After their satisfying 2-0 win at Birmingham, next up for the tricky trees on Saturday, 10th December 1977, was the visit to the City Ground of in-form Coventry City. At least they were in form until they got hammered 6-0 at Everton a couple of weeks before this fixture. Forest were coming out of a bit of blip of league form themselves so this was a real test.
More on the match later, but first, as usual, a look at our opponent's history and a summary of their success. In the case of Coventry City, though, the success part won't take long.
Harry Storer (junior) played professional football for Grimsby Town, Derby County and Burnley between 1919 and 1931, making over 350 appearances and scoring 83 goals. He won two England caps. In the summers he played cricket - professionally and, of course, he batted and bowled too. His leg breaks captured over 300 first class wickets and with the bat he scored 18 centuries and 73 50s!
 |
| McGovern gets the winner against Coventry |
More on the match later, but first, as usual, a look at our opponent's history and a summary of their success. In the case of Coventry City, though, the success part won't take long.
Singers to Sky Blues
Coventry City were formed in 1883, as "Singers" (a local cycle manufacturer) but were renamed in 1898. One year later, they moved to their best known ground, Highfield Road, where the club would remain for 106 years
They became a limited company in 1907 and turned professional in 1908 but didn't join the football league until 1919, during the great (numeric) expansion when the third division (north and south) was added.
 |
| "The Vocalists" |
 |
| Coventry's First League Side |
For a pleasant change, for almost of all of Forest's history we were top dogs over these rivals. Forest were league members for 23 seasons before Coventry even entered the league. A further 17 seasons passed by with Forest still on top. It wasn't until 1936-37 under the influence of Harry Storer (more on him later) that Coventry finished above us in the league. Both teams were in the second division at this time and Coventry remained above us until 1951, which included 6 seasons removed by the second world war, so 9 seasons in all. A further 18 seasons followed with Forest back on top, before Coventry got their noses in front again for the last 8 seasons.
Forest's average league position of 24th was much better than Coventry's 37th. The biggest difference was in 1955-59 when the clubs were separated by 57 league places. Forest finished 13th in the first division, whilst Coventry City were 2nd in the 4th Division. The roles were reversed best for the Sky Blues in 1974-75 when they finished 24 places above us. Then, Coventry finished 14th in the top flight whilst Forest languished in 16th place in Division Two.
So, overall Coventry were top dogs for 17 seasons, Forest for the rest (35 when Coventry were in the league, 58 seasons altogether).
Did I say Birmingham had been spectacularly unsuccessful in my last blog? Well I forgot about Coventry. In the 52 seasons in the league before this match they had won literally no major honours at all. Their highest league position was 6th in 1969-70 and the closest they had got to winning a cup competition was the quarter finals - 3 times in the F. A. Cup and once in the League Cup.
The amazing Harry Storer
To be fair, their fortunes did significantly pick up under the management of Harry Storer, who ran the club from 1931 until 1945. Under Storer they won the Third Division (South) title in 1935-36 and came very close to promotion to the first division finishing 4th in the second division three seasons running.
 |
| Storer - unlucky not to take Coventry to the First Division |
Storer was one of those freaks of nature, part of a seemingly long lost breed of sportsmen, who made it to professional level in two more more sports. He came from a sporting family - to put it mildly. His father (also Harry) was goalkeeper for Arsenal and played cricket for Derbyshire and his uncle (Bill) played cricket for Derbyshire (as wicketkeeper) and football for Derby County. So, what else was he going to do?
 |
| Harry Storer - Footballer in the winter, cricketer in the summer |
Harry Storer (junior) played professional football for Grimsby Town, Derby County and Burnley between 1919 and 1931, making over 350 appearances and scoring 83 goals. He won two England caps. In the summers he played cricket - professionally and, of course, he batted and bowled too. His leg breaks captured over 300 first class wickets and with the bat he scored 18 centuries and 73 50s!
 |
| Harry Storer - Coventry Manager 1931-45 |
Storer became manager of Coventry City in 1931 and remained in the post until after the war when he went to manage Birmingham City for three years, guiding them to promotion to the first division in the process. He then returned to Coventry for a second spell but wasn't as successful this time. Their league places gradually declined and they were relegated to the Division Three South six years later.
 |
| Coventry's best pre-war period - almost promoted with Harry Storer |
Perhaps we shouldn't be too critical of Storer's post-war record at Coventry considering the degree of destruction the city had suffered from the blitzkrieg.
Some Forest fans may wonder why I am giving so much attention to a, let's face it, to most fans, a rather obscure character, but there is indeed a rather obvious link.
He even penned a song for them...
The side included some famous names including a few that would go on to better things elsewhere: Willie Carr, Dennis Mortimer and Eric McManus to name but three.
Neil Martin would join Forest later, famous for being the first Forest player to score under Brian Clough, when they won at White Hart Lane 1-0 to knock Spurs out of the F. A. Cup.
Coventry also enjoyed their only foray into Europe in 1970-71 and even beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in their home leg (although they had already lost the away leg 6-2.)
The Sky Blues slipped after reaching these heights and became annual strugglers against relegation, even with Jimmy Hill returning as director. The season before this match, 1976-77, they avoided relegation on the last day of the season under very controversial circumstances.
There was a titanic battle that season. Spurs finished bottom with 33 points while Birmingham, nine places above them, only had five points more. Spurs and Stoke were already relegated but due to fixture congestion three clubs Sunderland, Coventry City and Bristol City were all involved on the last day of the season, played on a Thursday night, 19th May 1977 - two nights after Bristol Rovers had drawn with Bolton, thus sealing Forest's place in the first division.
The controversy surrounded the two games played that night. Coventry City played Bristol City whilst at the same time, Sunderland were due to play Everton. All three were level on points, but Coventry had the worst goal difference. Bristol City were safe with a draw, as were Sunderland, although they could afford to lose provided the other game didn't end in a draw. Coventry needed a win to be certain of survival. If the games had kicked off at the same time, as planned, no one could have had any cause for complaint, but the Coventry match, played in front of a massive 36,903, was delayed by ten minutes, officially because of crowd congestion but it generally understood, even from Coventry's own web site, that Jimmy Hill was heavily influential in the decision. With the Sunderland game now due to finish ten minutes before the Coventry v Bristol City tie, this was clearly potentially going to give those two sides an advantage. With the score at Highfield Road square at 2-2 (Bristol City had come back from 2-0 down) news that Sunderland had lost 2-0 was obviously going to influence events. Jimmy Hill was apparently determined that the score should be displayed on their scoreboard. After this, the game, which had been keenly fought a few seconds before, now became a farce with both teams settling for a draw.
It is likely that even if the score hadn't been officially displayed on the board, news would have filtered to the players anyway, but there is no way that Coventry should have been allowed to delay their kick off by ten minutes. These days, all the matches on the final day of the season are played at the same time and the referee at Goodison Park would have been instructed to delay the kick off there. Nevertheless, one can't help but feel sorry for Sunderland fans who never forgave Jimmy Hill.
The Coventry coat of arms has always contained an elephant, apparently to symbolise strength, so Coventry City's badge, over the years, has included one too. They've also had some bizarre kits over the years, including a weird brown away kit.
Gordon Milne was the Coventry manager when they came to the City Ground that day. He'd joined Joe Mercer in 1972 and then got the top job in June 1974. Even though they had suffered a massive 6-0 defeat at Everton just a couple of weeks before this match, they remained in 5th place, just four points behind Forest and were 3rd on the current form table (last 3 home and away games). Only Everton had scored more goals than them and they had two strikers in the top four goalscorers table - Mick Ferguson and Ian Wallace.
This was going to be a tough match.
 |
| Coventry blitzed in the war |
Some Forest fans may wonder why I am giving so much attention to a, let's face it, to most fans, a rather obscure character, but there is indeed a rather obvious link.
It was during this second spell that a a young goalkeeper was starting to make his mark as a professional. Nottingham-born Peter Taylor made 29 appearances for Harry Storer's team that got relegated from the second division in in 1951-52.
 |
| Young Peter Taylor, Post-war Coventry Goalie |
Whether Taylor made much of an impression on Storer might be in some doubt, but Storer certainly made a great impression on Peter Taylor, and his later partner, Brian Clough. He wrote a whole "chapter" (well three and a half pages!) on him in his autobiography. He even goes as far as far as to say that "Brian and I are indebted for our creed as managers" to him. "Hardly a day goes by" Taylor ends, "without Brian or asking ourselves 'Now what would Harry have done here?'"
 |
| Peter Taylor - heavily influenced by Harry Storer |
In football terms, having been on the edge of a spot in the top tier of English football, "The Bantams" as they were nicknamed in those days, were "sent to Coventry" (an English term meaning ostracised).
They played in the last six seasons of the Third Division South before the league was restructured again to four divisions. Unfortunately for Coventry, finishing below half way that last season, they found themselves in the Fourth Division for its inaugural season.
Promotion was won at the first attempt, though, and Coventry found themselves established back in third tier mediocrity.
Jimmy Hill's Sky Blue Revolution
If Coventry had found themselves in English football mediocrity by the late 1950s, things were about to change dramatically in the swinging 60s though the daring managerial appointment of a 33-year old called Jimmy Hill.
Jimmy had made over 350 league appearances from 1949-1961, mainly for Fulham, scoring 41 times for them. They were mainly in the second division during his spell there, but they did get promotion to the first division in 1958-59 so when Hill retired, Fulham were back in the top flight.
 |
| Jimmy Hill made 276 appearances for Fulham |
When Hill was appointed, Coventry were a lowly Third Division club but within a couple of seasons they were chasing promotion.
 |
| Coventry City win the Third Division in 1963-64 |
 |
| Jimmy Hill with the Third Division Championship Trophy |
Within a couple of years, Coventry were chasing promotion again and they reached the First division for the first time in their history in 1967.
 |
| ... and the Second Division Three Years Later |
It was towards the end of that season that Coventry attracted their biggest ever crowd to their Highfield Road ground - 51,457 for the top of the table local derby with Wolves.
Hill never managed Coventry, or anyone else, in the top flight. He moved on to greater fame, really, with a career in broadcasting. Most famously, he presented the BBC's "Match of the Day" programme for 15 years.
Among many other things, Jimmy Hill changed Coventry's club colours (and their nickname) to Sky Blue, after a very chequered history.
 |
| Coventry City Kits before (and after) Jimmy Hill |
He even penned a song for them...
Let's all sing together
Play up, Sky Blues
While we sing together
We will never lose
Proud Posh or Pompey
Oysters or anyone
They shan't defeat them
They'll fight 'til the game is won!
City! City! City!
Jimmy Hill had transformed the club into top tier regulars and they remained in the first division for the next ten years up until this game (in fact they'd remain a first division club for a further 22 years after this season too - making it 32 consecutive seasons in all.)
Jim Hill was famous for his big chin, which I must admit I've always had a particular interest in because my mates at school often teased me about a similar attribute. I was sometimes called "Jawy" because I have a type 3 jaw where the lower teeth are in front of the upper when the jaw is closed. But I think you'll agree, my chin is nowt compared to Jimmy's...
 |
| Big Chin |
 |
| Big Jaw, but no chin - no comparison! |
Anyway, back to football!
Following Hill was Noel Cantwell (1967-1972), Joe Mercer (1972-1974) and Gordon Milne.
It was under Cantwell that they had their most successful period up until this point in time, finishing 6th in 1969-70.
The side included some famous names including a few that would go on to better things elsewhere: Willie Carr, Dennis Mortimer and Eric McManus to name but three.
Neil Martin would join Forest later, famous for being the first Forest player to score under Brian Clough, when they won at White Hart Lane 1-0 to knock Spurs out of the F. A. Cup.
 |
| Neil Martin |
 |
| Coventry's Best season: 6th in 1969-70 |
 |
| Coventry's best three-year period in English League History 1969-1972 |
The following season, Coventry played Everton at home in October in the first division. It included one of the most iconic goals ever scored, Ernie Hunt's volley from Willie Carr's flick was replayed for years on Match of the Day...
Coventry also enjoyed their only foray into Europe in 1970-71 and even beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in their home leg (although they had already lost the away leg 6-2.)The Sky Blues slipped after reaching these heights and became annual strugglers against relegation, even with Jimmy Hill returning as director. The season before this match, 1976-77, they avoided relegation on the last day of the season under very controversial circumstances.
There was a titanic battle that season. Spurs finished bottom with 33 points while Birmingham, nine places above them, only had five points more. Spurs and Stoke were already relegated but due to fixture congestion three clubs Sunderland, Coventry City and Bristol City were all involved on the last day of the season, played on a Thursday night, 19th May 1977 - two nights after Bristol Rovers had drawn with Bolton, thus sealing Forest's place in the first division.
The controversy surrounded the two games played that night. Coventry City played Bristol City whilst at the same time, Sunderland were due to play Everton. All three were level on points, but Coventry had the worst goal difference. Bristol City were safe with a draw, as were Sunderland, although they could afford to lose provided the other game didn't end in a draw. Coventry needed a win to be certain of survival. If the games had kicked off at the same time, as planned, no one could have had any cause for complaint, but the Coventry match, played in front of a massive 36,903, was delayed by ten minutes, officially because of crowd congestion but it generally understood, even from Coventry's own web site, that Jimmy Hill was heavily influential in the decision. With the Sunderland game now due to finish ten minutes before the Coventry v Bristol City tie, this was clearly potentially going to give those two sides an advantage. With the score at Highfield Road square at 2-2 (Bristol City had come back from 2-0 down) news that Sunderland had lost 2-0 was obviously going to influence events. Jimmy Hill was apparently determined that the score should be displayed on their scoreboard. After this, the game, which had been keenly fought a few seconds before, now became a farce with both teams settling for a draw.
It is likely that even if the score hadn't been officially displayed on the board, news would have filtered to the players anyway, but there is no way that Coventry should have been allowed to delay their kick off by ten minutes. These days, all the matches on the final day of the season are played at the same time and the referee at Goodison Park would have been instructed to delay the kick off there. Nevertheless, one can't help but feel sorry for Sunderland fans who never forgave Jimmy Hill.
 |
| Coventry City and Bristol City play out a 2-2 draw to send Sunderland down |
 |
| Ian Wallace... in brown |
This was going to be a tough match.
Brian - No Leaving Please!
Forest were obviously attracting a lot of attention being at the top of the league and, of course, that meant Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. There had been growing speculation that Clough (and therefore probably Taylor) were about to be offered the England job.
 |
| Clough the day he was interviewed at the F. A. for the England job |
The previous Sunday, the day after the win at St Andrew's, Brian Clough was interviewed by the Football Association about the job. Clough thought he'd done well enough to be offered the post but it looks like the suits were too scared to make the appointment and offered him the youth team only.
Memory fails me, but it must have been around this time that the Forest fans pleaded with Brian to stay with a famous placard held aloft as the teams came out from the dressing room for a match. He'd not yet been at the club even three years but we all feared he might be on his way to better things.
 |
| Anyone remember which match this was? |
This was in response to an earlier placard organised by Brian himself to try to urge Forest fans to stop swearing.
 |
| What the Flipping Heck was That? |
Previous Coventry Matches
This was the fourth time I'd seen Coventry play. The first was my first visit to Hillsborough in the F.A. Cup 3rd round in January 1973 - a boring 0-0 draw in front of 16,799.
 |
| First Visit to Hillsborough, first time I watched Coventry |
I watched them play in what must surely count as one of the worst testimonial matches ever - for Peter Hindley on a Tuesday night in October 1974. It was another dull 0-0 draw.
 |
| Peter Hindley made 33 appearances for Coventry after 11 years with Forest |
The last time, I watched Coventry destroy Cloughie's Forest 3-0 in the League Cup 3rd round at the City Ground in front of 15,969.
The Teams
Forest were unchanged after their win at Birmingham City last week, as were Coventry despite being held 1-1 at home to struggling Bristol City.
The Coventry side included some talented players include the Welsh stalwart, Terry Yorath having moved on from Leeds United, Ian Hutchinson and, of course their deadly strike pair of Wallace and Ferguson.
Nottingham Forest
1 Peter Shilton, 2 Viv Anderson, 3 Colin Barrett, 4 John McGovern, 5 Larry Lloyd, 6 Kenny Burns, 7 Martin O'Neill, 8 Archie Gemmill, 9 Peter Withe, 10 Tony Woodcock, 11 John Robertson.
Goals: John McGovern 1, Martin O'Neill 1.
Coventry City
1 Jim Blyth, 2 Graham Oakley, 3 Bobby McDonald, 4 Terry Yorath, 5 Jim Holton, 6 Mick Coop, 7 Donato Nardiello, 8 Ian Wallace, 9 Mick Ferguson, 10 Barry Powell, 11 Tommy Hutchison.
Goals : Ian Wallace 1.
1 Peter Shilton, 2 Viv Anderson, 3 Colin Barrett, 4 John McGovern, 5 Larry Lloyd, 6 Kenny Burns, 7 Martin O'Neill, 8 Archie Gemmill, 9 Peter Withe, 10 Tony Woodcock, 11 John Robertson.
Goals: John McGovern 1, Martin O'Neill 1.
Coventry City
1 Jim Blyth, 2 Graham Oakley, 3 Bobby McDonald, 4 Terry Yorath, 5 Jim Holton, 6 Mick Coop, 7 Donato Nardiello, 8 Ian Wallace, 9 Mick Ferguson, 10 Barry Powell, 11 Tommy Hutchison.
Goals : Ian Wallace 1.
The Game
This was only the 33rd competitive match between the two clubs and, for a change, Forest were well ahead. Best previous wins for Forest were both 4-0 - twice, once on 1st November 1947 in the second division and again on 25th March 1972 in the first. Coventry's best win at the City Ground was a 4-1 away win in their best ever season, on 7th April 1970. At Highfield Road, Harry Storer's team beat us 5-1 in the second division on 28th January 1939 and our best there was a 3-1 win at the start of the 67-68 season.
As expected, it was a tight game with plenty of chances at both ends. But the match was decided by a frenzied 5 minute spell when three goals were scored just before half time. Martin O'Neill put Forest ahead with a tap in at the far post in front of us in the Trent End from a Peter Withe cross.
Then, just a minute later, Ian Wallace equalised with a neat header at the near post from a Bobby McDonald free kick that went in off the bar, just beyond Shilton's reach. Forest struck back though, just before half time, when John McGovern sent us into ecstasy with what turned out to be the winner after Peter Withe had sent him through, clear, in the box.
 |
| O'Neill... 1-0 |
Then, just a minute later, Ian Wallace equalised with a neat header at the near post from a Bobby McDonald free kick that went in off the bar, just beyond Shilton's reach. Forest struck back though, just before half time, when John McGovern sent us into ecstasy with what turned out to be the winner after Peter Withe had sent him through, clear, in the box.
Other Matches That Day
In other results, all the title contenders, apart from Everton, dropped points so as we moved towards Christmas, it was looking like a two-horse race with Forest and Everton now five points clear of the chasing pack - seven teams, separated by just one point.
Everton, with Bob Latchford leading the line, remained on their excellent form. Everton had now gone 17 games unbeaten, after losing their first two and had 11 out of 12 points in their last 3 home/away. Latchford was now six goals clear of the pack in the scorers' chart.
The relegation battle seemed to be getting more interesting with Newcastle winning for the second week running to lift themselves off the bottom of the table, whilst Bristol City won again to pull themselves further away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile Boro and Birmingham both lost away 3-0 and seemed to be getting sucked into the battle to stay up.
The Programme
Comments
Post a Comment