CCFPA member and former rugged Sky Blues defender Roy Barry will be our first ‘special’ guest of the 2018-19 season at the Sky Blues opening fixture against Scunthorpe United this coming Saturday. In fact Roy will be ‘going the extra mile’ for us as so often before on previous Legends Days and the like because he will be doing extra duties as our ‘special’ on top of mingling collectively with a large group of our former players for an emotional tribute event.
The special occasion on Saturday is that fans and well over 20* Sky Blues stars of the path will be joining together to celebrate the life and career of our former member and Sky Blue legend Ernie Hunt who we sadly lost earlier this year aged 75. A good number of Ernie’s family will be with us also alongside some of Ernie’s ex colleagues from his other clubs. There will be a special guard of honour for the two teams of players entering the field of play, a minutes applause in remembrance of one of our most entertaining ex players, and a special video appreciation produced by CCFA’s Dean Nelson.
Roy played four Sky Blue seasons alongside Ernie and other prominent among Ernie’s playing compatriots of the 60s and 70s we expect to be present will be Chris Cattlin (who provided the eulogy at Ernie’s funeral) and Willie Carr his partner in the world famous ‘donkey-kick’ free kick scored by City against Everton in 1970.
Ernie Hunt R.I.P.
Edinburgh born Roy started with Hearts in 1960 and he came to City from Dunfermline Athletic in 1969. Over the next four years he was an inspirational central defender and sometime Sky Blues Club Captain winning many plaudits at Highfield Road for his robust yet skilled role at the heart of the City defence over 96 appearances (2 goals) before moving to Crystal Palace in 1973. Returning to Hibs in 1975 he then player-managed East Fife in 1976. Further management experience with Oxford United and locally at Nuneaton followed before Roy retired from the game. Roy, who has been instrumental in setting up a sister Former Players Association at Dunfermline modelled on CCFPA well knows the value of cherishing a club’s heritage.
Roy at a previous Legends Day
Roy’s additional duties on Saturday involve arriving at the Ricoh extra early to visit the CCFC’s youngest generation of fans, the Junior Sky Blues, in the first meeting of the season for the club’s Family Zone under the Ricoh stands. The Zone run by CCFPA Associate Member Pat Raybould and her team of volunteers do much to entertain the youngest Sky Blues fans before every home weekend game.
After joining his former player colleagues at lunch he will be escorted for a Q&A round some of the Ricoh supporters’ lounges by club host, former Sky Blue defender (and CCFPA member) Brian ‘Harry’ Roberts. Whilst his fellow FPs settle down to watch the game in comfort from their spot in the main stand Roy will be taken down to the Press Box where he will join the usual BBC CWR live matchday commentary team to offer them analysis of the game as it unfolds. The Sky Blues will hope to continue the excellent momentum from the end of last season and make the best possible start in their first game of the season in the higher division.
After the game Roy will join as many of the FPs as we can persuade to head down to meet more Sky Blues fans from the stage of Lady Gs meeting CCFPA’s Billy Bell for yet another interview and, we are sure, plenty of anecdotes from several present on Ernie’s time at Highfield Road (and probably, as is customary), a raucous rendition for the first time down there this season of the Sky Blue Song!