Matchday Memories: On This Day 1998 – Strachan’s Sky Blues Best Blackburn (Ta Dion & George)

Gordon Strachan -City’s ‘gaffer’

On this day (2nd May) in 1998, the Sky Blues, under the managership of (now CCFPA member) Gordon Strachan, were nearing the end of a reasonably successful Premier League season. In this, their penultimate game, sitting in eleventh place in the League, the Sky Blues were entertaining Blackburn Rovers at Highfield Road in their last home game of the season. Back at the end of September the two sides had produced a goalless draw at Ewood Park.

Dion in the Sky Blue

Today the Sky Blues produced fine display against a team higher in the table at the time and saw off the team from Lancashire by two clear goals. There were 18,792 in the ground to watch.

City’s talismanic striker Dion Dublin coolly converted the first from the spot after Rovers’ Patrick Valery had handled in the box. City’s second after 34 minutes came from George Boateng, richly deserved after his general influence on the game. George netted from close range after good work from CCFPA’s fairly recent recruit Trond-Egil Soltvedt. Rovers’ substitute ‘keeper, Kenilworth born Tim Flowers, who later had a loan spell with the Sky Blues, was red carded whilst sitting on the visitors’ bench for ‘violence of the tongue’!

Strachan’s Sky Blues lined up (CCFPA members underlined):-

George in the Sky Blue

Magnus Hedman, Roland Nilsson, David Burrows, George Boateng  (sub. Willie Boland -86), Gary Breen, Richard Shaw, Paul Telfer, Trond-Egil Soltvedt, Dion Dublin, Darren Huckerby (sub. Viorel Moldovan -68) and Noel Whelan.

Unused subs:- Paul Williams, Marcus Hall and Steve Ogrizovic (gk)

Roy Hodgson’s Rovers put out the following team:-

John Filan, Patrick Valery (sub. Damien Duff -46), Gary Croft, Garry Flitcroft, Colin Hendry, Stephane Henchoz, Jeff Kenna, Billy McKinlay (sub. Martin Dahlin -66), Chris Sutton, Kevin Gallacher and Jason Wilcox.   Unused subs:- Marion Broomes, Stuart Ripley and Tim Flowers (gk)                   Referee:- Steve Lodge (Barnsley)

Sky Blue Kevin Gallacher

There were plenty of Sky Blues connections in the defeated Rovers’ side. The following had played for the Sky Blues, forward Kevin Gallacher (now a CCFPA member) from 1990-93 and ‘keeper John Filan (1995-97).

Central defender Colin Hendry would also go on to play for the Sky Blues in 2000-01. Not playing in this particular team but on the Blackburn Rovers books during this season was goalie Tim Flowers (on the bench) who would come to Highfield Road on loan in 2002 and Rovers club captain Tim Sherwood would sign for City from 2002-05!

CCFC 1997-98

City drew their last game of the season 1-1 at Everton to finish in a relatively comfortable eleventh place in the Premiership. Blackburn Rovers squeaked into the top six. Arsenal took the title by a point from Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and bottom club Crystal Palace went down.

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