Matchday Memories For The 29th: City’s Leap Year Record Is Not Good!

Leap Years come around only every four years and Saturdays coinciding with the extra day, 29th February are even rarer. This season is another ‘off year’ so we are prevented from precisely marking Leap Year games ‘on this day’ this year. So, to not forget them by default, we look at City’s record on the Leap Year 29th on the last day of February this year (the 28th)!

So, as far as we can trace, our club has only ever played five times on the extra day granted to leap year since 1894 when the then Singers FC began their Birmingham League Days and only 3 times since 1919 when Coventry City FC began their Football League career (and only once in the top flight).

Here are the matches we have been able to trace:-

February 29th

1895-96 Birmingham & District League

Singers lost 0-1 at Kidderminster Harriers

Singers Team: Teddy Kirk; Tom Cashmore & R Bentley, Joe Whitehouse, Charlie Roberts & Foley, Tommy Lowe, A. Hemmersley, Harry Taylor, Tom Bird & W.Slater

1907-08 Birmingham & District League

Coventry City BEAT Burton United 2-0 at Highfield Rd. att. 2,000

details in a later post today

CCFC 1907-08

1935-36 Division Three South

Coventry City lost 1-3 at Crystal Palace

scorer: Clarrie Bourton (89 mins) att. 14,638

CCFC Team: Horace Pearson; Jack Astley & Bernard Smith, Cecil McCaughey, George Mason (c) & Harry Boileau; George McNestry, Les Jones, Tommy Crawley, Clarrie Bourton & Ernie Curtis

1963-64 Division Three

Coventry City drew 2-2 with Bournemouth at Highfield Rd.

scorers: Graham Newton & Brian Hill att. 24,955

CCFC Team (CCFPA members underlined): Dave Meeson, John Sillett, Mick Kearns, the late Brian Hill, George Curtis, Ron Farmer, Willie Humphries, the late Graham Newton, the late George Hudson, the late Ken Hale and Ron Rees

1991-92 Division One

Coventry City drew 0-0 with Manchester United at Highfield Rd.

att. 23,962

details in a later post today

As you can see, of the five games, although three have taken place at Highfield Road, Coventry City have only won one match, losing two and drawing two. The 1907-08 team below should take a bow! More details of this game and the most recent leap year date will appear in a later post so check back on this site later today.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for researching and illustrating this article.