On this day (August 17th) in 1990 the Sky Blues got their hands on an obscure piece of silverware in the penultimate pre-season friendly of their 1990-91 Division One season, for the time being under the managership of former player and future Club President John Sillett. After starting off with a warm up 2-0 defeat at Barnet early in the month the Sky Blues got a better result winning at Burnley 2-0 before a week previously, in the senior of two Highfield Road pre season games, beating Czech guests Banik Ostrava by the odd goal in.
Today Sillett’s Sky Blues were in Oxford on a warm Friday evening to take on Oxford United for the prize of the ‘Oxfordshire Benevolent Cup‘ which was put up by the County FA as an annual challenge match for charity. Sills was apparently unhappy with the performance of some of his players last time out in a 1-0 home defeat against non-league Halesowen Town on August 13th, being quoted as saying publicly, “There are five players who are no longer in my thoughts as first team squad members”! Team changes were therefore afoot and City were also without their Uruguyan trialist (who was later signed) Jose Perdomo who had suffered a twisted ankle!
Sadly we do not have the actual teams, attendance or other match details to hand of this game except that City won the game 1-0 to take the Cup. However, we do know that he Sky Blues’ scorer was tricky winger (now CCFPA member) David Smith and defender (also now an Association member) Lloyd McGrath did play but took a bad knock that threatened to put him out of City’s last pre-season game against Leicester City at Filbert Street (which ended up a goalless draw).
It is also likely Sills also gave further opportunity to build the striking partnership of (both now CCFPA members) Kevin Drinkell and David Speedie in this game. The respective squads are displayed on the back of the programme illustrated (left).
We are proud to say that every single member of the squad listed there along with ‘Snoz’ the Sky Blues’ manager went on to join this Association. John’s death a couple of years ago was mourned by the whole Sky Blue family. The referee was Mr J.G.Chappell of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell
We are unsure what the Cup that City won looks like but apparently it was one of the most prestigious trophies on offer in the locality at the time and we understand (after several rebrandings) it is probably still being fought over!
The Sky Blues won it again the following pre-season with a 3-1 win. However, remarkably, in 1997 after it had apparently been renamed the Bill Halsey Memorial Trophy (possibly last played for in 2003-04) the Sky Blues amazingly won it yet again after a penalty shoot-out (9-8) after a 0-0 draw!
After poor results in the first part of the season Terry Butcher replaced ‘Sills’ in the managerial hot-seat in mid November and despite only one away win all season and a 6-1 hammering at new League Champions Arsenal in the Sky Blues last game of the season, they did enough to finish safe in sixteenth spot a full ten points clear of the drop.
Leave a Reply