1997–98 Coventry City F.C. season

Coventry City
1997–98 season
ChairmanBryan Richardson
ManagerGordon Strachan
StadiumHighfield Road
Premiership11th
FA CupQuarter-finals
League CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague: Dublin (18)
All: Dublin (23)
Highest home attendance23,054 (vs. Manchester United, 28 December)
Lowest home attendance15,900 (vs. Crystal Palace, 24 September)
Average home league attendance19,718

During the 1997–98 English football season, Coventry City competed in the FA Premier League.

Season summary

After a last-day "houdini" act and the bonus of Middlesbrough having 3 points deducted kept Coventry up in the 1996–97 season, manager Gordon Strachan was determined to avoid another season of struggle. He achieved it, and an 11th-place finish was Coventry's highest in four seasons. However, even though they only suffered 10 defeats all season (the fourth least amount, after Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool), they staggeringly drew 16 games which ultimately prevented them from finishing any higher. Their secure finish was helped no end by the loyalty of striker Dion Dublin, who pledged his future to the club after turning down an offer from Blackburn Rovers. Coventry were, in fact, 17th on Boxing Day 1997, but a 3–2 win over Manchester United, with no small thanks to late goals from Dublin and Darren Huckerby, appeared to kickstart a sudden surge in form as by late March, the club found themselves in 9th. Right up to the final day of the season, the Sky Blues were within a shout of a UEFA Cup place, but they were beaten to it by local rivals Aston Villa. The two places above them were occupied by two other local rivals – Derby County and Leicester City.

Final league table

Main article: 1997–98 FA Premier League
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
9 Derby County 38 16 7 15 52 49 +3 55
10 Leicester City 38 13 14 11 51 41 +10 53
11 Coventry City 38 12 16 10 46 44 +2 52
12 Southampton 38 14 6 18 50 55 −5 48
13 Newcastle United 38 11 11 16 35 44 −9 44 Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a]
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ As Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their Cup Winners' Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.
Results summary
Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 12 16 10 46 44  +2 52 8 9 2 26 17  +9 4 7 8 20 27  −7
Results by round
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHA
ResultWLDDLWDDDDLDWDLLLWLLWLDWWWWWDWDLDDDDWD
Position191012128111112121515121012151614161713161513121010101091011101110111111
Source: 11v11.com: 1997–98 Coventry City results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Coventry City's score comes first[1]

Legend

Win Draw Loss

FA Premier League

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
9 August 1997 Chelsea H 3–2 22,686 Dublin (3)
11 August 1997 Arsenal A 0–2 37,324
23 August 1997 Bolton Wanderers H 2–2 16,633 Telfer, Huckerby
27 August 1997 West Ham United H 1–1 18,289 Huckerby
30 August 1997 Manchester United A 0–3 55,074
13 September 1997 Southampton H 1–0 18,659 Soltvedt
20 September 1997 Sheffield Wednesday A 0–0 21,087
24 September 1997 Crystal Palace H 1–1 15,900 Dublin
28 September 1997 Blackburn Rovers A 0–0 19,086
4 October 1997 Leeds United H 0–0 17,770
20 October 1997 Barnsley A 0–2 17,463
25 October 1997 Everton H 0–0 18,760
1 November 1997 Wimbledon A 2–1 11,201 Huckerby, Dublin
8 November 1997 Newcastle United H 2–2 22,679 Dublin (2)
22 November 1997 Derby County A 1–3 29,351 Huckerby
29 November 1997 Leicester City H 0–2 18,309
6 December 1997 Aston Villa A 0–3 33,250
13 December 1997 Tottenham Hotspur H 4–0 19,499 Huckerby (2), Breen, Hall
20 December 1997 Liverpool A 0–1 39,707
26 December 1997 West Ham United A 0–1 24,532
28 December 1997 Manchester United H 3–2 23,054 Whelan, Dublin (pen), Huckerby
10 January 1998 Chelsea A 1–3 34,647 Telfer
17 January 1998 Arsenal H 2–2 22,864 Whelan, Dublin (pen)
31 January 1998 Bolton Wanderers A 5–1 25,000 Whelan, Huckerby (2), Dublin (2)
7 February 1998 Sheffield Wednesday H 1–0 18,375 Dublin (pen)
18 February 1998 Southampton A 2–1 15,091 Whelan, Huckerby
21 February 1998 Barnsley H 1–0 20,265 Dublin (pen)
28 February 1998 Crystal Palace A 3–0 21,810 Telfer, Moldovan, Dublin
14 March 1998 Newcastle United A 0–0 36,767
28 March 1998 Derby County H 1–0 18,705 Huckerby
4 April 1998 Leicester City A 1–1 21,137 Whelan
11 April 1998 Aston Villa H 1–2 22,792 Whelan
13 April 1998 Tottenham Hotspur A 1–1 33,463 Dublin
19 April 1998 Liverpool H 1–1 22,721 Dublin (pen)
25 April 1998 Leeds United A 3–3 36,522 Huckerby (3)
29 April 1998 Wimbledon H 0–0 17,968
2 May 1998 Blackburn Rovers H 2–0 18,794 Dublin (pen), Boateng
10 May 1998 Everton A 1–1 40,109 Dublin

FA Cup

Main article: 1997–98 FA Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R3 3 January 1998 Liverpool A 3–1 33,888 Huckerby, Dublin, Telfer
R4 24 January 1998 Derby County H 2–0 22,824 Dublin (2)
R5 14 February 1998 Aston Villa A 1–0 36,979 Moldovan
QF 7 March 1998 Sheffield United H 1–1 23,084 Dublin (pen)
QFR 17 March 1998 Sheffield United A 1–1 (lost 1–3 on pens) 29,034 Telfer

League Cup

Main article: 1997–98 Football League Cup
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Goalscorers
R2 1st Leg 16 September 1997 Blackpool A 0–1 5,884
R2 2nd Leg 1 October 1997 Blackpool H 3–1 (won 3–2 on agg) 9,565 McAllister (2, 1 pen), Dublin
R3 15 October 1997 Everton H 4–1 10,087 Hall, Salako (2), Haworth
R4 18 November 1997 Arsenal A 0–1 30,199

Squad

[2] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Steve Ogrizovic
2 DF England ENG Richard Shaw
3 DF England ENG David Burrows
4 DF England ENG Paul Williams
5 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Liam Daish[3]
6 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Gary Breen[4]
7 FW England ENG Darren Huckerby
8 FW England ENG Noel Whelan
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin
10 MF Scotland SCO Gary McAllister (captain)
12 DF Scotland SCO Paul Telfer
13 GK Sweden SWE Magnus Hedman
14 MF Norway NOR Trond Egil Soltvedt
15 MF Belgium BEL Philippe Clement
16 MF Ghana GHA George Boateng[5]
17 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Willie Boland
18 DF England ENG Marcus Hall
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF Denmark DEN Martin Johansen
20 MF Northern Ireland NIR Michael O'Neill
21 FW England ENG Andy Ducros
22 FW Wales WAL Simon Haworth
23 DF Sweden SWE Roland Nilsson
24 FW Romania ROU Viorel Moldovan
28 MF Scotland SCO Gavin Strachan
29 DF England ENG Scott Goodwin
30 MF England ENG John Eustace
31 FW England ENG Adam Willis
32 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Barry Prenderville
33 MF England ENG Chris Barnett
34 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Barry Quinn
35 FW England ENG Craig Faulconbridge
36 DF Republic of Ireland IRL John Andrews
37 DF England ENG Sam Shilton

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
11 MF England ENG John Salako (to Bolton Wanderers)
15 FW Bermuda BER Kyle Lightbourne (to Stoke City)
16 MF England ENG Kevin Richardson (to Southampton)
No. Pos. Nation Player
24 DF England ENG Brian Borrows (to Swindon Town)
26 GK Scotland SCO Scott Howie (on loan from Motherwell)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
- MF England ENG Martin Devaney
No. Pos. Nation Player
- FW England ENG Chukki Eribenne

Transfers

In

Date Pos Name From Fee
19 June 1997 MF Trond Egil Soltvedt Rosenborg £500,000
4 July 1997 FW Kyle Lightbourne Walsall £500,000
7 July 1997 GK Magnus Hedman AIK Free transfer
19 June 1997 MF Martin Johansen Copenhagen Free transfer
29 July 1997 DF Roland Nilsson Helsingborgs £200,000
18 December 1997 DF George Boateng Feyenoord £250,000
2 January 1998 FW Viorel Moldovan Grasshoppers £3,250,000
26 March 1998 MF Philippe Clement Racing Genk £625,000

Out

Date Pos Name To Fee
1 July 1997 MF Chris McMenamin Peterborough United Free transfer
4 July 1997 MF Eoin Jess Aberdeen £700,000
14 July 1997 FW Peter Ndlovu Birmingham City £1,600,000
1 August 1997 GK John Filan Blackburn Rovers £700,000
1 August 1997 GK Jed Sumner Cambridge United Free transfer
9 September 1997 MF Kevin Richardson Southampton Transfer
14 November 1997 DF Brian Borrows Swindon Town Free transfer
16 February 1998 FW Kyle Lightbourne Stoke City £500,000
Transfers in: Decrease £5,325,000
Transfers out: Increase £3,500,000
Total spending: Decrease £1,825,000

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 GK England ENG Steve Ogrizovic 30 0 24 0 2 0 4 0
13 GK Sweden SWE Magnus Hedman 17 0 14 0 3 0 0 0
Defenders
2 DF England ENG Richard Shaw 40 0 33 0 3 0 4 0
3 DF England ENG David Burrows 42 0 33 0 5 0 4 0
4 DF England ENG Paul Williams 25 0 17+3 0 1 0 4 0
6 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Gary Breen 39 1 30 1 5 0 3+1 0
12 DF Scotland SCO Paul Telfer 39 5 33 3 4 2 2 0
18 DF England ENG Marcus Hall 33 2 20+5 1 2+2 0 3+1 1
23 DF Sweden SWE Roland Nilsson 39 0 32 0 4 0 3 0
37 DF England ENG Sam Shilton 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
Midfielders
10 MF Scotland SCO Gary McAllister 18 2 14 0 0 0 4 2
14 MF Norway NOR Trond Egil Soltvedt 36 1 26+4 1 3+1 0 1+1 0
16 MF Ghana GHA George Boateng 19 1 14 1 5 0 0 0
17 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Willie Boland 22 0 8+11 0 0+1 0 1+1 0
20 MF Northern Ireland NIR Michael O'Neill 5 0 2+2 0 0 0 1 0
28 MF Scotland SCO Gavin Strachan 13 0 2+7 0 2+2 0 0 0
Forwards
7 FW England ENG Darren Huckerby 40 15 32+2 14 5 1 0+1 0
8 FW England ENG Noel Whelan 25 6 21 6 4 0 0 0
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin 43 23 36 18 5 4 2 1
19 FW Denmark DEN Martin Johansen 3 0 0+2 0 0 0 1 0
21 FW England ENG Andy Ducros 4 0 1+2 0 0 0 0+1 0
22 FW Wales WAL Simon Haworth 13 1 4+6 0 0+1 0 2 1
24 FW Romania ROU Viorel Moldovan 14 2 5+5 1 2+2 1 0 0
Players who left the club during the season
11 MF England ENG John Salako 13 2 11 0 0 0 2 2
15 FW Bermuda BER Kyle Lightbourne 10 0 1+6 0 0 0 3 0
16 MF England ENG Kevin Richardson 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions[6]
No.
 Pos.
 Nat.
 Name
 MS Notes
1 GK England Steve Ogrizovic 30
23 RB Sweden Roland Nilsson 39
6 CB Republic of Ireland Gary Breen 38
2 CB England Richard Shaw 40
3 LB England David Burrows 42
12 CM Scotland Paul Telfer 39
16 CM Ghana George Boateng 19 Marcus Hall has 25 starts
10 CM Scotland Gary McAllister 18 Noel Whelan has 25 starts
14 AM Norway Trond Egil Soltvedt 30
9 CF England Dion Dublin 43
7 CF England Darren Huckerby 37

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Coventry City results for the 1997-1998 season - Statto.com". Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  2. ^ "FootballSquads - Coventry City - 1997/98".
  3. ^ Daish was born in Portsmouth, England, but qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in February 1992.
  4. ^ Breen was born in Barnet, England, but qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally and made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland in June 1996.
  5. ^ Boateng was born in Nkawkaw, Ghana, but qualified to represent the Netherlands internationally and would make his international debut for the Netherlands in November 2001.
  6. ^ "All Coventry City players: 1998".