Second row (l-r); Colin Dobson (Youth Coach), Bert Edwards (Youth Recruitment Manager), Paul O’Brien, Ian Starkie, Dave Jones, Mick Coop, Bobby McDonald, Nicky Phillips, Steve Jacobs, David Barnes, Phil Linacre, Andy Linton, John Sillett (Chief Scout), George Dalton (Physiotherapist)
Third row (l-r); Tommy English, Andy Blair, Roger Van Gool, Brian Roberts, Gordon Milne (Manager), Ron Wylie (Assistant Manager), Ray Gooding, Steve Hunt, Clive Haywood, Peter Bodak, Danny Thomas, Mike Weston
Front row (l-r); Russell Gordon, Gary Crompton, Martin Singleton, Nigel Jalland, Gary Barnett, Sean Hemming, Peter Hormantschuk, Andrew Willock, John Hendrie, Greg Abbott
By Jim Brown
Despite the pressures on manager Gordon Milne to quit he started the new campaign in charge. Ian Wallace was not the only player to leave in the summer, Gary Collier had been transferred to Portland Timbers in the NASL for the astonishing fee of £365,000, more than he cost in the first place. Considering he only played two first-team games for Coventry, the club were fortunate to recoup the money. Five players including Tommy Hutchison and Mark Hateley missed the start of the season because they were playing in the NASL in America. New chairman Hill negotiated the club’s first sponsorship deal, with Coventry-based car manufacturer Talbot. This provided another welcome injection of cash, although the FA rejected an application to rename the club Coventry Talbot.
A depressing opening day defeat at Birmingham prompted Milne to seek reinforcements and Derby’s Republic of Ireland international midfielder Gerry Daly joined for £300,000 in time to make his debut in a goal-less home draw with Liverpool. The defeat at St Andrews also marked McDonald’s last start, allowing ‘Harry’ Roberts to come in and make the left-back position his own. At centre-back, Paul Dyson was forming a strong partnership with Gary Gillespie, and another talented youngster, Andy Blair, secured his place in midÂfield alongside Steve Hunt, a winger converted into a midfield playmaker. Up front, Garry Thompson started the season alongside Tom English, though the latter was later replaced by Mark Hateley. The side showed undeniable promise but, with an average age of just 21, it lacked the discipline that can only be gained with experiÂence.
In the league it was to be an erratic season, and there seemed little hope of pleasant diversion in the League Cup when City were drawn against Manchester United at the first hurdle, but 1-0 wins home and away marked the beginning of one of the finest cup runs in the club’s history. In the third round, they were drawn away to Brighton and, with Hutchison returning from his summer sojourn in Seattle, Coventry’s midfield glittered sufficiently to see them through 2-1.
By the time the next round of the League Cup came around the storm clouds were gathering. Everton had won 5-0 at Highfield Road and a feeble Norwich had also won there and McDonald and Hutchison had been sold to Manchester City. Gates had slipped to less than 12,000 and when the team could only scrape a home draw against Second Division Cambridge the knives were out for Milne. But a determined display in the replay on a rain-swept pitch produced a 1-0 win. The quarter-finals paired City with Second Division Watford. In a tense game at VicarÂage Road, and roared on by 9,500 fans, City drew 2-2. But they made no mistake in the replay. On a night to remember, the Sky Blues ran out 5-0 winners, seeing them through to a semi-final against FA Cup holders West Ham.
In the meantime, the good cup form spilled over into the league, at least at home. From mid-October to the end of February the only side to lower City’s colours at Highfield Road were the old bogey side Aston Villa, who were destined to lift the league title. Away from home things weren’t so rosy; in the same period City won just once on their travels – at struggling Leicester. By now an FA Cup run was starting to take shape, thanks to a hard-fought third round tie with Leeds, which was won after a replay, followed by a fourth round win over neighbours Birmingham.
A thrilling League Cup semi final first leg saw City come from 0-2 to beat West Ham 3-2 and a Wembley place beckoned. Coventry’s come-uppance however was delivered in the space of four cruel days in mid-February. Neighbour’s late goal clinched a League Cup final place for the Hammers, and four days later Spurs ended City’s FA Cup hopes, after errors – both tactical and individual – left the Sky Blues with a mountain to climb.
The effect of these twin blows on a young side was little short of catastrophic, and the team nose-dived into a run of seven defeats in eight games, the result of which was to pitch City once again into the jaws of relegation. Two wins and a draw in the last three games were enough to avert the danger; but it had been a close enough shave to convince some members of the board that the team needed a new man in charge.
On 13 May 1981, after nine seasons in charge, Milne was shunted sideways to the post of general manager. A week later, Dave Sexton, recently sacked by Manchester United, took charge of team affairs.
Milne’s ‘move’ upstairs pacified many of the club’s critics but Jimmy Hill’s decision to convert Highfield Road into England’s first all-seater stadium caused uproar. Not only did it take a knife to the whole concept of standing on terraces, upon which generations of football-goers had been reared, but it also reduced the ground’s capacity to just 20,500. That figure was 15,000 below the gate for City’s home semi-final with West Ham a few months earlier, and for that reason did not appear to make economic sense. Even more distressing to supporters was the way the decision was reached, without warning and without consultation.
