February
The league form in the season so far had been inconsistent at best, but things were about to improve. However, currently still in 18th place, just four points off the bottom four, supporters could be forgiven for thinking a relegation battle was on the cards, and it was maybe no surprise that the lowest attendance of the season of just 2,218 turned out for the Wednesday night visit of next-to-bottom club Chester. A rearrangement of one of the postponed fixtures, City took full advantage of it being a game in hand with a 3-0 win to shoot five places up the league table. Trevor Peake was fit to return to the side with the only other change being David Gilbert, who had replaced David Beavon on the left for most of the second half at Carlisle, retaining his place as Stuart Hibberd was named on the bench. On a cold night, there was little to warm the few fans in the first half, but after the break, a crisper approach from City saw them go two goals up within ten minutes. First, Trevor Peake headed in a George Shipley corner, and then with something of a mishit shot following a long throw, Steve Cammack scored his seventh goal of the season, which was to be his last for the club. Six minutes from the end, Tony Cunningham was chopped down inside the penalty area for George Shipley to smash home the spot kick. “It was the best we have played for a long time,” was Colin Murphy’s verdict on the game.
Perhaps the chilly weather had been a factor in the midweek low attendance (it was the usual lack of trains in my case), or maybe it was the effect of a good win that led to the numbers at Sincil Bank going back over the three thousand mark (just) for the Saturday visit of Plymouth Argyle. An unchanged City lineup showed the benefit of a more solid defence than had sometimes been evident earlier in the season to keep a second clean sheet in a row. This secured a 2-0 win and a move up another three places to 10th and a solid mid-table place. A headed goal by Steve Thompson from a long throw-in gave City the lead midway through the first half, and while they were indebted to an acrobatic save from David Felgate to preserve the lead with ten minutes to go, they soon afterward made the game safe with Glenn Cockerill hammering a loose ball home. A feature of the game was a rare booking for Phil Neale, which was, in fact only the fourth of his career of around 250 games played to date.
A midweek visit to Millwall, one place below City in the league table, was a first visit to The Den for over 17 years, and with Wayne Turner’s loan from Luton extended into a fourth month the side was unchanged again. The home side took an early lead when Trevor Peake turned the ball into his own net but City stayed in the game, and for the second half changed to a 4-3-3 formation with Glenn Cockerill moving up front as Stuard Hibberd replaced David Gilbert in midfield. Midway through the half City got a deserved equaliser when George Shipley drove home his eleventh goal of the season to make him the current leading scorer.
It was a good week for Phil Neale, who in addition to being named man of the match for the game at Millwall celebrated the birth of his second child and at the age of 27 was appointed captain of Worcestershire in his summer cricketing job.
Not such good news concerned goalkeeper Colin Boulton who had broken his leg in a game at Crewe in the early part of the previous season. After a long and vain struggle to regain fitness, it was announced that the now 36-year-old’s contract had been cancelled.
More news was of an initiative to raise money to improve the club’s financial position with the announcement of a two-day Country and Western music festival to take place at Sincil Bank in the summer. At a cost of £20,000 to stage, it was projected to make a profit of up to £15,000. The brainchild of David Mitchell, the commercial manager, said the acts appearing would draw fans from “all over the UK” and that this type of music had been chosen because it attracted fewer “troublemakers.” Top of the bill was to be Billie Jo Spears, and all parts of the ground were to be available to accommodate the audience, with prices ranging from £2 for the Sincil Bank terrace for the Friday performance to £9 for the St Andrews stand on the Saturday.
Shortly afterward, it was announced that David Mitchell’s contract had been extended up to 1984 following the ending of his initial trial period, which was deemed to be a success, with advertising revenue up by 100%. “At a time when cash is a problem, a man like Mr Mitchell can be one of our biggest assets,” said Dennis Houlston. There was, however, to be a change of club secretary, with John Sorby leaving after three and a half years in the post to return to his employment with a firm of agricultural wholesalers. For now, his assistant, Philip Hough was to act as secretary.
Another away trip came on the following Saturday with a visit to Newport County, the photo on the cover of the match programme showing action from City’s last game there in 1979. There was a recall to the side for last season’s top scorer Gordon Hobson who had not been in the best of form earlier in the season, and along with suffering a foot injury in training had not started a match since the end of November. He now came into starting lineup in place of Steve Cammack who dropped to the bench. City persisted with the new-look formation seen in the second half at Millwall, as David Gilbert was left out with Stuart Hibberd continuing as one of the three in midfield alongside Wayne Turner and George Shipley. The point gained in a goal-less draw consolidated City’s tenth place in the league table but there was a feeling of two points having slipped away as with a sound defensive display ensuring a defeat never looked on the cards the three front-runners were unable to create much in the way of scoring opportunities.
In the past, two points from two away draws in a row might have been seen as a satisfactory return, but under the new system of three points for a win, it was beginning to be realised that a win and a defeat would be more productive. Maurice Burton, for one, considered it to be unfair that the value of two hardworking away draws should be less than that earned from perhaps one lucky home win. “What it seems to do at present is to urge the away team to take foolish and unnecessary risks in seeking victory; while the home side can sit back and hope for the breaks to give them the points.” Burton felt the new system had made little overall difference to the style of play – although he admitted others might have different views – and hoped that a forthcoming meeting of league chairmen might lead to a change (it didn’t).
Well, another draw came on the Saturday with the visit of Walsall and it was a point which City were glad to get in the end. The side was unchanged apart from David Gilbert replacing Steve Cammack on the subs’ bench as home supporters got a first look at the 4-3-3 formation with Glenn Cockerill up front. The game hinged on decisions by the referee which incensed both sides. First, with City having had the better of the game up that point he awarded Walsall a free kick early in the second half which defender Peter Hart headed into the net. Then, in the 89th minute, Glenn Cockerill was adjudged to have been tripped in the area – a decision which visiting manager Neil Martin was later booked for disputing – and George Shipley’s sixth penalty of the season was almost the last kick of the match.
A visit to bottom club Wimbledon saw a change due to Phil Neale having sustained a ligament injury in training. Wayne Turner moved to left back as Phil Turner was now match-fit again to step into midfield for his first game since early December. The game turned out to be a dour one against an ultra-defensive home side that sought to hold on to their eleventh-minute lead instead of attempting to build on it. After the break David Gilbert replaced Stuart Hibberd to provide a more attacking threat but although Glenn Cockerill soon hit an equaliser City were unable to find the killer touch in front of goal for a winner. The fourth draw in a row saw City slip to 13th in the league table, just four points clear of the relegation zone and eleven off a top-three spot. But the following month was to be not only a busy but a productive one.