Committee Members News: President Kirk Kicks Off Sky Blues CBS Pre-Season v. Toffees!

Kirk in the Sky Blue

The eagerly awaited Sky Blues 2024-25 Championship season kicks off in just over a fortnight’s time and their pre-season preparations are well under way. After a number of pre-season games away from Coventry, City fans will now be able to see Mark Robins current Sky Blue squad in a couple of home fixtures at the CBS Arena. The first match is a prestigious friendly against Premier League team Everton next Tuesday night, kick-off 7.45pm.

At this game we resume our programme of supplying a CCFC ‘star of the past’ to tour the supporters lounges and meet the fans pre-kick off and, after the contest, join more fans in the G-Casino under the Arena for some fun and games with our very own (new CCFPA chairman) Mr Billy Bell from the stage of Lady Gs. 

‘Harry’ Roberts chats with Kirk (right) at a Sky Blue game last season

We are keeping this fixture firmly in-house as our guest for the night will be none other than CCFPA President Kirk Stephens!! A ‘Coventry Kid’, born on 27th February 1955, Kirk has been ‘El Presidente‘ of the Association since its formation in 2006 and has been an inspiration for CCFPA’s continuing development and success.

Kirk is always heavily involved in CCFPA ‘set piece events’ like Legends Days and Golf Days and has also been a big supporter of the club’s Family Zone. He is no stranger to undertaking the ‘special guest’ stint at Sky Blues Ricoh/CBS Arena home games (left).

For the record, Kirk was actually turned down by CCFC as a youngster because he was thought not yet ready for top level football and so started his playing career with Nuneaton Borough under manager David Pleat. He then moved with Pleat when he took over the reins at Luton Town in 1978. At Kenilworth Road he accumulated nearly 250 appearances (and a couple of goals) with the Hatters and became a firm favourite as an attacking full back.

CCFPA President Kirk Stephens with committee member ‘Benno’ and  member Ian Wallace

In 1984 he was overjoyed to be brought back to his home-town by another former Caludon Castle schoolboy, ‘Cov kid’ (and fellow CCFPA member) Bobby Gould (with Ashley Grimes going in the opposite direction) At Highfield Road he made his first division debut against Aston Villa in August 1984. However, his top level career was unfortunately curtailed by a severe knee injury in May 1986 after only 37 Sky Blues appearances (and a brace of goals).

A fairly recent reunion of some of the ‘Boys of 87’ with Kirk 2nd left on back row

Sadly, he missed out on the successful F.A.Cup winning campaign of the following season, though he keeps in regular touch with the ‘Boys of ’87’ (left).

Between 1987-89 Kirk did play at non-league level with the likes of Barnet, Stockingford and Nuneaton Borough where he eventually became player-manager before hanging up his boots (and later he became a director there).

Kirk retains business interests in the locality and has also done some coaching with City Academy junior teams in the past too. Look out for kirk ‘around the lounges’ and in Lady Gs next Tuesday night as the Sky Blues test their mettle again against top tier opponents after so nearly putting Manchester United out of the F.A.Cup last season at Wembley at the semi-final stage.  The following Saturday the Sky Blues take on German side SV Werder Bremen at the CBS and look out on this site for our announcement of our ‘special guest’ for that game in due course!

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

Matchday Memories: On This Pre Season Day 2000 – Robbie Riles The Wolves At Molineux

The pre-season friendly programme

On this evening (26th July) in 2000 the Sky Blues under Gordon Strachan (now a CCFPA member) were in the early days of an encouraging pre-season as they prepared for another Premier League season (as it turned out, their last). Their warm ups began with a 3-0 victory at non-league Hitchin Town (City scorers were Laurent Delorge (58 mins), John Eustace (81) (both now CCFPA members) and Stephen McPhee (89). Then came an easy 4-0 defeat of another non-league outfit, Fairford Town thanks to goals from (another CCFPA member before his death last year) Cedric Roussel (41), a brace from J.E. (43 & 55 mins) and a last minute effort from Jay Bothroyd.

Their third game was bound to be much tougher as they traveled to Molineux to meet Division One Wolverhampton Wanderers but they came away with a 1-0 win.

The fairly low key game, in front of a modest crowd of 4,800, was decided by a Sky Blue goal from, who else, Irish prodigy Robbie Keane who City had signed from the hosts almost a year previously for £6m, a record transfer fee for a teenager!  The Republic of Ireland international needed only three minutes after coming on as a substitute to break the deadlock after spending almost an hour on the bench (due to infected blisters on his feet)!

In the 56th minute, he cut in from the left wing following a short pass by (now CCFPA member) Marcus Hall, beat two defenders and fired home low inside the far post. The goal was followed by his trademark somersault. Wolves might have had a penalty just before half-time when Marcus tangled with Michael Branch in the box.

Gordon Strachan signs Robbie Keane in 1999

For the last half hour of the game City’s defence coped comfortably with Wolves’ attempts to come up with an equaliser. The nearest they came was when their trialist striker Koffi Faiwoo chipped just over following a through-ball from fellow substitute Carl Robinson.

In truth, the Sky Blues should have won more emphatically as they created the better chances. New City signing Jay Bothroyd shot wide with only Michael Oakes to beat and our Belgian striker (and CCFPA member) Cedric Roussel (who tragically suffered a fatal heart attack in 2023) brought out another great save from the Wolves’ keeper and then blazed wide from a lay-off by Moroccan Moustapha Hadji and also contrived to miss a sitter from less than ten yards. Overall, Cedric must have impressed the Wolves’ management as he was soon Molineux bound.

The Sky Blues lined up as follows (CCFPA members underlined):-

Chris Kirkland, Marc Edworthy, Marcus Hall, Barry Quinn, Paul Williams, Richard Shaw, Youssef Chippo (Moustapha Hadji -54), Paul Telfer, (the late) Cedric Roussel, Jay Bothroyd (Robbie Keane -54) and John Eustace (Gavin Strachan -77)  Unused subs:–  Runar Normann, Gary Breen and Gary Montgomery (gk)

The Referee was Andy Hall.

City only won one of the remaining pre-season games (1-0 at Sparta Rotterdam) including losing their only home game at Highfield Road 1-3 against top Dutch club Ajax of Amsterdam.

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 sixteen months) certainly boosted confidence. However all Sky Blue fans know that, despite numerous flirtations with relegation and last day heroics, the wheels finally came off the ‘Sky Blue Express’ in their millennium season. After 34 years at the top (and 43 years since their last experience of this calamity) they were relegated in penultimate spot (nineteenth) along with Bradford City and the ‘other’ Sky Blues, Manchester City.

Division One would be their home for next season and the desperately optimistic slogans at the time of ‘We’ll Be Back‘ have yet to be realised but with City’s fourth season in the Championship since promotion from League One we must again be at least within touching distance!

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

Matchday Memories: On This Pre-Season Day 1997 – Pars’ Blunder Gifts Game To Strachan’s Sky Blues!

On this day (July 26th) in 1997 the Sky Blues manager Gordon Strachan, starting out on his first full season in control at Highfield Road, had taken his team to his Scottish homeland to start his pre-season preparations for the upcoming Premier League campaign. A couple of days previously Ayr United had been seen off 2-0 (see earlier post on the 24th) and today’s game was at Dunfermline Athletic before finishing off the mini Scottish tour in Edinburgh at Hibernian in two days time.  There was a fair crowd at East End Park to watch proceedings.

John in the Sky Blue

By all accounts the pre-season friendly was pretty unmemorable except for a monumental blunder by Pars’ keeper Ian Westwater who gifted the the Sky Blues their win with a bizarre blunder just a quarter an hour from the final whistle. A cross from (now CCFPA member) John Salako had looked as though it was going safely into the ‘keeper’s hands but he somehow he managed to catch it and then throw it in his own net!

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

Gordon the Gaffer

Magnus Hedman, Richard Shaw, Marcus Hall, Paul Williams (Willie Boland -67), Martin Johansen, Kevin Richardson, Paul Telfer, Michael O’Neill (David Burrows -67), Dion Dublin (Trond Egil Soltvedt -46), Gary McAllister (c) (Kyle Lightbourne -46) and John Salako   Unused sub.:- Steve Ogrizovic (gk).

Bert Paton put out the following Pars’ side:-

Ian Westwater, Ivo Den Bieman (Colin Miller -46), Raymond Sharp (Greg Shields -46), Andy Tod, Dave Barnett, Craig Ireland, Hamish French (Andy Smith -60), Scott Young (Harry Curran -46), David Bingham, Derek Fleming and Scott McCulloch  Unused subs.:-  John Fraser, Chris Templeman and Hay (gk)

Though he didn’t play, young Sky Blue player Craig Faulconbridge was loaned to the Pars this season. CCFPA member and former Sky Blue seventies captain Roy Barry has been a leading light in our sister organisation, the Pars FPA for several years.

City continued their pre season with an excellent 2-0 win at Hibs before conceding their first two goals in a 2-0 defeat at Stoke City at the end of the month, their only pre-season defeat. On August 1st normal service was restored with a 4-1 win at Torquay United and, in City’s only home game before the season started, top Dutch team Feyenoord (from Rotterdam) were overcome 2-1 at Highfield Road (see detailed post here when that day comes round again this year). 

CCFC 1997-98

As far as the 1997-98 Premier League campaign went things were reasonably satisfactory with an eleventh placed finish well clear of relegation and Gordon stayed in charge right up to the Sky Blues departure from the top flight in 2000-01.

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

Blast From The Past: On This Day 1996 – Gary Mac, Scottish International Star Comes To Cov

Gary in Sky Blue action

Thanks to CCFC historian Steve Phelps for reminding us of the signing a legendary former Sky Blue player who strutted his stuff on Coventry City’s top level footballing stage at the turn of the millennium. The memory above is excerpted from his book ‘Coventry City On This Day’ (Pitch Publishing 2010) which points up lots of interesting Sky Blue related anniversaries*.

Gary McAllister- Sky Blue ‘gaffer’

Scottish international Gary McAllister had two spells with CCFC first as a player from 1996-2000 and later, with less success, as player-manager from 2002-04. When he first came to Highfield Road from Leeds United in July 1996 in a shock £3m big money move to join up again with both City’s gaffer ‘Big’ Ron Atkinson and influential player (later successor to Big Ron) Gordon Strachan (both now CCFPA members) Sky Blue fans felt this was a great marker of intent.

The Scottish midfielder had developed his illustrious career with Leicester City (well over 200 games from 1985-90)  after starting out at Motherwell in 1981. A core player at Leeds United between 1990-96, where he played 231 League games netting 31 times, Gary gained a reputation as a consummate ball player and a cultured and forceful midfield influence.

Gary in the Sky Blue

When he first joined the Sky Blues he was therefore a seasoned professional aged 30 and he captained the side under Big Ron and then WGS through difficult times with relegation escapes as well as some memorable performances. On their day, with the likes of Noel Whelan, Dion Dublin, Darren Huckerby, John Salako, Moustapha Hadji, Steve Froggatt, Youssef Chippo (all CCFPA members) as well as George Boateng and Robbie Keane) the Sky Blues could beat anyone. Despite their flair and excitement these Sky Blues’ teams never achieved the sort of solid consistency needed for a top finish. Gary wore the Sky Blue with distinction on 140 occasions (netting 21 times) in his first Coventry spell.

Gary (by then aged 35) left City before their relegation season in July 2000 for a late chance with Liverpool where, again, the cool, intelligent play of the ‘enforcer’ proved a stabilising influence on younger players. However, he was attracted back to Highfield Road in May 2002, for his first shot at management. With CCFC (now in Division One) his early managerial experiences were not without difficulties but he also kept his playing boots on, leading by example, playing for a further sixty times scoring a dozen goals. In December 2003 Gary was forced to relinquish the gaffer’s chair to Assistant Eric Black in order to look after his ailing wife.

CCFC 2002-03

After four years out of the game Gary returned to manage former club Leeds United in 2008 for a couple of seasons. Then followed a brief period in 2010 as first team coach at Middlesbrough and later the same year he moved to Aston Villa in a similar capacity (later acting as Caretaker manager on the illness of Gerard Houllier). From 2015 Gary assisted another former club Liverpool but most recently (since May 2018) Gary became Steven Gerrard‘s Assistant Manager at Rangers where the Sky Blues played and lost a friendly by two clear goals in pre-season game in  2020. He then moved with Steven in November 2021 to Aston Villa to be his assistant and took over as manager for a couple of games when Gerrard had Covid. Both departed from Villa Park in October 2022 but Gary is frequently consulted by the media today.

*Steve’s most recent work on the Sky Blues about the 1980-81 squad ’29 Minutes From Wembley’ was published by Pitch Publishing in 2017 and all his CCFC books are available online and from all good bookshops.

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