On this day (25th September) in 1984 the Sky Blues under the management of former Sky Blue centre-forward (and now CCFPA member) Bobby Gould were visiting Fellows Park to take on Midlands rivals Walsall in the Second Round first leg of the League (Milk) Cup. As should have been expected, in taking on a lower level club, the Sky Blues went into the game against the previous season’s semi-finalists in confident mood.
Martin in the Sky Blue
A crowd of 8,399 turned up to watch the tie with a fair number of Sky Blue fans cheering them on. The Saddler’s player-manager Alan Buckley was on their bench. The result, 2-1 to the Sky Blues, was the result of a battling performance from an injury hit side. Rookie centre-forward Martin Singleton headed home just after the half hour to give the Sky Blues a half-time lead. Walsall’s Craig Shakespeare equalised, however, after 63 minutes.
Terry in the Sky Blue
Diminutive Sky Blue striker (and CCFPA member) Terry Gibson grabbed the lead only seven minutes later with another header and should have confirmed the victory ten minutes later when he missed a sitter in front of an open goal!
His old City strike partner Dave Bamber who was leading the Walsall attack was granted no headway by the Sky Blues giant centre-half (now CCFPA member) Brian Kilcline.
The Sky Blues Gouldfather ‘gaffer’
Bobby Gould‘s team for the 1st leg that day (CCFPA members underlined) was:-
Steve Ogrizovic, Andy Spring, Micky Adams, Ian Butterworth, Brian Kilcline, Trevor Peake, Dave Bennett (sub. Keith Thompson), Micky Gynn, Martin Singleton, Terry Gibson and Nicky Platnauer.
Walsall lined up as follows:-
Steve Cherry, Brian Caswell, Kenny Mower, Craig Shakespeare, Colin Brazier, Peter Hart, Ian Handysides, Dave Bamber, Richard O’Kelly, David Preece (sub. Alan Buckley) and Gary Childs Referee:- T.Fitzharris
All looked set for a second leg formality at Highfield Road on the 9th October 1984 but in a really disastrous performance City got hammered 3-0 by the Saddlers and Bobby locked the players in the dressing room for forty minutes after the embarrassing defeat!
Bobby’s assistant (and now fellow CCFPA member) Don Mackay took over from ‘the Gouldfather’ in December and the pre-season relegation favourites got the last laugh surviving in eighteenth spot in Division One (like nineteenth placed Queen’s Park Rangers, beneath them on equal points) a point above the drop. That fate was suffered by Norwich City, Sunderland and, catastrophically last with only three wins and seventeen points, Stoke.
The two Liverpudlian clubs were top two at the other end of the table but with Everton top dogs a full thirteen points clear of their city rivals.
