Finishing as high as 12th is remarkable feat
Historian Jim Brown continues his look back at City’s 2021-22 season
■■Final position:
The final position of 12th was a remarkable achievement. Discounting the first three games, the highest league position during the season was second following the Friday night home victory over Peterborough and the lowest was 13th after the 1-1 home draw with Blackpool in February.
On the night of the Peterborough victory the Sky Blues were actually top of the table for about 15 minutes before West Brom’s game finished and their victory took them top.
■■Leading scorers:
Viktor Gyokeres was leading scorer with 18 goals, 17 in the league, and one in the FA Cup. Matty Godden with twelve (all in the league, from only 17 starts) was runner up.
Fifteen different City players were on the score-sheet during the season.
Gyokeres scored nine goals in the first 11 league games – the best start to a season by a City striker since Callum Wilson in 2013-14.
Viktor then went 13 league games without scoring between early October and the last week of January but during that period Godden scored eight goals. Gyokeres’ total has only been bettered by Callum Wilson, Adam Armstrong and Mark Mcnulty in the last 40 years.
■■Doubles:
City achieved four doubles - over Fulham, Reading, Peterborough and Bristol City. It was the first double over Fulham since 1947-48, although the clubs have rarely met in the intervening years.
Three teams did the double over City – Swansea, QPR and Luton. Luton’s double was their first over City since 1986-87.
■■Records:
Six of the squad have played 100 games or more for the club: Dominic Hyam (190), Jordan Shipley (163), Liam Kelly (147) Callum O’hare (135) Kyle Mcfadzean (117) and Fankaty Dabo (100). Hyam is now 51st in the club’s all-time appearance table, up from 93rd.
Shipley whose City career is now over after announcing he will be joining Shrewsbury Town, moved up to 74th place and in to the top ten of locally born players.
■■Substitutes:
Martyn Waghorn made the most substitute appearances (16 in the league). For the second season running Gus Hamer was the most substituted player (16 times in league).
Only three goals were scored by substitutes, compared to 10 last season: Allen and Godden (Reading h) and Tavares (Preston h). Ben Wilson was the most unused substitute, staying on the bench 40 times and Jodi Jones and Ben Shipley were each unused in 20 games.
■■Won from behind:
In 2020-21 the Sky Blues only came from behind to win once but this campaign they set a club record by coming from behind to win seven times.
The previous record was set in 1977-78 under Gordon Milne when the club finished seventh in the old First Division. They achieved it in successive home games (Nottingham Forest and Reading), for the first time since 1989, and in the home games against Fulham, Bristol City and Sheffield United plus away wins at Reading and Birmingham.
The Birmingham comeback was from two down and the first time since the home game v Blackpool at St Andrews in August 2019. It was also the first time City had come from two down to win by two clear goals since a 4-2 EFL trophy win at Wycombe in 2016-17 and the first in the league since 1946 when the team won 5-3 at Milwall after being 3-1 down.
In addition, on six occasions the team came from behind to get a draw – in home games (Blackpool, Preston and Blackburn) and away (Blackburn, Bournemouth and Huddersfield). In total 27 points were won from losing positions, another club record and the best in the Football League.
■■Lost from in front:
City lost one league game from being ahead (at Preston) and also at Southampton in the FA Cup and at home to Northampton in the League Cup.
They have not lost a game at the CBS Arena after taking the lead since August 2018 when Scunthorpe won 2-1. On four occasions City took the lead only to be pegged back for draws – Blackburn (h) Millwall (a), Derby (a) and Stoke (a). Thirteen points were lost from leading positions.