Members News: Ex Sky Blues ‘Cov Kid’ Defender Is 39 Today. ‘Happy Birthday’, Stuart!

Stuart in the Sky Blue

Today CCFPA member and Sky Blues former full back/ defender Stuart Giddings celebrates his 39th Birthday! Born on 27th March 1986 Stuart is very much a ‘Cov. Kid’ brought through the Club’s youth system and collecting England caps from under 16 to U19 level along the way.

He made his Sky Blues first team debut in the Championship in May 2004 as a sub and made his full debut the following season.

Stuart in July 2002 in England U17 shirt

He is yet another illustration of the success of CCFC’s record of bringing through young players to first team action. Even today the Club relies on many players who cut their teeth in the Sky Blues Academy.  Stuart was also a Birmingham Senior Cup winner with City in 2006-07.

Stuart Giddings at LD24

In total, Stuart turned out nineteen times for the first team before being released in March 2008 (after a loan spell at Oldham Athletic). Since 2009 Stuart has played at Hinckley Athletic (two spells), Ilkeston Town and Darlington (on a season’s loan) but his career has been set back by a long-term knee ligament injury from 2011.

Stuart with ‘Harry’ Roberts at the CBS earlier this month

Stuart has become an increasingly frequent attender of Sky Blues home games and has undertaken the chores of being the Association’s ‘special guest’ at both the Ricoh (including broadcasting with the BBC CWR team), St Andrews and this past four seasons back at the rebadged CBS Arena for example at last season’s home game against Hull City earlier this equivalent month.

He has also turned out for the Sky Blues Legends XI in matches supporting various charitable causes. He was present at both our most recent major former player gatherings LD19 and LD22 and we look forward to seeing him at last June’s Legends Day 2024 and we hope to see him again at LD25 next week.

Stuart & Sky Blue Sam Oct.2024

We hope you have a wonderful birthday today, Stuart and see you back again very soon!

Members News: CCFC’s Welsh ‘70s Sky Blue Skipper Is 75 Today. ‘Happy Birthday’, Terry!

Terry in the Sky Blue brown

‘Happy Birthday’ greetings for today go to our member, former Sky Blues inspirational midfielder Terry Yorath.  Terry, born in Cardiff on 27th March 1950, is 75 today. When he joined the Association many years ago he had the distinction of becoming our 200th member!

Discovered and developed into an accomplished international midfielder by Leeds United, Terry was signed up for the Sky Blues by (now fellow Association member) Gordon Milne in August 1976 to add flair, guile and tenacity to the Sky Blues midfield. Terry was our midfield general and captain during much of the era of the formidable Ian Wallace – Mick Ferguson goalscoring partnership and saw his team achieve two top ten finishes. ‘Wally’ & ‘Fergie’ are also now CCFPA members.

Terry Yorath in  Sky Blue action

Virtually ever-present until he moved to Tottenham Hotspur in close season 1979, Terry clocked up 107 first team appearances in total for the Sky Blues and scored three times. 

After a spell with Vancouver Whitecaps in the early 80s Terry finished his professional career with Bradford City (1982) and Swansea City (1986) whom he also managed.

Terry at Legends Day 2012

Between 1986-2009 Further management posts followed with Bradford City, Cardiff City, Sheffield Wednesday and Margate as well as managing the national sides of his home country (1998-1993) and the Lebanon (1995-97)

Terry also frequently captained the Welsh side, for which he played a leading role in a total of 59 internationals (twenty as a Sky Blues’ player). He is not only of footballing reknown in his own right but is father to daughter Gaby, another former athlete of repute and now celebrity broadcaster.  Terry’s autobiography, published in 2004, is entitled ‘Hard man, Hard knocks’.

Have a very ‘Happy Birthday’ today Terry! We would love to see you back at an Association event soon!

Matchday Memories: On This Day 2014 – See Sky Blue Seaborne Sort Stevenage At Sixfields

Steven (right) with 60s Sky Blues veteran (the late) Bob Wesson a few year’s back

On this Wednesday fixture (March 26th) eleven years’ ago in 2014 the Sky Blues were in exile playing their League One ‘home’ games at Sixfields, Northampton Town‘s home ground. Former Sky Blue player (and CCFPA member) Steven Pressley was in charge of team matters. Their opponents today were lowly Stevenage and the Sky Blues were in a poor run of only one win and two draws in their last nine league games. The ‘Boro were a good team to play to break the run, however, as the Sky Blues had already beaten them 1-0 in early October at their place with a 33rd minute goal from Leon Clarke. The original ‘home’ fixture had been postponed until this day.

Danny Seaborne in the Sky Blue

Today they squeezed past their opponents, once more by the only goal of the game, this time headed in by Danny Seaborne (his debut goal for CCFC) in the 67th minute. Danny had been a Yeovil Town player, signed initially on loan the previous November, and given a contract in January 2014. Not surprisingly, given the mass boycott by Sky Blue fans, there were only 1,697 spectators at Sixfields of which there were 437 fans from Hertfordshire!

The Sky Blues top scorer ‘Cov Kid’ Callum Wilson (now a CCFPA member) who has since gone on to great things with Premier League clubs AFC Bournemouth, Newcastle United as well as (briefly) England, unaccountably, given his form at the time, had his 85th minute penalty saved by the ‘Boro’s Steve Arnold.

Thanks to former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson you can relive highlights of the game by clicking on the image below:-

City’s team that day at Sixfields was (CCFPA members underlined):-

Joe Murphy, Blair Adams, Jordan Willis, Jordan Clarke, Dan Seaborne, Andy Webster, John Fleck, Franck Moussa (sub. Conor Thomas -86), Callum Wilson, Nathan Delfouneso (sub. Nathan Eccleston -78) and Anton Robinson

Unused subs. Cyrus Christie, Carl Baker, Ryan Haynes, Mark Marshall and Lee Burge (gk)

Graham Westley‘s Borough side was as follows:-

Steve Arnold, Curtis Obeng, Luke Freeman, Bira Dembele, Jon Ashton (c) (sub. Filipe Morais -83), Jimmy Smith, Francois Zoko, John Mousinho, Michael Doughty, Jordan Burrow (sub. Darius Charles -75) and Lucas Akins (sub. Craig Reid -83) Unused subs. Sam Wedgbury, Peter Hartley, Conor Henderson and Chris Day (gk)     Referee:-  Tim Robinson

CCFC 2013-14

The Sky Blues had been deducted ten points at the start of the season so their eighteenth placed finish disguised their true performance. Had there not been the deduction they would have finished ninth. Stevenage ended the season plumb bottom and were relegated to League Two along with Tranmere Rovers, Carlisle United and Shrewsbury Town.

Wolverhampton Wanderers were champions of League One and were promoted along with runners up Brentford and fourth placed Rotherham United (via the play-offs).

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

Matchday Memories: On This Day 1994 – See Sky Blue Sean & ‘Sumo’ Nobble Norwich For Neal

Phil Neal, Coventry City Manager

On this day (March 26th) in 1994 the Sky Blues manager was Phil Neal and the Sky Blues were going through a bad patch with four successive defeats and no goals scored – the team was starting to look over its shoulders in fourteenth spot in the Premiership. In mid-week Neal had tried but failed to re-sign former Sky Blue centre-forward (and fairly recent CCFPA recruit) Robert Rosario (who had been sold to Nottingham Forest for £400k on 2nd March 1993). Robert had originally signed for CCFC in March 1991 from today’s opponents at Highfield Road, Norwich City.  The Sky Blues had lost by the only goal at Carrow Road early in October when Mike Walker was in charge of the Canaries. John Deehan had taken over from the 12th of January.

Sean Flynn in the Sky Blue

Phil’s attempted solution was to throw Sean Flynn, normally a defender, up front and the tactic undeniably worked against the Canaries. In front of a H.R. crowd of 13,515 Sean scored the Sky Blues first after 28 minutes after Canaries’ goalie Bryan Gunn failed to hold a shot from the homesters Peter Ndlovu. Flynn also helped to bring fellow forward, the rotund Mick Quinn, fully into the game and it was ‘Sumo’ who scored the Sky Blues winner after great work by our ‘Bulawayo Bullet’ to take the game and the points from the Canaries with twenty minutes to go. 

Norwich City were draw specialists this season and must have thought they had grabbed another one when Darren Eadie got their equaliser a minute after the half time break but their hopes were dashed by the ‘Mighty Quinn’!

Thanks to former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson you can watch the goal highlights of this game again by clicking on the picture below:-

Mick Quinn in the Sky Blue

The Sky Blue team Phil Neal chose was as follows (current CCFPA members are underlined):-

Steve Ogrizovic, Brian Borrows, Steve Morgan, Julian Darby, Phil Babb, Peter Atherton, John Williams (sub. Willie Boland), David Rennie, Mick Quinn, Sean Flynn and Peter Ndlovu.

Recent Sky Blues manager Mark Robins (an Hon.Member of CCFPA) was with the East Anglian club at this time as well as future CCFC shotstopper (and CCFPA member) Andy Marshall. Their captain on the day, Ian Butterworth was also an ex Sky Blue (and is an Association member expeccted at the upcoming Legends Day 2025 reunion at the CBS Arena)!

Their team lined up:-

Bryan Gunn, Tony Culverhouse, Mark Bowen, Gary Megson, John Polston (sub. Colin Woodthorpe), Ian Butterworth (c), Neil Adams, Jeremy Goss, Chris Sutton, Darren Eadie and Ian Crook     Referee:- D.Frampton

CCFC 1993-94

An unbeaten run in their last seven games of the 1993-94 ensured the Sky Blues stayed out of trouble as they eventually finished in a comfortable mid-table eleventh spot in the Premier League with Norwich City tucked in just a place and three points behind them. Manchester United took the title by eight points from fellow Lancashire club Blackburn Rovers.

Sheffield United, Oldham Athletic and (bottom club) Swindon Town went down that season.

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