Painful Memories: On This Day 1968 – See Sky Blue Fans Gutted As Highfield Rd Main Stand Burns

March 6, 2025 barf05 Coventry 0

Painful Memories: On This Day 1968 – See Sky Blue Fans Gutted As Highfield Rd Main Stand Burns

Fifty-seven years ago today (March 6th 1968), in the Sky Blues first ever season in the top flight, Coventry City FC‘s main stand, which was constructed in 1936, caught fire during the night. The conflagration obliterated pretty much everything inside.

In the video below (courtesy of former CCFPA committee member Dean Nelson), former CCFPA chairman Jim Brown and other people caught up in the event recount the story of the fire at the stand, the damage, the challenge to continue playing fixtures, and the way the club took this opportunity to begin, phoenix-like, to rebuild their home in a manner very appropriate for this City of Coventry.
Just click on the image or link below to view the report.
In brief, apparently after a reserve team game at Highfield Road, an errant cigarette plummeted through the wooden floors of the stand and ignited years of accumulated refuse.
Despite the rapid attentions of the fire services much damage was done, even in the club’s trophy room.

Thanks too to Dean for the pictures (including below right) of Sky Blues defender Mick Kearns and goalie Bill Glazier (both CCFPA members today) holding up the fire Division Two Championship trophy so recently won by the team.

Mick & Bill with the misshapen trophy

Ten days later the Sky Blues had a major fixture with Manchester United due. Up to 50% of the main stand seats had been utterly obliterated.

With some ingenuity, smart work and some temporary construction work a massive crowd of 47,111 was accommodated at Highfield Road for the game and the Sky Blues capped it all by winning 2-0 with goals from Ernie Machin and former United war-horse Maurice Setters (who both later became Association members before their untimely deaths)!

The club had the first of many successful attempts at last minute relegation survivals at the end of 1967-68, finishing twentieth.

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