Sky Blue of very recent vintage.

who normally fills these boots?

Frank travelled to a training ground somewhere in the Midlands in the last few days to grab the signature of a former Sky Blue defender  just in time for Xmas!

Frank was there long enough to snap a few teaser photos – snazzy boots and all – to whet your appetite. Can you guess who our latest recruit is? Look out on this site in coming days for more info about our newest member!