COVENTRY CITY 2 CITY 2
League Division 1
21st December 1986
Attendance 12,430
Scorers
City Redmond(5 & 63)
Coventry Culpin(2), Adams(38)
Ref J Ashworth
City Suckling, N Reid, Wilson, Clements, McCarthy, Redmond, White, McNab, Varadi, Moulden, McIlroy – sub I Brightwell(unused)
Coventry Ogrizovic, Borrows, Downs, Emerson, Sedgley, Peake, Bennett, Phillips, Regis, Culpin, Adams
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MARTIN SWAIN WRITING IN THE SANDWELL EVENING MAIL 22ND DECEMBER 1986
Any hopes Coventry City’s players fostered of joining in the festive spirit this week were removed by Manchester City’s continuing revitalisation at Highfield Road yesterday.
The Sky Blues finished a mistake-littered but hugely enjoyable clash grateful for the small mercies of a 2-2 draw.
George Curtis, the no-nonsense helmsman of a Sky Blue ship that has sailed impressively through the First Division waters, hinted at the hard work Coventry face.
Curtis and John Sillett are particularly determined that their leadership will not suffer the same fate as so many of their predecessors, fourth from top at Christmas, fourth from bottom by May.
The discomfort City’s stron-running counter-attacking football provoked stretched Coventry’s previously water-tight defence and unnerved central defenders Trevor Peake and Steve Sedgley to the point of panic.
Coventry had a dream start with a goal from Paul Culpin inside two minutes, conceded a soft equaliser through some elementary errors three minutes later, and regained the lead before half-time via Micky Adams in their most impressive spell of the match.
Their hopes of killing off City disappeared after the interval when the visitors attacked with vigour and vengeance to be rewarded with a thoroughly deserved second goal from Steve Redmond.
Cyrille Regis’s name was not on the scoresheet but his destruction of Mick McCarthy inspired both goals.
Although Steve Ogriovic will take a large portion of the blame for Redmond’s first equaliser, and was lucky to stay on the pitch after hauling down Imre Varadi outside his area, the giant goalkeeper came to the rescue with two splendid second half saves that denied Varadi and his talented strike partner Paul Moulden.