Blast From The Past: On This Pre Season Day 1996 – Benfica Too Hot To Handle At Sky Blue’s Home

Big Ron

On this day (10th August) in 1996 the Sky Blues played their last pre-season warm up game, their only one at Highfield Road. Unbeaten in their previous four games, a 4-1 win at Peterborough, 2-0 at St Albans and Charlton Athletic also dispatched at their place by the only goal of the game, the only dent so far was a 2-2 draw with Wigan Athletic in our friendly there four days previously.

However, today’s home game was against a different calibre of opponents (and from abroad). Rightly billed an ‘International Friendly’ in the Sky Blues programme (right), the game sponsored by Air Portugal, the Sky Blues were about to test their mettle against the might Benfica from Portugal, described at the time as ‘one of the greatest club sides in Europe, if not the world‘.

The previous season’s Portuguese Cup winners (their 23rd) and 27 times Portuguese League Champs as well as twice European Cup holders the game against Sport Lisboa E Benfica (to give them their full title) was seen as a marker of the Sky Blues’ sporting ambition. Chairman of the City Board Bryan Richardson, Manager Ron Atkinson and his Assistant Gordon Strachan (both now CCFPA members) were hoping for a great season. In November Gordon later took over team management duties as Big Ron ‘moved upstairs’!

Keeping former Sky Blues close to the club, this season Trevor Gould was Director of Youth Football, Youth Development Officer was current CCFC club host Brian ‘Harry’ Roberts, Football Development Officer was Ray Gooding and Football Community Officer Barry Powell (all four now CCFPA members). CCFPA member Dion Dublin was also Club captain.

Amongst the new CCFC signings for the 1996-97 Premier League season was experienced and influential Scottish International Gary McAllister, from 1988-96 Northern Irish Manager (and CCFPA member) Michael O’Neill and Italian U21 Serie ‘A’ ‘keeper Stefano Vise (remember him?).

In the event the Portuguese crack outfit, managed by Paulo Arturi, handed out a footballing lesson to the Sky Blues winning 7-2 and outclassing the Highfield Roaders in a very exciting game despite the one sided nature of the score!  City gave a good account of themselves early on with skipper Dion Dublin grabbing the first on 10 minutes and, after Benfica equalised and then took the lead, Sky Blue striker (and CCFPA member) Noel Whelan equalized to make it 2-2 midway through the first half.

Dion in the Sky Blue 1999

Noel in the Sky Blue

However, Benfica scored three times in a glorious nine minute spell before the break and went in 5-2 up. The drubbing was sealed in the last thirty minutes of the game with two more. For the visitors, Joao Pinto scored a wonderful a solo goal (and made at least three of the others). The star studded Portuguese side got their other goals with a brace each from Osmar Donizete and Valdo Filho plus solos from Dimas Teixeira and Nadir Hassan.

Big Ron, obviously miffed quipped, “At least it has given us good practice at kicking off”!

CCFC 1996-97

The 1996-97 season kicked off the following week with a desperate 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest and we didn’t get our first win until the 6th game, a 2-1 win at Highfield Road against leeds United. The next one didn’t come until mid December! Not surprisingly, the Sky Blues only just escaped relegation in 17th spot a point ahead of the drop taken by Forest and Sunderland thanks to a famous last ditch 2-1 victory on the last day at White Hart Lane and a 3 point deduction for relegated Middlesbrough.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the article and photos