Matchday Memories: On This Pre Season Day 2000 – Strachan’s Sky Blues Subdue Sparta In Rotterdam
Gordon the Gaffer
On this day (8th August) in 2000 the Sky Blues under Gordon Strachan (now a CCFPA member) were undertaking their sixth 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 Ghent. In their second game of the mini tour City faced another Belgian outfit La Louviere and got a 1-1 draw. Now, three days later the Sky Blues had a date with Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam (the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands).
The last time City had played the club from Holland was in a four way tournament in pre-season 1991 (also involving the hosts Kilmarnock and Rangers) was in the pre-season of 1991. On that occasion, after losing on penalties to Rangers after a 1-1 draw with Paul Furlong scoring for the Sky Blues, City lost 2-1 to Sparta Rotterdam in the third place play-off, (now CCFPA member) John Eustace (rather than Peter Billing as some sources say) scoring late for the Sky Blues.
This time the Sky Blues managed to come away with an encouraging victory by the only goal of the game. Sadly, we cannot trace any firm details about this game. If you have them please email Mike, the editor, on m.young9@ntlworld.com
The Sky Blues final pre-season match was at Highfield Road, again against European opposition, and the mighty Ajax of Amsterdam came away from Coventry with a 3-1 win.
CCFC 2000-01
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. 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 next season and the desperately optimistic slogan at the time of ‘We’ll Be Back‘ has yet to be realised though the Sky Blues seem to be on their way back under Mark Robins and for the secod successive season look forward to their 2021-22 Championship season one below the once ‘promised land’.
