Matchday Memories: On This Day 1988 – Hornets Stung By Sky Blue Speedie

On this day (27th February) in 1988 Sky Blue player turned manager (and sadly only too recently passed away) John Sillett took his side to Vicarage Road for a Division One game with Watford. Though we had already beaten the Hornets by a Keith Houchen goal at Highfield Road in the league in early October the Sky Blues had a score to settle as the Hornets had knocked us out of the F.A.Cup Fourth round at Highfield Road at the end of the previous month, also by the only goal.

Sky Blue Speedie

There seemed a good chance of gaining revenge over the side from Hertfordshire as they had won only once in their last eleven league games. Accordingly the Sky Blues, thanks to a 23rd minute strike from CCFPA member David Speedie, inflicted the Hornets’ eighth home defeat of the season!

City’s injury problems were ameliorating and both 1987 F.A.Cup winning heroes Cyrille Regis and Nick Pickering returned to the side for this game joining many colleagues who featured in the Wembley win the previous season.  Mr Speedie’s excellent goal, which brought all the points back to Coventry and gave us a ‘double’ over the Hornets, ended a personal goal drought in the league lasting three months and came from a graceful pirouette and then a curling effort.

Sillett’s Sky Blues that day comprised:-

Benno in The Sky Blue

Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows, Greg Downs, Steve Sedgley, Brian Kilcline, Trevor Peake, Dave Bennett, David Phillips, the late Cyrille Regis, David Speedie and Nick Pickering

Gratifyingly all members of this team, as well as their ‘gaffer’ later went on to join this Association and many have returned several times to attend Association events in recent years.

Graham Taylor‘s Hornets team lined up as follows:-

Tony Coton, Nigel Gibbs, Wilf Rostron, Kenny Jackett, Mark Morris, John McClelland, Worrall Sterland, Malcolm Allen (sub. Luther Blissett), Trevor Senior, Gary Porter and Martin Kuhl      Referee:- G.Ashby

Future Sky Blues Dean Holdsworth (a loanee 2002-03 & CCFPA member now) and Tim Sherwood (2004-05) were on Watford‘s books during this season.

The 1987-88 season went well as City reached the semi finals of the Simod Cup being knocked out, one step away from a Wembley return, on penalties at Reading in early March after a 1-1 draw at full time.

In the league the club finished in a comfortable tenth spot in Division One whilst Watford‘s decline continued and they went down in next to bottom (twentieth) position with Portsmouth (nineteenth) and Oxford United (21st). Eighteenth placed Chelsea also took the drop after the playoffs.

Liverpool took the title nine points clear of Manchester United.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young (& Dean Nelson) for sourcing the images.