On this day (August 16th) in 1975 CCFPA member Gordon Milne‘s Sky Blues got a great start to their 1975-76 Division One campaign with a 4-1 demolition of the ‘other’ team from Liverpool, Everton.
Billy Bingham‘s side included a future Sky Blue player in season 1984-85, Bob Latchford and a former Sky Blue (and CCFPA member) Dave Clements.
The Sky Blues had been tipped by the Bookies for relegation (in fact we finished fourteenth) so this win, followed by a 2-0 Highfield Road win over Manchester City a week later, gave us great confidence. CCFPA member David Cross helped himself to a hat-trick in this game, the initial two within the first sixteen minutes of the match.
His first, before Everton were seemingly awake, was nodded in from a Graham Oakey cross. He got his second pouncing on a spill from the Toffees’ goalkeeper David Lawson after a stinging Tommy Hutchison shot. Though Everton’s Roger Kenyon got one back just before the half hour mark another second half Sky Blue goal burst sealed the deal.
First, David got his third on 72 minutes after pouncing on John Hurst’s ill advised back pass then, six minutes later, diminutive fellow striker Alan Green headed the Sky Blues’ fourth.
A Highfield Road crowd of 32,343 went home very happy that day, though the Liverpudlians got their revenge in December with a 2-1 win at Goodison Park. In that match City full back (and now CCFPA member) Mick Coop got the City’s late goal seven minutes before the final whistle with a penalty!
For the record the Sky Blues for that opener were (CCFPA members underlined):-
Bryan King, Graham Oakey, the late Jim Brogan, the late John Craven, Jim Holmes, Alan Dugdale, Mick Coop, Dennis Mortimer, Alan Green, David Cross and Tommy Hutchison.
Billy Bingham‘s Toffees put out the following team:-
David Lawson, Mike Bernard, Steve Sergeant, Dave Clements, Roger Kenyon, John Hurst, Mike Lyons, Martin Dobson, Bob Latchford, David Smallman and Jim Pearson.
The Sky Blues ended the 1975-76 Division One season safe enough in fourteenth spot, a full ten points above relegation trouble but twenty points shy of Champions Liverpool (a point ahead of runners up Queens Park Rangers). Their close rivals, the Toffeemen were firmly mid table in eleventh position.
The relegated trio were City’s midland rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and (way bottom) Sheffield United.
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