1990–91 Coventry City F.C. season
Average home league attendance | 13,794 | |
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The 1990–91 season was
Coventry's league form in the season was a contrast between a solid home record and poor away form, as they recorded only one win away from
Background
The 1990–91 season was
Sillett did not buy or sell very heavily in the summer of 1990, before the start of the season. Supporters were calling for a strong midfield player to be bought to bolster the team, but defender Andy Pearce was the only major signing, bought from Halesowen Town for £15,000. Greg Downs, who had been part of the Cup winning squad, moved to Birmingham City on a free transfer. Despite this lack of transfer activity and the poor finish to the previous season, Sillett was optimistic that the club could challenge for a top six finish or even the league title.[7]
Season summary
Football League First Division
The season started poorly, with a win against a struggling
Results did not improve significantly as the autumn progressed, and morale was poor. Star striker
Despite success in the League Cup, Butcher had to wait more than a month before the club won a league game under his management and supporters feared that the club would be dragged into a relegation battle. Butcher bought Ray Woods from Wigan Athletic, but was forced to sell the promising young players Steve Livingstone and Tony Dobson, who both left for Blackburn Rovers. Speedie was also sold, moving to Liverpool for £675,000, following a series of sub-par performances and a poor relationship with Butcher. Butcher then signed Kenny Sansom and Stewart Robson, and the club began to record some better results,[11] recording home wins against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea, amongst others. By mid-April, with three games remaining, Coventry had moved up to ninth place in the table, but two defeats from their last three games, including a 6–1 defeat at champions Arsenal in the final game, saw them finish in sixteenth.[9]
The league season had been a contrast between excellent form at
FA Cup
Following defeats to lower-division and non-league opposition in the previous two seasons, Coventry faced the possibility of another upset in the third round against
In the fourth round in late January, a few days after their defeat in the League Cup quarter final, City again drew 1–1 at home against
Football League Cup
After reaching the semi-final in the 1989–90 season,
In the fourth round on 28 November,[15] Coventry faced Nottingham Forest, in Butcher's third match as manager. Forest had won the tournament in both of the previous two seasons, beating City on each occasion, and started the match as favourites. After 35 minutes, Coventry had moved into a 4–0 lead with Gallacher claiming a hat-trick and Steve Livingstone also scoring. Forest responded, however, and Nigel Clough, son of manager Brian Clough, stunned Highfield Road with a hat-trick of his own, scored in just seven minutes and leaving the score 4–3 at half time.[17] Forest levelled the match through a Garry Parker goal after half-time, but Livingstone's goal with half an hour remaining won the game for Coventry by a 5–4 scoreline.[18]
City had to wait almost two months for their next match in the competition, the quarter-final tie at home to Sheffield Wednesday of the Second Division. Coventry created few chances in the game, with player-manager Terry Butcher sustaining an injury as well, and Nigel Pearson's 9th-minute goal was enough to win the tie for Sheffield Wednesday.[15]
Final league table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Arsenal | 38 | 24 | 13 | 1 | 74 | 18 | +56 | 83 | |||
2 | Liverpool | 38 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 77 | 40 | +37 | 76 | |||
3 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 50 | 41 | +9 | 69 | |||
4 | Leeds United | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 64 | |||
5 | Manchester City | 38 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 64 | 53 | +11 | 62 | |||
6 | Manchester United | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 58 | 45 | +13 | 59 | |||
7 | Wimbledon | 38 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 53 | 46 | +7 | 56 | |||
8 | Nottingham Forest | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 65 | 50 | +15 | 54 | |||
9 | Everton | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 51 | |||
10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 11 | 16 | 11 | 51 | 50 | +1 | 49 | |||
11 | Chelsea | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 58 | 69 | – 11 | 49 | |||
12 | Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 44 | 53 | – 9 | 46 | |||
13 | Sheffield United | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 36 | 55 | – 19 | 46 | |||
14 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 58 | 69 | – 11 | 45 | |||
15 | Norwich City | 38 | 13 | 6 | 19 | 41 | 64 | – 23 | 45 | |||
16 | Coventry City | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 42 | 49 | – 7 | 44 | |||
17 | Aston Villa | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 46 | 58 | – 12 | 41 | |||
18 | Luton Town | 38 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 42 | 61 | – 19 | 37 | |||
19 | Sunderland |
38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 38 | 60 | – 22 | 34 | |||
20 | Derby County | 38 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 37 | 75 | – 38 | 24 |
- Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
- Arsenal deducted two points; Manchester United deducted one point due to a brawl in a game between both teams.
Source: "Coventry City 1990-1991". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- Results summary
Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 42 | 49 | −7 | 44 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 16 | +14 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 33 | −21 |
Source: "Coventry City 1990-1991". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- Results by round
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss
Results
Coventry City's score comes first[9]
Legend
Win | Draw | Loss |
Football League First Division
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 August 1990 | Manchester United | A | 0–2 | 46,715 | |
29 August 1990 | Everton | H | 3–1 | 12,902 | Dobson, Gallacher, Speedie |
1 September 1990 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2–2 | 12,630 | Borrows (pen), Kilcline (pen) |
8 September 1990 | Aston Villa | A | 1–2 | 27,001 | Borrows |
15 September 1990 | Wimbledon | H | 0–0 | 8,925 | |
22 September 1990 | Luton Town | A | 0–1 | 8,336 | |
29 September 1990 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 3–1 | 9,897 | Livingstone (2), Gynn |
6 October 1990 | Manchester City | A | 0–2 | 26,198 | |
20 October 1990 | Southampton | H | 1–2 | 10,040 | Borrows (pen) |
27 October 1990 | Sheffield United | A | 1–0 | 17,978 | Borrows (pen) |
3 November 1990 | Arsenal | H | 0–2 | 15,336 | |
10 November 1990 | Sunderland | A | 0–0 | 20,101 | |
17 November 1990 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 22,571 | |
24 November 1990 | Leeds United |
H | 1–1 | 16,183 | Gallacher |
1 December 1990 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–2 | 17,052 | Regis |
8 December 1990 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 17,472 | |
15 December 1990 | Manchester United | H | 2–2 | 17,106 | Regis, Gallacher |
22 December 1990 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 16,317 | Gallacher |
26 December 1990 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 2–0 | 22,731 | Gynn, Gallacher |
29 December 1990 | Norwich City | H | 2–0 | 12,039 | Borrows (pen), Speedie |
1 January 1991 | Derby County | A | 1–1 | 15,741 | Regis |
12 January 1991 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–3 | 18,344 | |
19 January 1991 | Aston Villa | H | 2–1 | 15,751 | Gynn, Speedie |
2 February 1991 | Wimbledon | A | 0–1 | 4,061 | |
23 February 1991 | Sunderland | H | 0–0 | 10,453 | |
2 March 1991 | Crystal Palace | H | 3–1 | 10,891 | Kilcline (2), Peake |
9 March 1991 | Leeds United |
A | 0–2 | 28,880 | |
13 March 1991 | Luton Town | H | 2–1 | 9,725 | Borrows (pen), Pearce |
16 March 1991 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 0–1 | 9,510 | |
23 March 1991 | Manchester City | H | 3–1 | 13,198 | Regis, Gynn, Gallacher |
30 March 1991 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–2 | 29,033 | Smith, Gallacher |
1 April 1991 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 14,272 | Gynn |
6 April 1991 | Norwich City | A | 2–2 | 11,550 | Gynn, Gallacher |
9 April 1991 | Liverpool | A | 1–1 | 31,063 | Gynn |
13 April 1991 | Derby County | H | 3–0 | 11,961 | Gallacher (2), Woods |
20 April 1991 | Southampton | A | 1–2 | 15,461 | Gynn |
4 May 1991 | Sheffield United | H | 0–0 | 17,254 | |
11 May 1991 | Arsenal | A | 1–6 | 41,039 | Gallacher |
FA Cup
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R3 | 5 January 1991 | Wigan Athletic | H | 1–1 | 10,802 | Gynn |
R3R | 9 January 1991 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–0 | 7,429 | Gynn |
R4 | 26 January 1991 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | 14,013 | Kilcline |
R4R | 29 January 1991 | Southampton | A | 0–2 | 17,001 |
League Cup
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R2 1st Leg | 26 September 1990 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 4–2 | 6,193 | Livingstone (2), Gynn, Gallacher |
R2 2nd Leg | 9 October 1990 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 3–2 (won 7–4 on agg) | 5,222 | Regis (2), Gallacher |
R3 | 31 October 1990 | Hull City | H | 3–0 | 7,708 | Regis, Livingstone, Speedie |
R4 | 28 November 1990 | Nottingham Forest | H | 5–4 | 16,304 | Livingstone (2), Gallacher (3) |
QF | 23 January 1991 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 0–1 | 20,712 |
Full Members Cup
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NR2 | 19 December 1990 | Derby County | A | 0–1 | 7,270 |
Players
First-team squad
[19] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Transfers
In
Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee |
---|---|---|---|---|
22 October 1990 | GK | Tim Clarke | Halesowen Town | £25,000 |
30 January 1991 | FW | Ray Woods | Wigan Athletic | £200,000 |
Source:[20]
Out
Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 July 1990 | GK | Dean Kiely[notes 3] | York City | Signed |
3 August 1990 | DF | Greg Downs | Birmingham City | Transfer |
17 January 1991 | FW | Steve Livingstone | Blackburn Rovers | £450,000 |
17 January 1991 | DF | Tony Dobson | Blackburn Rovers | £300,000 |
January 1991 | FW | David Speedie | Liverpool | £650,000 |
- Transfers in: £225,000
- Transfers out: £750,000
- Total spending: £525,000
Notes
- ^ a b Brown 1998, p. 161.
- ^ Andy Turner (16 May 2019). "Coventry City's 1987 FA Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur 32 years on". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ Brassington 1989, p. 125.
- ^ a b Brown 1998, pp. 116–118.
- ^ Brown 1998, p. 108.
- ^ Paul Campbell (3 January 2014). "From the Vault: Sutton United knock Coventry City out of the FA Cup in 1989". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c Brown 1998, p. 121.
- ^ a b c Brown 1998, p. 122.
- ^ a b c d "Coventry City results for the 1990-1991 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "SUPREMOS: A look at the career of Terry Butcher". Coventry City F.C. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Brown 1998, p. 123.
- ^ Brown 1998, p. 307.
- ^ John Patrick Heeley. "1990-1991 - Coventry City 1 Wigan Athletic 1". Cockney Latic. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Wigan Athletic v Coventry City, 09 January 1991". 11v11. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Brown 1998, p. 306.
- ^ Brown 1998, p. 300.
- ^ Aidan McCartney (28 November 2014). "Flashback: Coventry City's famous 5-4 League Cup victory over Nottingham Forest on this day in 1990". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ Brown 1998, p. 124.
- ^ "All Coventry City players: 1991". 11v11.com. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Premier and Football League transfers - Coventry City 1991". 11v11. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ "Premier and Football League transfers - Coventry City 1991". 11v11. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
Notes
- ^ Butcher was born in Singapore, but was raised in England and represented England at U-21 level before making his international debut for England in May 1980.
- ^ Regis was born in Maripasoula, French Guiana, but was raised in England from the age of 4 and represented England at U-21 and B level before making his international debut for England in February 1982.
- ^ Kiely was born in Salford, England, and represented England at U-15, U-16, and U-18 level, but also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and represented the Republic of Ireland at B level before making his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in November 1999.
References
- Brassington, David (1989). Singers to Sky Blues: The story of Coventry City Football Club (2 ed.). Buckingham: Sporting and Leisure Press Limited. ISBN 9780860234524.
- Brown, Jim (1998). Coventry City: The Elite Era : a Complete Record. Westcliff-on-Sea: Desert Island Books. ISBN 9781874287032.