1985/10/20 - Coventry City 2 Tottenham Hotspur 3 - League Division 1

Today I'm going back 37 years to 1985 and Tottenham's visit to Highfield Road, home (at the time) of Coventry City for a First Division (or Canon League Division 1 if you prefer) fixture. The game, which kicked off on a Sunday lunchtime, was attended by a disappointing crowd numbering just 13,545. My £6 central main stand seat ticket confusingly shows the kick-off time as being at noon whereas the programme cover suggests an 11AM kick-off. Whichever it was I'm sure that I didn't miss any of the match!

The featured game was my 400th professional football match attended. I have always kept records of the games that I go to, partly because I didn't want to spoil my match programme by writing on it. I have put the match number, date, competition, venue, score, scorers, team line-ups and attendance into an exercise book (I'm up to volume 30 now) since I first went in 1977 right up until today and it is these that I refer to in writing these articles. Some of my records have since moved onto spreadsheets because it's easier to maintain but my handwritten team line-up books remain a constant. 400 games attended in October 1985 has since become 2,525 and I'll be going strong for a while yet I hope!

Today's programme cover star is, of course, Cyrille Regis who had "gone nap" (apparently this term comes from the card game "nap" and refers to five victories or scores) in the previous match at Highfield Road, scoring five goals against Chester in a League Cup tie and becoming the first Coventry player for over 50 years to achieve such a feat. The Sky Blues won the match 7-2 and there's a photo of Coventry's electronic scoreboard in the programme which was adjusted to say "Regis Blues 7 Chester 2". Talking of the programme, it's another one of those odd shaped ones that irritate the serious collector. Because it's square, it's wider than a standard programme of the time and, if you file them in date order as I do, they stick out and their edges are therefore more easily damaged. Another irritation with this programme is that the team line-ups aren't shown on the back cover which is plastered with advertising. Instead you're obliged to thumb through to the centre-spread which isn't convenient for spectators at the match. First world problems eh?

These days, whenever Coventry meet Spurs, the coverage descends into reminiscences of the classic 1987 FA Cup Final (which I also attended) but, back in 1985, we were still 18 months or so away from that and the correct answer in the Monty Python sketch that "Coventry City have never won the FA Cup" was still true. For the featured match, Coventry's managerial dream team of John Sillett and George Curtis were not yet in place. They would be appointed once manager Don Mackay was sacked in April 1986 although Mackay's team selection for this game was largely the same as appeared in the 1987 Final. 

City led the featured match 2-1 at half-time following goals by Dave Bennett and a Brian "Killer" Kilcline penalty with Glenn Hoddle replying from the spot for Tottenham. However, in the second half, goals from Mark Falco and super substitute John Chiedozie ensured that Spurs would head back down the M1 with all the points. 

Spurs would go on to end the season in a disappointing 10th place which prompted the Board to replace manager Peter Shreeves with Luton's boss David Pleat for the following season. Coventry City survived as they always seemed to at this time in 17th place (of 22), two points above the relegation places which were occupied by Ipswich Town, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion. Champions were Liverpool (as usual). 

CRB Match No. 400