Matchday Memories: On This Day 1966 – Five More For Sky Blues As Plymouth Punished!

On This Day (15th January) in 1966 the ‘Sky Blue Express‘, under managerial supremo Jimmy Hill, had reached Division Two and the team were going great guns. At Highfield Road, apart from a couple of defeats, the team was winning handsomely and had already turned over the likes of Southampton and Preston North End by 5-1, the latter ‘old five’ being achieved in their last home game.

On this day, on a snowy surface, they would ‘go nap’ once more with Plymouth Argyle the visitors. The Sky Blues had every right to be confident since they had already beaten the Pilgrims 2-1 at Home Park earlier in the season (23rd October) with goals from Dudley Roberts and George Hudson. This win therefore gave them the double over the Devon side. In fact the away side scored first through a fierce shot from Mike Bickle in the fourteenth minute but City’s response was massive.

Apart from an own goal scored by the Pilgrim’s Johnny Williams in the 66th minute (helping in a John Mitten cross cum shot), the Sky Blues relied on goals from three scorers. First came winger Ronnie Rees who headed home to make it 1-1 after 32 minutes (and at half time). Then came a brace from reliable midfielder Ron Farmer, a 68th minute piledriver that bounced back from a stanchion and a 75th minute penalty given for a foul on Ray Pointer.

Finally, defender Dietmar Bruck (now a CCFPA committee member) rounded matters off two minutes from time.

There was a crowd of 21,315 inside Highfield Road to see the demolition of Derek Ufton‘s overly defensive south coast team and the result kept the Sky Blues well in the hunt for Division Two honours.

*JH‘s Boys that day lined up as follows:-

Bob Wesson*, Mick Kearns, Allan Harris*, Dietmar Bruck, George Curtis*, Ron Farmer*, Ron Rees*, Ray Pointer*, George Hudson*, Ernie Machin* and John Mitten.

(*) Sadly, eight FPs plus their ‘gaffer’ have since passed away. We are pleased to say, as well as the late Jimmy Hill, all the members of this team later joined this Association.

Ufton’s defeated Pilgrims lined up as follows:-

John Leiper, Tony Book, Doug Baird, Johnny Williams, Andy Nelson, Johnny Newman, Nicky Jennings, Tony Brimacombe, Mike Bickle, Norman Piper and Mike Reeves                             Referee:- Melvin Fussey

The Sky Blues eventually just missed out on promotion finishing in third place behind both promoted clubs (runners up Southampton and Champions Manchester City) but remedied this the following season when they became Division Two Champions. Plymouth Argyle continued a lacklustre season finishing eighteenth. Middlesbrough and bottom club Leyton Orient were the relegated pair.

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