Middle row (l-r); George Dalton (Physiotherapist), Alan Dugdale, Brian Roberts, Mick Coop, John Beck, Ray Gooding, Donal Murphy, Bert Edwards (Reserve Team Coach)
Front row (l-r); Gordon Milne (Manager), Bobby McDonald, Jim Holton, Ian Wallace, Terry Yorath, Tommy Hutchison, Barry Powell, Ron Wylie (Assistant Manager and Coach)
By Jim Brown
In spite of the close shave at the end of the previous season, a relatively optimistic atmosphere pervaded the club and its supportÂers in the summer of 1977. The consensus was that the squad was better than the final position in May indicated, and that better times might be just around the corner.
Transfer activity was quiet, with the only notable signing being the Aston Villa right-winger Ray Graydon for a modest £40,000 fee. Graydon’s arrival was, however, indicative of an attacking tactical emphasis by manager Gordon Milne. The team would line up 4-2-4 with two wingers to nourÂish the goalscoring potential of Wallace and Ferguson.
The pre-season friendlies gave little indication that things were improving, with heavy defeats at Brighton and Charlton. The first half of the opening match against Derby County was no better. The match was transformed via Wallace’s boot and Ferguson’s head, and that pattern was to be sustained more or less throughout the season – which turned out to be the most exciting since the Second Division championship year.
Goals flowed freely at both ends of the pitch, with dynamic duo Ferguson and Wallace quickly establishing themselves as one of the most feared strike-forces in the land. The midfield, comprising two players – Terry Yorath and Barry Powell – were called upon to work like Trojans to compensate for their numerical deficit.
The stay-away fans of recent years were lured back by the excitement of it all and home gates increased 10% with a final average of over 23,000. Coventry netted 75 goals this season, their highest total since 1963-64, but more importantly, the team provided entertainment of the highest order. Some of the home matches this season would be contenders for the top ten thrillers of the club’s elite era, notably those against Manchester City, Norwich, Chelsea and Everton.
Many City players were performing at their peak – Yorath and Powell certainly, Ferguson and Wallace probably, and Blyth and McDonald possibly. Full international honours were won by Wallace, Yorath, Nardiello and Blyth – the last-named was called up for Ally McLeod’s ill-fated Argentina expedition – though the form of McDonald, Ferguson and Hutchison ought to have merited international recognition.
City’s League Cup run acquired a head of steam with a win at Tottenham. This was followed by a breathtaking draw at Anfield, where it looked for long periods as if a famous first victory was on the cards, with 8,000 City fans shouting themselves hoarse. Given the fact that Coventry had been thrashed 0-6 at Goodison the previÂous Saturday, the draw at Anfield was some achievement.
In fact, the whole season was like that – unpredictable but exhilarating. The replay at Highfield Road had to be put back three weeks on account of Liverpool’s other commitments. By that time, a run of five matches without a win had blunted City’s edge, and they ended up well beaten by a totally professional Liverpool team. Many fans, with their heads in the clouds, had been convinced that City’s name was on the cup that year. Their hopes crashed to earth with a bang.
It wasn’t long before City entertained Liverpool again, this time in the league, but the 1-0 victory was scant revenge for the cup defeat. That league encounter is fondly remembered for a bruising battle between Yorath and Souness, and was part of a six-match winning streak at Highfield Road. Among City’s other victims in that purple patch were Manchester United, beaten 3-0.
Away from home it was a different story. The FA Cup defeat at Middlesbrough was typical of City’s spluttering away form. It was this travel sickness that finally put paid to hopes of qualifying for Europe. One win in the last eight league games was hardly EuroÂpean form, but had Ipswich not confounded expectations by beatÂing Arsenal in the FA Cup final, Coventry would have claimed a UEFA Cup place.
On the transfer front, the mid-season signing of Keith Osgood from Tottenham bolstered the defence, at least for a time, before he faded. Graham Oakey had been badly hurt in the Boxing Day match at Villa Park – he would never play for the first team again – but this allowed Brian ‘Harry’ Roberts a chance to claim the right-back spot as his own. For a brief spell Donato Nardiello burst upon the scene in ways reminiscent of Ronnie Rees fifteen years previously. Unlike Rees, Nardiello’s impact was far less enduring. A young Birmingham-born centre-forward, Garry Thompson, earned rave reviews near the end of the season, illustrating that competition for first-team places was hotting up.
