Big Ron
On this day (26th October) in 1996 now CCFPA member Ron Atkinson took charge of his final Sky Blues home game before his Assistant Gordon Strachan (also now a CCFPA member) took over at the helm. Big Ron ‘moved upstairs’ to make way for WGS who had come to City as a player coach after the following away game at Everton’s Goodison Park. Big Ron’s home managerial swansong was a Premier League contest against one of his many former clubs, Sheffield Wednesday and a 0-0 draw saw the teams share the points at Highfield Road in front of a crowd of 17,269.
Gordon the Gaffer
The draw with the Owls kept CCFC in the nineteenth position they had held since the beginning of the season, lurking dangerously within the relegation zone.
Big Ron’s Sky Blues choice comprised (CCFPA members underlined):-
Steve Ogrizovic, Paul Williams, John Salako, Kevin Richardson, Liam Daish, Richard Shaw, Paul Telfer, Gary McAllister, Dion Dublin, Noel Whelan and Peter Ndlovu.
David Pleat‘s Owls XI comprised:-
Kevin Pressman
Kevin Pressman, Peter Atherton, Ian Nolan, Mark Pembridge, John Newsome, Des Walker, Regi Blinker (sub. Scott Oakes -70), Graham Hyde, Andy Booth, Benito Carbone (sub. Guy Whittingham -60) and Orlando Trustfull (sub. Ritchie Humphreys -84) Referee:-Keith Burge
Kevin Pressman would go on to assist the Sky Blues as goalkeeping backup in 2005 without making a first team appearance and (now CCFPA member) Peter Atherton later pulled on the Sky Blue shirt 1991-94.
Alex Evtushok in the Sky BlueIn this game Nuddy (acclaimed as this Association’s 300th member) got his first start of the season but couldn’t improve the Sky Blues scoring ability. The goal-less draw was fairly predictable since it was City’s fourth of six in row. Since the start of the season they had now failed to score in eight matches of the eleven played!
Things were looking bleak, Gordon taking over from Ron was a bit of a relief for many long suffering fans as they feared he would be moving to the vacancy at Hibernian instead. A new arrival from the Ukraine, Alex Evtushok came on trial but did not provide the desired solution in his three outings! Surprise, surprise but on the 1st February in the Hillsborough return against the Owls the two teams produced another goal-less draw so both ‘Big Ron’ and WGS got the same outcome!
CCFC 1996-97
A fairly good string of results at the back end of December plus a spirited rally in the final six games of the 1996-97 season, culminating in that brilliant status-saving 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the season, saved the Sky Blues’ bacon so they lived to fight another top level season!
Not so lucky were the relegated trio of Sunderland (a point adrift of both the Sky Blues and Southampton), Middlesbrough, having also had three points deducted and, bottom of the pile, Nottingham Forest. The glory this season went to Premier League Champions Manchester United well clear of runners-up Newcastle United.
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