Matchday Memories: On This Day 2004 – Sky Blues Lick Lions As Black’s Boys Score Four

Eric at Highfield Rd

On this day (10th April) in 2004 the Sky Blues were coming towards the end of a reasonably productive Division One season marked by being led by three different Managers.

Last season’s ‘gaffer’ Gary McAllister had had to resign in to look after his seriously ill wife and his assistant Eric Black effectively took over from December. Despite performing creditably Eric was dramatically – many would argue mistakenly – sacked before the Sky Blues last game of the season in May to allow Peter Reid to be appointed. However, Eric was in charge for this fine home display from the Sky Blues and a 4-0 victory over Millwall in front of a crowd of 12,456. This was good recompense for the 2-1 defeat at the New Den back in early October when (now CCFPA member) Steve Staunton got the Sky Blues equalising goal in the seventieth minute.

Stephen Warnock in Sky Blue action

Julian Joachim in the Sky Blue

Dennis Wise, who had a glorious cameo period for the Sky Blues in 2006, was the Lions’ player-manager for this fixture and future Sky Blue, now a CCFPA member, Andy Marshall was in between the sticks for them!

The Lions had qualified for the F.A.Cup Final at Wembley but had the wind taken out of their sails (and their play-off hopes dented) by this comprehensive defeat.

Eric in the Sky Blue

This was only their second defeat in the last twenty league games so it was a big feather in the Sky Blue cap!  The Sky Blues midfielder Bjarni Guðjónsson made City’s first two goals from corners, the first of a brace for Julian Joachim after only 6 minutes and the second for French Sky Blue Éric Deloumeaux another six minutes later. All three mentioned are fairly recent recruits to the CCFPA roster of Former Players!

Sky Blue ‘Sheffers’

The Sky Blues other two goals came as a result of Millwall‘s mistakes. Julian grabbed his second two minutes before the hour mark and ‘Cov Kid’ Gary McSheffrey converted a penalty to put the icing on the cake three minutes from time. City’s big Jamaican forward Onandi Lowe finally got his debut from the subs bench in this game (pictured above). The Referee for this game was Mr. B.Knight of Kent.

In a multinational side the Sky Blues fielded, Sebastian came from Poland, Éric from France, Bjarni from Iceland as well as the Jamaican Onandi.

Onandi Lowe

Eric Black‘s Sky Blues’ winners on this day were (CCFPA members underlined):-

Scott Shearer, Andy Whing, Steve Staunton (sub. Brian Kerr -67), Eric Deloumeaux, Mo Konjic, Calum Davenport, Graham Barrett (sub. Gary McSheffrey -69), Bjarni Gudjonsson (sub. Onandi Lowe -61), Julian Joachim, Sebastian Olszar and Stephen Warnock.

Unused Subs: Michael Doyle and Gavin Ward (gk)

A contemporary match report from BBC Sport can be found here. The graphic below also details who took to the field for Dennis Wise‘s south London Lions .

Millwall‘s Unused Subs were:- John Sutton, Charlie Hearn and Willie Gueret (gk)

Peter Reid saw out the Sky Blues season in a safe mid-table position (twelfth) whilst Millwall never got any nearer the playoffs finishing in tenth four points better off than CCFC! Division One Champions Norwich City, runners up West Bromwich Albion and (after the playoffs) sixth placed Crystal Palace were promoted.

The trio who went in the opposite direction were Walsall, Bradford City and AFC Wimbledon (at the very bottom).

CCFC 2003-04

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