Matchday Memories: On This Day 1961 – Swindon Supply Season’s 1st Win For Billy’s Bantams

1961, in what was to become an important transition season for the club, Coventry City were plying their trade in the old Division Three as a pretty nondescript outfit in a fairly ramshackle and ageing stadium. They were managed (for his second spell) by former City player Billy Frith and the club’s season had started out with on the wrong end of a 4-0 walloping at Reading. Tonight’s game, their first fixture of the season at Highfield Road, was against Swindon Town and City fans (aka ‘the Bantams’ at that time) were hoping for a home win to kick off their season properly! There were 13,761 patrons present in the home of CCFC to watch what happened.

In the end it took a 23rd minute own goal by the Wiltshire team’s goalkeeper Sam Burton to set CCFC on the road to their first win of the season and and eventual 2-1 victory for City. The man that did all the damage against the Robins was City’s right winger Mike Grice. His first half corner got the visitors’ ‘keeper into all sorts of trouble as he punched the ball into his own net. It was 1-1 at half time as three minutes from the break the Robins’ Ralph Hunt connected with a sweet cross from Arnold Darcy to equalise. Thankfully Mike Grice found a swerving finish twelve minutes from time which beat the visitors’ goalie (who perhaps should have done better).

Frith’s men deserved their victory as they showed a vastly improved performance to their disaster against the Biscuitmen (the heaviest defeat suffered by any club that day in all four divisions)! Two players took the eye in our opponents team. Both Mike Summerbee and Roger ‘Ernie’ Hunt showed vast potential. Sky Blue ‘gaffer’ Noel Cantwell eventually made ‘Ernie’ Hunt an influential Sky Blue forward in the top flight from 1968 as the ‘cheeky chappy’ had proved his potential with both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton. ‘Ernie’ became a popular and valued CCFPA member before his untimely demise a few years back!

City played Swindon Town in the return at the County ground later the same month and came away with an exciting  3-3 draw with goals from Billy Myerscough, Mike Grice (again) and Mike Dixon (father of future Chelsea star Kerry). For the Robins Ralph Hunt scored again along with Mike Summerbee and David Corbett.

The winning CCFC team on this day comprised (CCFPA members underlined):-

Arthur Lightening, Frank Kletzenbauer, Frank Austin, Brian Nicholas, George Curtis, Ron Farmer, Mike Grice, Peter Hill, Billy Myerscough, Ron Hewitt and Stuart Imlach.

Sadly all of this team have since passed away (including Brian, George and Ron F. fairly recently) Brian and penalty king Ron were, until their passing, both veteran ‘Ricoh Regulars’ attending Sky Blues home games with other Sky Blue ‘old boys’!

Swindon‘s XI comprised:-

Sam Burton, Ken Jones, John Trollope, Keith Morgan, Maurice Owen, John Bell, Mike Summerbee, ‘Ernie’ Hunt, Ken McPherson, Ralph Hunt and Arnold Darcy    Referee:- P.Rhodes

As well as Ernie’s Sky Blue connections, the Robins’ centre forward Ken McPherson was a CCFC player 1955-58 and also joined this Association before his death.

Despite a second successive home win (3-0 against Newport County) the following Saturday things were to deteriorate pretty quickly setting off a turning point in the history of CCFC as the ‘Bantams’ era finished and the ‘Sky Blue’ era was heralded. Though they had managed to beat Gillingham at Highfield Road 2-0 in the first round of the F.A.Cup earlier in November the subsequent Round Two game on the 25th against non-league Kings Lynn should have been a formality. Not only did the ‘Bantams’ slip up on this particular banana skin but also tectonic plates within the club began to move and the arrangements were finalised for the Jimmy Hill era to begin.

The humiliating 2-1 defeat in the FA Cup to the non leaguers in front of just over 12,000 at Highfield Road saw a clueless CCFC go into half-time two nil down and even when they did score it came from an own goal from Bert Hindle, a Lynn player! Billy Frith and his back room staff were sacked and in came the ‘bearded wonder’ on the 29th November.

The humiliating 2-1 defeat in the FA Cup to the non leaguers in front of just over 12,000 at Highfield Road saw a clueless CCFC go into half-time two nil down and even when they did score it came from an own goal from Bert Hindle, a Lynn player! Billy Frith and his back room staff were sacked and in came the ‘bearded wonder’ on the 29th November.

CCFC Chairman Derrick Robins kicked off a JH inspired ‘Sky Blue Revolution’ which saw the club prosper and eventually reach ‘the promised land’ of the First Division in May 1967.

Even with JH at the helm the best the club could manage was a fourteenth place finish in Division Three but much better was to follow, of course! Swindon Town were ninth, five points better off.  Portsmouth took top spot and went up with Grimsby Town this season.

Newport County finished rock bottom of the Division with only seven wins all season and twelve points below even 23rd club Brentford, who were also relegated with Lincoln City and Torquay United.