When City and Coventry City meet at the Etihad today, it will revive a fixture that was once a regular part of the English football calendar.
For younger City supporters, Coventry may feel like relatively unfamiliar opponents. Go back a generation or two, though, and it is a very different story.
The clubs have met 73 times in competitive football, with City holding a clear advantage overall.
| All-time record | Total |
|---|---|
| Meetings | 73 |
| City wins | 34 |
| Draws | 18 |
| Coventry wins | 21 |
| City goals | 120 |
| Coventry goals | 93 |
A history stretching back to 1938
The first meeting came at Maine Road on 19 November 1938, when City beat Coventry 3-0 in the old Second Division.
City actually went unbeaten through the first nine meetings between the clubs before Coventry finally recorded their first victory in October 1965, winning 3-2 at Maine Road in the League Cup.
By then, the fixture was becoming increasingly familiar. From the late 1960s through to the early 1980s, the clubs regularly shared the top division.
There were plenty of goals along the way. City won 4-0 at Maine Road in November 1971 and recorded several other three and four-goal victories, while Coventry enjoyed some memorable afternoons of their own.
Their biggest win in the fixture came at Highfield Road in February 1983, when City were beaten 4-0.
Coventry became difficult opponents
By the time the Premier League arrived, Coventry had developed into something of a bogey side for City.
City won both meetings in the inaugural 1992/93 Premier League season, but remarkably failed to win any of the next eight league encounters between the clubs.
| Premier League meetings | Result |
|---|---|
| Nov 1992 – Coventry v City | 2-3 |
| Mar 1993 – City v Coventry | 1-0 |
| Aug 1993 – City v Coventry | 1-1 |
| Feb 1994 – Coventry v City | 4-0 |
| Oct 1994 – Coventry v City | 1-0 |
| Jan 1995 – City v Coventry | 0-0 |
| Aug 1995 – Coventry v City | 2-1 |
| Jan 1996 – City v Coventry | 1-1 |
| Aug 2000 – City v Coventry | 1-2 |
| Jan 2001 – Coventry v City | 1-1 |
Across those 10 Premier League meetings, City won twice, Coventry four times and four were drawn.
The clubs also crossed paths in the cups. Overall, they have met nine times in cup competitions, with Coventry winning four, City three and two ending level.
The final chapter at Maine Road
Both clubs were relegated from the Premier League in 2000/01, setting up two final meetings in the second tier the following season.
The first was a seven-goal thriller at Highfield Road in September 2001, which Coventry won 4-3.
City got their revenge at Maine Road on 3 March 2002.
Kevin Keegan’s side won 4-2, with Danny Tiatto and Darren Huckerby scoring alongside a Shaun Wright-Phillips double in front of 33,335 supporters.
| Final five meetings before today | Result |
|---|---|
| Aug 2000 – City v Coventry | 1-2 |
| Jan 2001 – Coventry v City | 1-1 |
| Jan 2001 – City v Coventry, FA Cup | 1-0 |
| Sep 2001 – Coventry v City | 4-3 |
| Mar 2002 – City v Coventry | 4-2 |
City went on to win the First Division title that season and returned immediately to the Premier League. Coventry remained outside the top flight, beginning a journey which would eventually take them as far down as League Two.
That 4-2 win therefore became the final meeting between the clubs for more than 24 years.
A lot has happened to both since.
But for supporters who remember Maine Road and Highfield Road, there should be something distinctly familiar about seeing Coventry City back on the fixture list today.
After 73 previous meetings and a gap of almost a quarter of a century, an old fixture is finally back.
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