Well after watching Coventry City since 1968,you get used to the promises of this will be a good season and as always it never gets there and we hang on to survival.But the end of the 1985/86 season John Sillett and George Curtis masterminded much needed victories as the Sky Blues earned another top flight season.
Two signings were made in bringing in David Phillips and Keith Houchen, it seemed a fun element had been brought in as players seemed more relaxed than in recent times bringing a more togetherness.
Gates were only just getting into double figures thousand wise,the football was pleasing to the eye and team more balanced,so as the season went on a healthy mid table position was achieved.
The draw for the 3rd round took place and we found ourselves playing Phil Neal's Bolton Wanderers at Highfield Road,when the day arrived in early January it was bitterly cold as I took my place in the terrace in front of the Sky Blue stand,pitch look frozen in places.
A Greg Downs goal from an indirect free kick helped warm us up,followed by goals from Bennett and Regis saw City ease into round Four.Nine players from the Bolton game would play in the famous match just four months later,with only Borrows and Emerson missing out on it through injury.
Well it was up to Old Trafford and Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, Ferguson had only been in charge since the November and was still trying to get his thoughts across.This match was also played on a hard pitch,one half being frozen and the other soft under foot and brilliant sunshine.Keith Houchen scored as the ball seemed to rebound off him half a dozen times and United's right back John Sivebaek is unable to clear it off the line.City take a good following as United are booed off the pitch at the end.
The 5th Round took City to the old Victoria ground at Stoke, Stoke at the time were in the old second division and going well.The Sky Blue army were well in force as they take over the away end with fans climbing the perimeter fence.Micheal Gynn sending them into raptures as he puts away the winner.Now the fans were starting to dream of things to come, the next round couldn't come quick enough.The league campaign was going ok but not spectacular.
I queued for my ticket at Highfield Road for the 6th round tie at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday,interest was high as City had never been past the 6th round in their history.I went to Pool Meadow bus station to get a Harry Shaw CCFC coach pass enabling me to get coach transport to the match.This would be the only time in my supporting of the team that I had travelled to an away match by coach and have never done it since.We were all the Leppings Lane end all 14,000 of us,I was down by the corner flag so I wasn't too squashed.Met some old schoolmates from Bulkington who I'd not seen for 12 years,We'd always talked about getting to Wembley as kids,now it was within our sights.The game went so fast all I can remember was coming out the ground and looking for the number of the coach with was mine,there seemed 100's of them.Oh yes we won 3-1 Regis got one and Houchen with two,got back to Bulkington in time to watch Tony Gubba commentary on Match Of The Day and Jimmy Hill's grinning ear to ear.
Just one step away now from the Twin Towers and it was back to Hillsborough for Leeds United of Division Two,coupons and ticket stub's from matches qualified you for a ticket,so my girlfriend Debbie, my sister Joy and her husband Paul all collected these,tickets were obtained and when the day arrived we went up the M6 on a bright sunny Sunday morning.What a sight greeted us a mass of Sky Blue on the huge terrace at Sheffield,for sound alone there was only one winner and that was us.Six years earlier I was at Upton Park to see City lose a cup semi final to a second division side,I hoped it wasn't going to happen again.Within a few minutes David Rennie headed Leeds in front,Cyrille had missed a few chances but we continued to battle for every ball,then Benno won a ball that looked lost centred and there was Gynn who had just come on for Pickering to knock the ball in,it wasn't a clean shot but it was in the net and that’s what mattered.Houchen then did his bit and put us in front by rounding Day and shooting with city old boy Micky Adams unable to keep it out.The noise from that goal was deafening there was only one winner now.But wait we are Coventry City and so they let in a equaliser scored by Edwards. 2-2 and it was extra time.Leeds looked tired and city gained strength from somewhere and Benno scored to put us 3-2 in front,we cheered but still thought it's not over yet,with seconds remaining Neil Aspen is through and Oggy pulls off a save as we all breath a sie of relief.The ref blows his whistle and we are there at long last,tears rolling down the cheeks of the young and old and thoughts of people no longer here.12th April 1987 the day we reached Wembley.
OMG now to get a Wembley ticket!!!
Fans queued around Highfield Road days before they went on sale,some even building tents in the players car park,you needed a semi final ticket stub and two ticket stub from certain matches to get a cup final ticket,well I had a pocket full of stubs as I was going to get four tickets,this was now the general sale as season ticket holders and others had already got theirs.Rumours were going round on how many were left so I decided to skip work on the Monday and queue for them,then I saw my boss who said 'what you doing here?' I replied 'same as you haha' 'too right' came his answer.It was slow going,must have been hours. Eventually got to the front and had them in my hand 'YES FOUR WEMBLEY CUP FINAL TICKETS' £6 each what a bargain!!!, so I travelled back to Bulkington to see my sister on the way there heard on Mercia Sound that all the tickets had been sold out,wow how lucky was I.No mobile phones back then so my sister didn't know I'd got them.
So pulled up on her driveway,went in and she'd heard Mercia Sound report,I said they'd sold out,she said never mind. I replied after I'd got ours YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, we jumped around the kitchen,hugged and cried, our Mum who introduced us to the City was no longer with us she's died 12 years earlier aged 43.
Four of us went on that greatest of Sky Blue days with one more watching from above.
Dean Nelson @Deanocity3
Memory added on September 27, 2014
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