Manchester City v Coventry City Littlewoods Cup 4th Round 1989/90

CITY 0 COVENTRY CITY 1

Littlewoods Cup 4th Round

22nd November 1989

Attendance 23,355

Scorer Regis(16)

Ref Philip Don

City Dibble, Fleming, Hendry, Redmond, Hinchcliffe, White, Bishop, McNab, Lake, Gayle, Allen – Subs I Brightwell(73), Oldfield(79)

Coventry Ogrizovic, Borrows, Dobson, Clark, Billing, Peake, Gynn, Speedie, Regis, Drinkel, Smith – Subs MacDonald(14), Bannister(unused)

FROM THE PRESS BOX

ANDY COLQUHOUN WRITING IN THE SANDWELL EVENING MAIL 23RD NOVEMBER 1989
Sky Blues fans were dusting off their little used “Wembley” how to get their maps today as their side reached the quarter finals of the Littlewood’s Cup for the first time in nine years.
Their mourning for the Derby defeat at Villa Park on Saturday lasted about only as long as it takes Geoffrey Howe to fall asleep during one of Mrs Thatcher’s speeches and if Coventry’s display was as boring as one of those it was no less determined.
Actually Coventry were not boring, but effective against a Manchester City side who produced frenzied enterprise to give the lie to recent 6-0 and 3-0 defeats. With the way the draw for the quarter-final fell at midnight last night. bleary-eyed Coventry fans will have fallen asleep with Keith Houchen diving through their dreams all over again.

Exeter or Sunderland will not offer free passage to the semi-final but then Manchester City did not exactly do an impression of an East German border guard opening the wall to push them through.
For the first 10 minutes they threw everything at Coventry but after Steve Ogrizovic had denied Brian Gayle in the second minute he was not seriously tested. Skipper Trevor Peak had a large part to play in that as he and Peter Billing denied Clive Allen any clear-cut opening, and so well marshalled his defence that even though they came under pressure there was never the Feeling they would crack.
With their full backs pushing forward, Manchester City kept Coventry largely pinned in defence but when they broke out they found the target.
Cyrille Regis finishing clinically in the 17th minute after Steve Redmond had misjudged David Smith’s cross induced the first note of panic.
Coventry’s full-backs had to clear off the line in a half each and on the final whistle Colin Henry headed wide, but by then it should have been 2-0. Colin Drinkell could not beat Andy Dibble after Mickey Gynn’s threaded pass had exploded the offside trap.