Middlesbrough v Coventry FA Cup 4th Round Replay || Coventry v Boro Blast From The Past I

MIDDLESBROUGH v COVENTRY - BLAST FROM THE PAST I

Perennial relegation candidates until recent times, most matches against Coventry have been ones of boring attrition between two poor sides. Boro v Coventry was never a match that inspired but there are still some great memories of contests between the two sides.

A Cam Goes Wandering
Coventry 2-1 Middlesbrough, 15/08/1992

I was working in Solihull during 1992-1993 and decided to go to as many Midlands grounds as I could. As luck would have it the Boro's first game of the season was away to Coventry. I think this was before Coventry signed Mickey "Sumo" Quinn from Sid James Park.

Anyroads it was a frigging boiling hot day and I took the train from Solihull to Coventry via Birmingham and then decided to walk to Highfield Road - which in that temperature and with a Boro shirt on was a bad idea as it's a bloody long way and Midlands' fans seem to be amongst the most odious. So sick of having dickheads shouting abuse at me from pubs I decided to put my top on - bad mistake. Ended up arriving there sweating like a pig, and probably smelling not unlike one too.

I remember everyone getting searched going into the ground - kids included - which I thought a bit odd.

We'd just been promoted after a pretty good 1991-1992 season and the Boro contingent was big and in good spirits. It was also the first day of the inaugural Premier League so everyone seemed in even higher spirits than usual for the first day of the season.

Coventry had decided to launch their new mascot that day which was to be called the Sky Blue Bug but in actual fact looked like a hairy blue snooker ball. I pity the poor sod wearing it as it was paraded around the ground in that weather. Especially by the comments of the away end (which was actually a side).

Can't remember anything about the game to be honest as it was crap. Every time the keeper picked the ball up there were shouts of "pass back" - as it was the first season of not being allowed to pass back to the keeper.

Coventry went 2-0 up before Wilko got a late consolation.

I don't remember the trip home though as Birmingham to Solihull meant a trip through the Balti Belt I'm sure it involved a curry, a table naan (a naan the size of a table) and shit load of cheap beer bought next door at the restaurant owner's brother's offy...

Harry Haverton
Middlesbrough 3-0 Coventry, 07/01/1978

Get the pikey's in! That was the call going around the town back in 1978 as Boro embarked upon another FA Cup run that had the whole place buzzing.

But George Hardwick's statement that 'there is a curse on Middlesbrough in the FA Cup' gained further credence this year as well. It was something about gypsies turning up at Ayresome Park on the scrounge but getting turned away by the powers that be and then using their mystical talents to ensure that Boro would never win the coveted trophy...

Coventry turned up at Ayresome Park in January 1978 for this third round clash and John Neal's side really had us believing that this was the year we would do it.

The Sky Blues were put to the sword as David Mills ran riot scoring two of our three goals with Tony McAndrew adding the killer third. Coventry were an established first division side at this time and turning them over in the manner we did was no mean feat at all.

Boro went on to put out Everton and Bolton in the next rounds and got the plum quarter-final tie against Orient at home. Surely this was our moment. Oh bloody no it wasn't. Billy Ashcroft missed the sitter of the century in the last few moments of the match and Boro went down to Brisbane Road a few days later where we were giant-killed. Bloody gypsies!

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