Matchday Memories: On This Pre Season Day 2000 – Strachan’s Sky Blues Settle For A Draw

Gordon the Gaffer

On this day (5th August) in 2000 the Sky Blues under Gordon Strachan (now a CCFPA member) were undertaking their fifth match in an encouraging pre-season so far as they prepared for another Premier League season (as it turned out, their last). Their warm ups had begun with a 4-0 victory at non-league Hitchin Town. Their second game was much tougher, travelling to Molineux to meet Division One Wolverhampton Wanderers but they still came away with a 1-0 win.

Then they survived a tough challenge on the south coast taking on Portsmouth at Fratton Park and came away with a 1-1 draw. A trip to Belgium ensued and WGS’s side succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to local side KAA Gent.

In their second game of the mini tour today City faced another Belgian outfit, La Louviere. The Sky Blues got another 1-1 draw.

We cannot trace any details about this game. If you have them please email Mike the web editor on m.young9@ntlworld.com

After today’s game the Sky Blues moved to the Netherlands on August 8th to play Sparta Rotterdam and there they got a very creditable 1-0 victory. Their final match was at Highfield Road, again against European opposition, and the mighty Ajax came away from Coventry with a 3-1 win.

The actual Premier League season started promisingly after a Highfield Road defeat to Middlesbrough by 3-1 on the opening day. Back to back wins at both Southampton and Manchester City (their first league wins away in 16 months) certainly boosted confidence. However, all Sky Blue fans are painfully aware that, despite numerous flirtations with relegation and last day heroics, the wheels finally came off the ‘Sky Blue Express’ in the millennium season.

CCFC 2000-01

After 34 years at the top (and 43 years since their last experience of this calamity) they were relegated in penultimate spot (19th) along with Bradford City and the ‘other’ Sky Blues Manchester City. Division One would be their home for the following season and the desperately optimistic slogans at the time of ‘We’ll Be Back’ have yet to be realised though we are creeping closer playing in the Championship again for 2021-22.

Thanks to CCFPA’s Mike Young for sourcing the photos