When Bobby Gould took over as City manager in 1983 he faced a mass walkout of players and had to rebuild the playing squad in a short space of time. He made a few gambles and one of the biggest was signing two of his former players from Bristol Rovers, Nicky Platnauer and Graham Withey. Withey, a forward who cost £5,000, had played only 19 games for Rovers but had an explosive start at Coventry.

He came on as a substitute at White Hart Lane and scored City’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw. Although bought as an understudy to Dave Bamber, Withey scored seven goals including a brace in a 3-0 FA Cup win over Wolves. Graham was a clumsy-looking striker who nevertheless had an ability to upset big name defenders but ultimately he was not good enough for the top flight. After two appearances the following term he joined Cardiff and spent the remainder of his career drifting between league and non-league football playing for both Bristol clubs, Exeter, Bath City and Gloucester.