August (the month of honour, honourable performances on the pitch and honour off it as CITY HEAD FOR HOME)
First friendly game of the month, saw a 2-1 win at Bristol Rovers. Meanwhile City signed Reice Charles-Cook a keeper signed from Bury and loaned him to Nuneaton. The final pre-season friendly saw a 2-1 defeat at Stevenage.
A day later the successful Commonwealth Games ended in Scotland and England topped the medal table for the first time in 28 years. Yet another forward arrived as Bournemouth’s Josh McQuoid arrived, who only played once for Bournemouth last season but had a strike rate of a goal in just under every nine and half games on a half year loan.
Concern was had that City have brought in plenty of forwards but none of them were very tall or good. A day before the big kick off The League forced Sisu to pay A.C.L the missing money they owed and there was a rumour that they might be sitting down to talk about talks for a return but no one believed this.
A surprise on the verge of the season as Danny Seaborne was placed on the transfer market after 24 games and a goal he moved to Partick Thistle where he has become a regular.
City kicked off away to Bradford City, only the fourth time we opened the season away to a “City” and had yet to win. A formation change was one of the many different looks to the side as City switched to 5-3-2.
The change in formation was logical as City conceded far too many goals the previous season and scored enough to nullify this but with Clarke and Wilson gone strengthening at the back and allowing the fullbacks to get forward with a strong three in the middle,
City wasn’t the only team to adopt the formation this season Bristol City and Swindon would also use it to great affect. We had eight debutants starting, the third highest in our history, so playing for the first time that season were, Ryan Allsop, Reda Johnson, Danny Pugh, Jim O’Brien, Danny Swanson, Marcus Tudgay, Josh McQuoid and Shaun Miller coming off the bench. City fans feared a lack of fire power in the team but could not predict what happened next. City dressed in the new white away kit conceded first before Reda Johnson became only the third centre defender to score on his debut to level the game up before half time. Then early in the 2nd half Johnson gave away a penalty and Bradford led 2-1 but in the dieing minutes Johnson was on hand to steer the ball home for his second goal before Bradford scored again and City lost 3-2 and have not won at Bradford City since 1959. It had seemed that Reda was already quickly becoming a cult hero with the City fans.
The rumour mill was still running linking Pressley with the vacant post at Huddersfield after they sacked his predecessor Mark Robins after only one game, other rumours was Fleck being linked with Forest, Wigan and Blackpool. Meanwhile City had a bid turned down for Swindon’s Michael Smith.
Next up was the first “home” game of the season as City took on Cardiff City in the League Cup, Lee Burge and Jack Finch made their debuts in front of 1,382 fans, the lowest ever crowd home or away to watch City in this competition beating the previous record the crowd at Dagenham and Redbridge by around 600 and City lost 2-1.
More rumours were flying around about a return to the ground soon but no one believed that City could return to the Ricoh by September then not long after that rumour started it seemed to be scuppered as Sisu left it to the last minute to appeal the defeat in the high courts over the review.
City finally ended the nine game run without a win with a good 1-0 success at “home” to pre season title favourites Sheffield United. More reinforcements came and yet another forward, with no height but at least he had pace as City signed Simeon Jackson who previously played for Millwall but he had a better strike rate than any other forward at the club scoring on average a goal every three and a half games.
Next up was an entertaining “home” game against Barnsley, City lead twice but ended up drawing 2-2 with Jackson making his debut. No one in the crowd of 2,736 could guess the historic nature of that game in Northampton at until the next day.
Thursday, August 21st 2014, it was announced to a disbelieving fan base that CITY ARE RETURNING TO THE RICOH. This news was one of the highest trended items on the internet as City fans came to terms with the end of Sixfields.
The year and a bit at Northampton was a nightmare but it did coincide with one of the most entertaining sides in recent times and the record at the ground was maybe not as impressive as people thought, all games played 27 won 11 drawn 9 lost 7.
The game picked out for the return was Gillingham in a couple of weeks times the scramble was on to get tickets.
Many fans were good to their word and immediately purchased season tickets, the club kept the price the same as the last season at the ground but it was up by a large margin on the Sixfield season ticket price and there were two games fewer at the Ricoh.
The game was switched back to a Friday so Sky could cover it and to everyone’s surprise Sisu made it £10 a ticket when the ground could have been full at full price.
Next up was a trip to Milton Keynes taking half the number from last season we achieved our worst every result in that ground a highly credible 0-0 draw. The away fans were in good mood with the return the only topic of conversation and for the first time in years there were no “Sisu out songs.”
The ticket office was swamped with requests for match and season tickets but it was struggling to cope, the internet crashed several times, no one answered the phone as the ticket office that was set up to deal with crowds at Sixfields were snowed under and a request to help was turned down by the club.
City are a club with no luck at all with more people going to the Gallagher Retail Park to buy tickets it was thought more merchandise would be sold until on Tuesday the shop was ram-raided and stock stolen. People that purchased season tickets were now worried that they had yet to arrive the club promised everything would be sorted out for the return as the queues lengthened at the ticket office.
Last game of the month was another tricky tie, away to Swindon Town and came back with another good point. It was now clear that Steve Waggott was the man from Sisu involved in the return with Tim Fisher noticeable for his absence
September (Month of atonement? City fans make up for lost time back at The Ricoh but Reda is the one that needs to say sorry)
City started the month in 15th place 4 points behind the play offs and 2 points above the drop zone. Transfer deadline saw what most fans feared as Carl Baker was to leave by “mutual consent”.
Baker had been frozen out since the start of the season no one could see why, one rumour started by the club that “his legs had gone”, or was he jettisoned to free up wages for an underperforming Tudgay. Baker had played just over 180 games for City in all competitions scoring 27 goals, he was not always popular but won the fans over after relegation with his work rate and skill he would go on to prove the fans right and the rest wrong by staring in a attack minded Milton Keynes team and even winning “Player of the Month” for November.
Coming in were some much needed height, in defender Seb Hines from Middlesbrough and mercurial forward Frank Nouble from Ipswich but his goal scoring record was nothing short of terrible netting on average a goal every nine games.
Three days before the return City had a game in the Johnson’s Paint Trophy away to one of League’s Two best teams Wycombe Wanderers who ground share with a rugby club called Wasps.
Making his debut was a winger we loaned from Bournemouth before deciding not to play wingers, Mohammed Coulibaly but it was his Bournemouth team mate McQuoid who scored to put us through and to move him top of the scorers list with a mere three. Two players came off the bench to make their debuts they were James Maddison and Kyle Spence.
With days left, panic started to set in with some season ticket holders as their ticket had yet to arrive as the ground headed for a sell out. On the day of the return fans swamped the ticket office to pick up re-prints of the match ticket as season tickets had not yet been issued, the big day had arrived. People arrived early to the ground to soak up the atmosphere Twist and Shout was back on sale, fans saw other people they hadn’t seen since the last home game. The air was filled with a crack of excitement not seen for a league game in Coventry since maybe the last day at Highfield Road.
Fans walked around taking in the scene and having their photo’s taken in front of “The Chin”. The ground was buzzing. Inside the ground for the first league game since April 2013 fans noticed what an awful pitch we had with no groundsman to tend the turf.
Making his debut that day was Frank Nouble. Finally the team marched out to a terrific roar and many fans had a lump in their throat many never thought they would see City home again.
City fired up by the crowd started really well with Haynes looking dangerous and one of his laybacks after ten minutes found Nouble and the forward scored the first goal on the return. One theory put down the “glass half empty” people would be City would freeze on their return but far from it City were playing well. Seb Hines made his debut late on as City saw out a 1-0 win, oh yes the opposition were Gillingham.
Days after the return Steven Pressley signed a four year extension to his contract. Yeovil were next in town and if people thought the Ricoh would have another big attendance they were in for a shock as 16,000 fans went missing; Jackson scored his first goal for the club as City won 2-1 and climbed into 5th place.
Next up was a midweek trip to struggling Scunthorpe and when Nouble scored in the first half City looked in total control and seemed destined for the top four, then a turning point of the season as Reda Johnson, after a shove moved his head towards the face of a Scunthorpe player giving the referee no choice but to send the defender off and City went on to loose 2-1.
The main news topic in Britain for months was the vote on independence in Scotland in the end the Scots voted to stay in the U.K. pulling 55% of the vote meaning Pressley and staff didn’t need to apply for passports and work permits to keep their jobs.
The next day City headed in the general direction of Scotland to play Rochdale on a ground we have always lost on and the record continues with our fifth consecutive defeat at Spotland but Tudgay missed a great chance late on, the forward was proving to be a massive disappointment for the club the opposite was Jim O’Brien who was clearly the best player of the season by some distance.
The excitement at the Ricoh return had disappeared as under 10,000 turned up to see promotion contenders Preston and the Lillywhites went home with a 2-0 win as City failed to get a shot on target many fans were blaming the 5-3-2 formation.
October (The Halloween month as Wasps hover and City are running scared)
Coventry City started the month with defeat in the Birmingham Senior Cup away to Halesowen with City sending a very inexperienced side.
Then, the big news as the rugby club Wasps put in a bid for the Ricoh, people wondered where they would get the money from some suggested former chairman Ray Ranson was behind the bid which proved to be incorrect.
Next up at home were Crawley as the attendance continued to slip to around 8,000. So why had crowds fallen so badly was it the poor form, people got out of the habit of going, watching League One football or the price? Maybe the ticket price did have a bearing as watching Aston Villa Vs Manchester City was cheaper.
The game itself saw City dominate all but five minutes of the game going two up but Crawley scored two preventable goals in those minutes and we had to settle for a draw.
Days after the Crawley game it was announced that 50% of the Ricoh was sold to the Wasps on the same day work finally started on a railway station at the ground.
Many City fans were angry at the Wasps take-over and accused the Council of hypocrisy of allowing a franchise to come to Coventry after calling Sisu a franchise the previous season.
On the same day a City took on Exeter at home in the 2nd Round of the J.P.T. City won comfortably 3-1 ending with nine players that we produced from the academy one of them, Aaron Phillips scored twice the second a cracking shot from the edge of the area.
This was only the 12th time since becoming a league side that a defender had scored twice.
With only 50% of the ground sold there seemed to be a last chance for Sisu to buy the other 50% own by the Alan Higgs Trust but they were not the only ones as former bidder when City went into administration, Michael Byng also wanted to buy the other 50%.
Next up was a trip to bottom team Crewe and City came back with a disappointing performance and a 2-1 defeat again Allsop’s keeping abilities were called into question and Jack Finch was sent off late on. City fans then had a very rare chance to see the Under 21’s in action away from home as we played Q.P.R. shown on You Tube. It was a good performance with forgotten man Barton playing well at the back the Kelly-Evans twins looking a good prospect and Maddison was the star as City won 2-0.
Back at the Ricoh action was taken to encourage more fans into the ground as a £2 surcharge for tickets bought on the day was scrapped and they knocked 50p off a pint of beer and the same amount off a pie.
Meanwhile a B.B.C survey claimed that football match day tickets had risen three times the rate of inflation.
Criticism of the 5-3-2 formation seemed to have bitten as City changed to a 3-4-3 line up and in for a surprise return to duty was Adam Barton but it was too no avail as the league leaders Bristol City strolled to a 3-1 win.
Another change in formation saw one up front as City took on Oldham away and City collapsed 4-1 with the only highlight was a first goal from Maddison but the player that took most stick was the keeper who seemed unable to stop anything but he was not helped by a porous defence.
Final game of the month was at home to promotion chasing Peterborough. Again we had a switch in formation was 4-4-2 was now in favour and a change of keeper as well as Allsop was dropped in favour of Lee Burge. Despite now playing with wingers the pitch was narrowed to mirror the dimension at the training ground. City were already a goal down when the Posh won a free kick, the shot looked innocent enough until a swerve and Burge lost his footing and couldn’t react as the ball passed him and into the net to put the visitors two up. For the third time in a row City trailed by two goals the new formation didn’t seem to help and the new keeper wasn’t fairing much better but no one could predict what would happen in the second half. City started brightly in the second half when Fleck spotted Haynes on the overlap and played it to him, the teenager advanced into the box before firing, from a narrow angle over their keeper to bring City back into the game. Then forty seconds after he came on as a sub Jackson received the ball and found Haynes, the fullback crossed to Fleck who looked like he had a free shot on goal but instead he flicked a header sideways for the advancing O’Brien to smash home and like Haynes to score his first goal for the club all level 2-2 the crowd now fully behind City. The Ricoh was in raptures and still buzzing about the well deserved goal for O’Brien when another attack saw Nouble pick up the near the centre circle and dribbled his way toward the box, no Peterborough player could get near him as he made it with a shimmy to the edge of the penalty area and fired a shot, it was only going one way looping of a defender’s foot and over the keeper and into the net, the crowd went mad Nouble ripped off his shirt and celebrated with a dance. Somehow City had come back from nowhere to win a thriller this was only the 5th time this has happened in the last 34 years.
Near the end of the month two former loan players returned the first was Aaron Martin who had a successful spell at the club a few years earlier and it was return of the prodigal son as Gary Madine returned who played 11 games earlier for City wasting some great chances. The Martin deal saw Jordan Clarke going the other way to Yeovil. It was sad to see Jordan go he had recently lost his place was it because of what is perceived to be an argument with the manager Gary McSheffrey and Marcus Hall were the only two Coventry born players to play more games than Jordan.
November (The month of the bonfire as Pressley gives his players a rocket as the F.A. Cup fireworks blow up in our faces)
City started the month in 17th 2 points above the drop and 10 points behind the play offs.
On the first day of the month we travelled to Leyton Orient a team that had gone from automatic promotion contenders to relegation fighters in one season. Aaron Martin and Gary Madine both made their 2nd debuts but it was O’Brien who scored twice one of them late one to rescue a deserved point.
The Ricoh saga dragged on, as they do Sisu left it to the last minute to put in a bid for the remaining 50% of the ground.
The next game was in the F.A. Cup as City took on non-league Worcester and City fans spent most of the game with their heads in their hands. Firstly was Worcester started better but just as City were getting back into the game when Burge was pushed to the ground inexplicably he kicked out and was sent off they scored from the spot kick and then Steven Pressley took off our main goal threat Nouble, City then won a penalty, Johnson took it badly, which was saved by the keeper a couple of yards off his line. Second half a deflected shot made it two before Johnson pulled one back but Worcester held out for a bit of giant killing. On the final whistle O’Brien confronted an angry fan in the stands.
This was the 6th time City had been beaten by a non-league side as a member of the Football League the others were: 1919, Luton Town, Highfield Road lost 1-0; 1920, Rochdale, Spotland lost 1-0; 1925, Worksop Town lost 1-0 Central Park; 1961, Kings Lynn Highfield Road lost 2-1 and 1989 Sutton United lost 2-1 Gander Green Lane.
A couple of days later Pressley had a rant in a press conference lambasting some players of not trying hard enough and wanting them out of the club if not now maybe in the New Year. Which players was he talking about? Most suspicion fell on the forwards of Jackson, Tudgay and Nouble with some finger pointing at Coulibaly, Willis, Connor Thomas and Barton as well.
City had another game a few days later as Plymouth came to the Ricoh in the J.P.T. Madine played up front on his own, the 11th different forward line-up this season but seconds after Nouble came on from the bench Madine scored his very first goal for City Nouble added the second and City had their first clean sheet for fourteen games.
The next day the axe fell on Coulibaly whose loan was ripped up and he returned to Bournemouth.
Friday 14th was a sad day in the history of Coventry City as the last chance to own a least part of the Ricoh disappeared as the Sisu offer for 50% of the ground had conditions on and Wasps bid didn’t so the rugby club won. Sisu main objective when they arrived to own the ground had failed miserably but they were still claiming they were close to securing land for a new ground.
The pitch at the Ricoh was no longer City’s but one that Pressley described “as the worst pitch in the Football League”.
On the day of the Coventry Blitz commemoration Notts County came and won 1-0 with City failing to get a shot on target but were deigned a late penalty when Madine was brought down in the box that even the League later said it should have been given. Aaron Phillips became only the 11th sub to be subbed in that game.
Next up was a trip to Colchester as O’Brien was made captain as Johnson didn’t play enough games and it was later revealed by the defender that he angered the manager by smiling at him after the F.A. Cup defeat and for having the wrong coloured urine.
The manager also made the fans scratch their heads as Johnson was deployed at left back and Haynes down the wing the changes worked as City secured their first away win of the season with a goal from the impressive Madine. Walsall was up next on the worsening Ricoh pitch as Matthew Pennington, a loan defender was given his debut. The game ended with no goals but for the third game running City had a very strong penalty appeal.
December (The Christmas Month as Wasps come bearing gifts)
City started the month in 18th place 3 points above the drop zone and 9 behind the play offs. The start of the month saw Wasps make their first impact as they threw City out of the home dressing room. City were given the away changing room but it was exclusively theirs and City could decorate as they wished also a new temporary pitch was laid with a promise of a state of the art playing surface the following season.
Despite the failing of the 1st team the Youth squad were going well as the progressed into the next round of the F.A Youth Cup beating Bournemouth away 3-2 to reach the 4th Round but any hope of a cup final for the 1st team ended with a 2-0 defeat away to Bristol City in the J.P.T.
Meanwhile Wasps had their signs put up around the Ricoh whilst Sisu looked at Brighton and Swansea’s grounds for a model of the one they promised to build.
Good news on the field as City came away with a 2-0 win at Port Vale with Johnson going level top scorer and Madine scoring in injury time moving City to 14th place.
With tickets selling for Wasps home debut Sisu were up to their old tricks again as they put in another legal move, Tim Fisher said “that this is not a totally new action but more of a legal necessity concerning the existing JR appeal. The JR focused on the legality of the loan from the council to ACL in 2013 but this loan appears to have been cancelled and a new one established in 2014 as part of the deal that has resulted in Wasps buying ACL.
This legal move is intended to ensure that just because the old loan no longer exists that the new one is regarded as a replacement and is therefore now the focus of the action.” As Sisu put in this action C.C.F.C seemed to distance themselves from the action.
The next day City faced Fleetwood at The Ricoh and a 10,000+ crowd attracted by cheaper ticket prices attended to see us grab a deserved point in a 1-1 draw but had another strong penalty appeal turned down.
The next day Wasps made their debuts in front of around 28,000 fans the largest number to watch a game of club rugby outside of Twickenham of Wembley, estimates vary from 4,000-17,000 to how many tickets were given away free but the crowd was made up of 68% locals.
The sporting team that will be most hurt by the move was Coventry Rugby club but despite another moving into their territory, something that wouldn’t be allowed in football the club had been on a record breaking winning streak moving into 2nd place in Rugby’s equivalent of League One.
This division has only one promotion place it still looks a task for the team with the biggest crowds outside of Rugby’s topflight to win promotion.
With the transfer deadline not too far away rumours started to emerge and for a change it was rumours of players arriving as former keeper Chris Kirkland was hotly tipped to return.
Later Stephen Bywater joined the rumour list as another rumour mentioned Bermuda Park in Bedworth just up the A444 from the Ricoh as the possible site for the new ground as Sisu seemed to be determined to get Coventry City out of Coventry.
Boxing Day saw a depressing defeat with no shots on target City lost 2-0 at Doncaster with Barton and Maddison sent off for two yellow cards each and the obligatory penalty appeal. Last game of the year saw a scoreless draw in front of 10,000+ against Chesterfield.
Asked in the club’s December Newsletter what they thought of 2014 assistant manager Neil MacFarlane said “Frustrating”. Asked why he said “If you look at the factors throughout the year, it has been frustrating. We lost the two top goal-scorers at the start of the year which affected our run-in at the back end of last season. The manager has spoken about the recruitment before and we’ve got to improve in that area. However, even though it has been frustrating, you keep the club up and finish what would have been 9th last season was a great achievement.”
Steven Pressley was asked the same question and he described the year as “Challenging.” Ask why he said “With the amount of different scenarios and situations we’ve been through this calendar year, it has been challenging. There doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by that doesn’t throw up a problem which needs to be addressed. But, that is football management”.
Both said the highlights were staying up and seeing the academy players coming through. Looking forward to next year both said they need to improve their recruitment and they wanted an improvement in league position.
Following City can be a depressing business at the best of times but the off field activities and the lack of hope just make it worse but we have had highlights the win away to Rotherham, the return and the win against Peterborough from two down but all too often it is a never ending treadmill of disappointment but who knows what is around the corner maybe one year City fans can look back on a successful one lets face it is long overdue so what will 2015 have in hold for us?