Another blankety-blank for City
IN their last game, at home to Wycombe, the Sky Blues drew 0-0 again, making it seven goal-less draws in a season, six of them at home. The record for the most in a season is eight, set in 1970-71 under Noel Cantwell when the side was ultra-cautious and scored only 37 goals and conceded 38 (the latter a club record low) in finishing tenth in the old First Division.
This season seven equals the number in the post-wembley campaign of 1987-88 when John Sillett’s team recorded six 0-0s at home and one away but still managed an impressive tenth place finish, thanks to more away wins than at home.
THE current situation with Rotherham and their backlog of games due to Covid19 issues reminds me a little of the 1968-69 season when the Sky Blues were locked in a relegation dog-fight with neighbours Leicester City.
I’m sure many younger City fans won’t be aware of the circumstances of that season and I thought I would remind readers about City’s great escape.
In February, Noel Cantwell’s Sky Blues, who had survived on the final day in the previous campaign, looked doomed, at the foot of the
Division One table and five points behind 20th-placed Leicester.
A combination of a bad winter and Leicester’s FA Cup run, which took them to the final, meant, however, that when Coventry finished their season and had climbed outside the drop zone Leicester still had five games to play.
After City played their final match, a thrilling, gutsy 0-0 draw against Liverpool at Highfield Road, they had to sit and wait for 25 days while
Leicester played their final five fixtures and hope and pray that they wouldn’t overtake City’s final total of 31 points. The Foxes needed seven points out of ten (only two points for a win in those days) to send City down.
At Wembley in the FA Cup Final, Leicester lost 1-0 to Manchester City and on the following Tuesday night played their first of the five outstanding league games, beating Tottenham 1-0 with an Allan Clarke goal.
The following Saturday they lost 2-1 at Ipswich, conceding a very late Mick Lambert goal, so they needed five points from three games.
A 2-1 home win over Sunderland on the following Monday piled the pressure on the nail-biting Coventry fans and a nine-day wait before the next fixture didn’t help.
Their penultimate game was at home to Everton and the Foxes struggled for the first hour.
Alan Ball gave the Toffees a tenthminute lead and the Merseysiders should have wrapped up the points before Graham Cross equalised with a controversial goal.
The draw meant Leicester had to win their final game – away to Manchester United to stay up and send the Sky Blues down.
The big question was: how would United approach the game?
In City’s favour it would be Matt Busby’s last game in charge and surely they would want him to go out on a high. In addition Noel Cantwell was a United old boy and had many friends at Old Trafford.
City fans were glued to the radio (no internet or ifollow in those days) and were stunned when David Nish put Leicester ahead in 35 seconds.
Two minutes later George Best levelled the scores with a brilliant goal and a minute later Cross put through his own goal to give United the lead. Best continued to dazzle and United should have been further ahead by half-time.
Two minutes after the break Peter Shilton just managed to beat away a Bobby Charlton special but the ball went to Denis Law who coolly volleyed home. Leicester fought hard, hit the post twice and Rodney Fern made it 3-2 in the 72nd minute but United saw out the game to end Busby’s 24-year managerial reign with a victory and send Leicester down. Coventry City were safe!
The two sides had met at Highfield Road in early April and in front of more than 41,000 City had won with a late Neil Martin goal just seconds after Leicester were denied a strong penalty claim at the other end. Those two points ultimately kept City in Division One.