43 years ago today 19th May 1977 Everton 2 Sunderland 0/ coventry 2 Bristol City 2/ cheating sky blue filth

[Wayne The Punk]

I was there at Goodison that night and we were well beaten by Everton.

Jimmy Hill was out of order but this hatred of all things Coventry that many of our fans have is beyond ridiculous.

Sadly, hatred is the over-riding emotion most of such fans seem to have. They claim to hate our various owners over the years, hate many of our players past and present, and hate the fans of random clubs around the country.

Glocuester must be a funny place to live in

just found this thread. I was at Highfield Road that night, and I recorded the event in my book "Birth of The Sky Blues" as follows:-
UNLUCKY BLACK CATS
The authorities now ensure that all the games are played on the
same day and that all games kick off at the same
time, so no one team gains an advantage by knowing
exactly what it has to do to succeed. This is a fairly
recent innovation, and prior to this arrangement
postponed final games were played on different
nights at the end of the season, the result being that
the last team to play had a distinct advantage. On
one famous (infamous?) occasion in May 1977, this
was, by sheer chance, not the case and the teams
facing relegation all had their final games kicking off
on the same night at 7.30 p.m. The teams in question
were Sunderland, Bristol City and Coventry. The table
was a statistician’s delight (In 1977 two points for a
win and three up/three down): -

Played Points

WEST HAM 42 36
SUNDERLAND 41 34
BRISTOL C 41 34
----------------------------------------------------------------------
COVENTRY 41 34
STOKE 42 34
SPURS 42 33
Intriguingly, Coventry were at home to relegation
rivals Bristol City. Sunderland were away to Everton,
and if they won or drew they survived, with the winner
of the other game also staying up. If the Coventry
game ended in a draw with Sunderland avoiding
defeat, then Coventry would take the drop. Even a
small defeat for Sunderland would still see them safe,
unless the other game ended in a draw, in which
event they would be relegated.
When I reached the ground at 7.20, I was amazed
to see Swan Lane heaving with people queuing to get
in, and it was clear that Bristol had brought an army
of support. At 7.30, I was still outside and heard that
the game had been put back by 15 minutes. I just
about made the kick-off. City took the lead before half
time through Tommy Hutchinson and he increased it
midway through the second half. This goal had totally
the wrong effect on Bristol (from our point of view)
and they started playing out of their skins to hit back
immediately and then, with 15 minutes to go, they
equalised, which put us into the relegation slot. Bristol
had momentum with them now and pressed forward
for the winner. City seemed to have shot their bolt,
and we started to feel sick to our stomachs.
Then, with about 10 minutes to go, the final score
from Goodison was flashed up on the electronic
scoreboard at the Kop end. Everton had beaten
Sunderland 1-0 and a draw at Highfield Road would
keep Coventry and Bristol up. Both sets of supporters
inside Highfield Road went crazy! The teams had also
noticed the announcement, and they knew a draw
would keep them both safe, and now started the most
bizarre few minutes of football I have ever witnessed,
with the ball being kicked from one team to the other
in the middle third of the pitch to the wild cheers of
the crowd. After the final whistle, something
happened which I am sure wasn’t spotted by some of
the crowd, such was their delight. The phrase
“CORRECTION TO SCORE” appeared on the
scoreboard, followed by a long pause and then - the
words…..
EVERTON 2 SUNDERLAND 0
This was no doubt a little Jimmy Hill trick, but as we
were the ones to be relegated if Sunderland hadn’t
lost after all, the word “Correction” caused a moment
of panic for those of us who spotted it.
The controversy sparked by this event lasted for a
while, but accusations of skullduggery against Hill,
who was back at the club as Managing Director at the
time, were wide of the mark. There were genuine
crowd problems outside the ground and it was a wise
decision to delay the game. In any event, the
Coventry game could easily have been the night
AFTER the Sunderland game, and nobody would
have complained then. But the draw would still have
been the obvious solution to both teams from the start
of the game, not just the last ten minutes. In any
case, I really don’t see why Sunderland fans
remember the occasion with such bitterness. All their
team had to do was draw to stay up, and they failed.

Hello, because they cheated perhaps?

 

[hertsmackem]

I was there, we were well beaten that night. No excuses for delaying the kick off though but it's history now...

 

[Joe Baker]

I have a picture in my mind of Bob Latchford soaring to score his trademark header against us that night. I might be wrong on that...but we didn't perform as far as I recall, despite the backing of a noisy SAFC contingent. Went from Manchester with a lad called Dudley if I remember rightly

The pain has dulled over the years, but it's still there.....and the corruption at the FA continues - see their dealings with the SAFC women's team.

 

[prideofhylton]

Sunderland have cheated on more than one occasion. How often do you mention this?

Name me one

 

[Forty]

How come it seems Coventry get the stick but Bristol city don’t seem to? Because of Jimmy Hill being the chief orchestrator of it all?

Oh i think the same about Bristol City.
Was gutted when we signed Tom Ritchie

 

[GMac]

First time I ever cried over Football....Well I was a Yungun at the time....Ha'way The Lads!!!

 

[Lo Ursem]

just found this thread. I was at Highfield Road that night, and I recorded the event in my book "Birth of The Sky Blues" as follows:-
UNLUCKY BLACK CATS
The authorities now ensure that all the games are played on the
same day and that all games kick off at the same
time, so no one team gains an advantage by knowing
exactly what it has to do to succeed. This is a fairly
recent innovation, and prior to this arrangement
postponed final games were played on different
nights at the end of the season, the result being that
the last team to play had a distinct advantage. On
one famous (infamous?) occasion in May 1977, this
was, by sheer chance, not the case and the teams
facing relegation all had their final games kicking off
on the same night at 7.30 p.m. The teams in question
were Sunderland, Bristol City and Coventry. The table
was a statistician’s delight (In 1977 two points for a
win and three up/three down): -

Played Points

WEST HAM 42 36
SUNDERLAND 41 34
BRISTOL C 41 34
----------------------------------------------------------------------
COVENTRY 41 34
STOKE 42 34
SPURS 42 33
Intriguingly, Coventry were at home to relegation
rivals Bristol City. Sunderland were away to Everton,
and if they won or drew they survived, with the winner
of the other game also staying up. If the Coventry
game ended in a draw with Sunderland avoiding
defeat, then Coventry would take the drop. Even a
small defeat for Sunderland would still see them safe,
unless the other game ended in a draw, in which
event they would be relegated.
When I reached the ground at 7.20, I was amazed
to see Swan Lane heaving with people queuing to get
in, and it was clear that Bristol had brought an army
of support. At 7.30, I was still outside and heard that
the game had been put back by 15 minutes. I just
about made the kick-off. City took the lead before half
time through Tommy Hutchinson and he increased it
midway through the second half. This goal had totally
the wrong effect on Bristol (from our point of view)
and they started playing out of their skins to hit back
immediately and then, with 15 minutes to go, they
equalised, which put us into the relegation slot. Bristol
had momentum with them now and pressed forward
for the winner. City seemed to have shot their bolt,
and we started to feel sick to our stomachs.
Then, with about 10 minutes to go, the final score
from Goodison was flashed up on the electronic
scoreboard at the Kop end. Everton had beaten
Sunderland 1-0 and a draw at Highfield Road would
keep Coventry and Bristol up. Both sets of supporters
inside Highfield Road went crazy! The teams had also
noticed the announcement, and they knew a draw
would keep them both safe, and now started the most
bizarre few minutes of football I have ever witnessed,
with the ball being kicked from one team to the other
in the middle third of the pitch to the wild cheers of
the crowd. After the final whistle, something
happened which I am sure wasn’t spotted by some of
the crowd, such was their delight. The phrase
“CORRECTION TO SCORE” appeared on the
scoreboard, followed by a long pause and then - the
words…..
EVERTON 2 SUNDERLAND 0
This was no doubt a little Jimmy Hill trick, but as we
were the ones to be relegated if Sunderland hadn’t
lost after all, the word “Correction” caused a moment
of panic for those of us who spotted it.
The controversy sparked by this event lasted for a
while, but accusations of skullduggery against Hill,
who was back at the club as Managing Director at the
time, were wide of the mark. There were genuine
crowd problems outside the ground and it was a wise
decision to delay the game. In any event, the
Coventry game could easily have been the night
AFTER the Sunderland game, and nobody would
have complained then. But the draw would still have
been the obvious solution to both teams from the start
of the game, not just the last ten minutes. In any
case, I really don’t see why Sunderland fans
remember the occasion with such bitterness. All their
team had to do was draw to stay up, and they failed.

No doubt you will recall the remarkable events that kept Coventry up in 1985 and relegated Norwich. If I was a Norwich fan I would be just as gutted.

just found this thread. I was at Highfield Road that night, and I recorded the event in my book "Birth of The Sky Blues" as follows:-
UNLUCKY BLACK CATS
The authorities now ensure that all the games are played on the
same day and that all games kick off at the same
time, so no one team gains an advantage by knowing
exactly what it has to do to succeed. This is a fairly
recent innovation, and prior to this arrangement
postponed final games were played on different
nights at the end of the season, the result being that
the last team to play had a distinct advantage. On
one famous (infamous?) occasion in May 1977, this
was, by sheer chance, not the case and the teams
facing relegation all had their final games kicking off
on the same night at 7.30 p.m. The teams in question
were Sunderland, Bristol City and Coventry. The table
was a statistician’s delight (In 1977 two points for a
win and three up/three down): -

Played Points

WEST HAM 42 36
SUNDERLAND 41 34
BRISTOL C 41 34
----------------------------------------------------------------------
COVENTRY 41 34
STOKE 42 34
SPURS 42 33
Intriguingly, Coventry were at home to relegation
rivals Bristol City. Sunderland were away to Everton,
and if they won or drew they survived, with the winner
of the other game also staying up. If the Coventry
game ended in a draw with Sunderland avoiding
defeat, then Coventry would take the drop. Even a
small defeat for Sunderland would still see them safe,
unless the other game ended in a draw, in which
event they would be relegated.
When I reached the ground at 7.20, I was amazed
to see Swan Lane heaving with people queuing to get
in, and it was clear that Bristol had brought an army
of support. At 7.30, I was still outside and heard that
the game had been put back by 15 minutes. I just
about made the kick-off. City took the lead before half
time through Tommy Hutchinson and he increased it
midway through the second half. This goal had totally
the wrong effect on Bristol (from our point of view)
and they started playing out of their skins to hit back
immediately and then, with 15 minutes to go, they
equalised, which put us into the relegation slot. Bristol
had momentum with them now and pressed forward
for the winner. City seemed to have shot their bolt,
and we started to feel sick to our stomachs.
Then, with about 10 minutes to go, the final score
from Goodison was flashed up on the electronic
scoreboard at the Kop end. Everton had beaten
Sunderland 1-0 and a draw at Highfield Road would
keep Coventry and Bristol up. Both sets of supporters
inside Highfield Road went crazy! The teams had also
noticed the announcement, and they knew a draw
would keep them both safe, and now started the most
bizarre few minutes of football I have ever witnessed,
with the ball being kicked from one team to the other
in the middle third of the pitch to the wild cheers of
the crowd. After the final whistle, something
happened which I am sure wasn’t spotted by some of
the crowd, such was their delight. The phrase
“CORRECTION TO SCORE” appeared on the
scoreboard, followed by a long pause and then - the
words…..
EVERTON 2 SUNDERLAND 0
This was no doubt a little Jimmy Hill trick, but as we
were the ones to be relegated if Sunderland hadn’t
lost after all, the word “Correction” caused a moment
of panic for those of us who spotted it.
The controversy sparked by this event lasted for a
while, but accusations of skullduggery against Hill,
who was back at the club as Managing Director at the
time, were wide of the mark. There were genuine
crowd problems outside the ground and it was a wise
decision to delay the game. In any event, the
Coventry game could easily have been the night
AFTER the Sunderland game, and nobody would
have complained then. But the draw would still have
been the obvious solution to both teams from the start
of the game, not just the last ten minutes. In any
case, I really don’t see why Sunderland fans
remember the occasion with such bitterness. All their
team had to do was draw to stay up, and they failed.

 

[Ron Osmond]

No doubt Jimmy Hill also arranged all those three victories that kept Coventry up in 1985.

 

[Cat 3]

Bit of a sticky one for me to comment on, I agree with you all that Hills actions were wrong and it was definitely cheating.

With that being said, if you were in our position, 15 minutes left and you needed a draw. If you didn't play for the draw, tried to score and ended up conceding, and going down.

To this day you would still be talking about the 'f***ing idiots' in 77 that only had to draw with 15 minutes left and the other results finished, but still managed to go down.

I'm not saying it's all Coventry and not us (although it sort of was), but with 15 minutes to go and relegation on the line I would bet my house on every other team in the league doing the same.

to be honest i've never had a problem with bristol city or coventry fans or players. i've always solely blamed Hill as the cheat and the hypocrite

 

[Eggman]

to be honest i've never had a problem with bristol city or coventry fans or players. i've always solely blamed Hill as the cheat and the hypocrite

What makes it worse is he used to use his platform as MOTD presenter to be the self appointed “voice of football” ….. the bastard

 

[Chewit]

Freedom of Information Request ? I am not legally minded , but there are still so many unanswered questions , would it be possible to prepare such a request . The FA , Coventry and Sunderland will hold information to confirm - who , where and when was the decision made to delay the Coventry game . At what time was the Coventry referee informed of the delay , did he inform the Everton referee , if not , why not ? When did the Everton referee first find out the Coventry game was delayed ?Who arranged for the Sunderland score to be announced over the Coventry tannoy .Why did the Coventry referee allow the final 15 minutes of the game be played with the teams simply passing the ball to each other .
Who authorised Jimmy Hill to be part the inquiry , when he was the Coventry chairman ? From the evidence held why no sanctions against Coventry and Bristol
I intend writing to the FA , Sunderland and Coventry asking for answers , and copies of any information they hold . However anybody prepared to try the Freedom of information route , please see what can be achieved .
For those who remember Jimmy Hill from his Match of the Day career .He played from 49 to 61 .Then chairman of the PFA , in 1961 he successfully campaigned to end the maximum wage . Coventry managing director in 75 , in 77 when this game was played he was Coventry chairman . He had immense influence , numerous favours to be called in , and close contacts in the corridors of power
questions still need to be answered , how as chairman of Coventry the game was delayed , tannoy announcement made , then he sits on the inquiry in to his own clubs actions .
We were cheated , then denied natural justice .

Seriously my friend you want to let it go. No one died. It was just the way it was back then. There was no accountability, no transparency in all walks of life compared to now.
To give you some context I was at the Norwich game the Saturday before, I had seen what would have been the most glorious of great escapes with the introduction of Arnott, Rowell and Elliott, I was there in that unforgettable 3 weeks of home games v Bristol City, Boro, West Brom and West Ham, I know where I was when the results came through on the night in question. So Iam emotionally engaged.

We make a bigger issue of it now then we did then and that’s the truth of it. People forget that 3 years later we played West Ham in the match we had to win to get promoted. Two days after West Ham had won the cup and were pissed and wanted Pop Robson to get promoted. Everyone else had finished their season.
That night we could only beat ourselves and the tension was palpable. But it was one big party to West Ham.
Imagine being a Chelsea fan that night. They had to endure 90 minutes of competitive injustice we had 15 minutes. It was just the times. It don’t change what Jimmy Hill was, there is no argument there, and that we were dealt an injustice but the rules in those days were so lax games were being thrown all over the place, sometimes in our favour.
Hill thought he was clever, but he was just a cheat. Long dead as should be any emotion we have over the night in question

 

[Wrenthorpe Mackem]

Time to move on ?

 

[DrewC]

After the roller coaster game at Norwich, we headed into the last game of the season to Goodison Park. We took another huge following to this game, to put things in context Everton's previous 2 games had attracted 20102 and 24000 respectively but there were 36,075 at Goodison that night including around 10,000 Sunderland fans.

After a terrible start to the season (Played 23 9 points), we were top of the form table the previous 16 games W9 D7 L2.

Coventry were playing Bristol City the same night and the situation was very close. All 3 teams were level on the same points, with Coventry having the worst goal difference. So Bristol City and ourselves both needed a draw and Coventry were in the biggest danger of relegation.

For our part, a draw would be enough, or a defeat would even be ok if there was a decisive result in the other game.
It's quite clear that Jimmy Hill had pre-planned their game to kick off late, in those days it was extremely rare for a game to be delayed.

But delayed by 15 minutes it was.

So we kicked off at Everton but sadly the occasion seemed to get to the players and we froze on the night, losing 2-0 to goals from Latchford and Rioch.

The real drama of the night was at Highfield Road though. Coventry had gone 1-0 up and at half time it looked as if Bristol City were going down. Even more so when coventry went 2-0 up in the second half.

Bristol got one back and laid siege to the coventry goal, and equalised to bring the scores level. Bristol City continued to dominate and were looking like they might score again, which would potentially relegate the home side.

Meanwhile due to our game kicking off on time, it had finished and we had lost 2-0.

Hill then arranged for our score to be announced on the tannoy and shown on the scoreboard, this was very unusual at the time.

What then happened was an absolute disgrace as the sides made a mockery of football by not even trying. The Bristol City goalkeeper and defenders just passed the ball between themselves and the coventry players did not even try to get the ball.

A farcical end to the season and the tv pictures of the coventry and Bristol City players told you all you needed to know.

An inquiry was ordered into the events and bizarrely Jimmy Hill was part of the inquiry. Think of an accused man sitting on the jury of his trial and that's a good comparison.

Coventry were charged and found guilty of influencing a game by erroneous or foul means but although they were found guilty the result was allowed to stand and we were relegated in highly controversial fashion.

An absolute disgrace and for me one that I'll never forgive or forget. I'll hate the sky blue filth until they, or I, die and I'm hoping they will go first.

Ironically a few years later West Germany and Austria played out a tame 1-1 draw in the 1982 World Cup, this result allowed both teams to go through at the expense of Algeria whose game had finished. Hill then had the nerve to complain about the antics of both sides. Pot. Kettle. Black.

That you for the post the younger SMBers need to be reminded and I do not buy that was 43 years ago it still feels like our club was set back because of the damage it inflicted on our club….

Seriously my friend you want to let it go. No one died. It was just the way it was back then. There was no accountability, no transparency in all walks of life compared to now.
To give you some context I was at the Norwich game the Saturday before, I had seen what would have been the most glorious of great escapes with the introduction of Arnott, Rowell and Elliott, I was there in that unforgettable 3 weeks of home games v Bristol City, Boro, West Brom and West Ham, I know where I was when the results came through on the night in question. So Iam emotionally engaged.

We make a bigger issue of it now then we did then and that’s the truth of it. People forget that 3 years later we played West Ham in the match we had to win to get promoted. Two days after West Ham had won the cup and were pissed and wanted Pop Robson to get promoted. Everyone else had finished their season.
That night we could only beat ourselves and the tension was palpable. But it was one big party to West Ham.
Imagine being a Chelsea fan that night. They had to endure 90 minutes of competitive injustice we had 15 minutes. It was just the times. It don’t change what Jimmy Hill was, there is no argument there, and that we were dealt an injustice but the rules in those days were so lax games were being thrown all over the place, sometimes in our favour.
Hill thought he was clever, but he was just a cheat. Long dead as should be any emotion we have over the night in question

You’re wrong that night we beat anyone…..

 

[Chewit]

That you for the post the younger SMBers need to be reminded and I do not buy that was 43 years ago it still feels like our club was set back because of the damage it inflicted on our club….

You’re wrong that night we beat anyone…..

We did don’t get relegated by one result alone. Stokoe was never a top division manager and so it proved. Took ages to get over the managerial change.
Failure to invest in quality after the FACup win was our down fall. It took 3 young lads to kick start the season.
Then Adamson left early next season and another uncertain period took over
15 minutes of Coventry snd Bristol playing keepie up was not the reason we fell shor as a club. That was all to do with owners, investment snd managers

 

[Lo Ursem]

No doubt Jimmy Hill also arranged all those three victories that kept Coventry up in 1985.

Now now ... I did not suggest that .. just broadening the debate and paying tribute to Coventry's well earned reputation as the team who continually cheated ( ok perhaps that word cheated is not apt ) relegation.
Funnily enough, we never made too much of it at the time. It is mainly the fault of social media that the desperately disappointing end to our 76 77 season has gained more and more publicity over the years and in doing so manufactured an artificial rivalry with yourselves.
There were 42 games in a season then. Any club who had not guaranteed safety by their 41st game must have been aware that they would be leaving themselves open to forces outside their control. And one of those forces was the 1977 FA cup final when Bristol City and West Ham benefitted on the Monday night before the Thursday Highfield Road farce.
Anyhow, Jimmy Hill did his best to defend us back in 1957 when the illegal payments scandal broke. But that is another story ...

We did don’t get relegated by one result alone. Stokoe was never a top division manager and so it proved. Took ages to get over the managerial change.
Failure to invest in quality after the FACup win was our down fall. It took 3 young lads to kick start the season.
Then Adamson left early next season and another uncertain period took over
15 minutes of Coventry snd Bristol playing keepie up was not the reason we fell shor as a club. That was all to do with owners, investment snd managers

Agreed. Why buy Train and Greenwood who were essentially no better than what we already had and then when promotion was achieved no close season buys were made.
Take out the trade with ex or present Newcastle players, the windfall acquisitions of the magnificent Towers and dependable Clarke through part excgange deals and of course the fantastic bargain that Vic Halom and who is remaining ? Belfitt, Holton, Lee, Longhorn etc ....
I have downloaded the book. Ron Osmond's all time favourite memory of Highfield Road is an evening fifth round FA cup tie between Third Division Coventry and Second Division Sunderland back in 1963.

 

[70s traveller]

I wasn't at the SAFC game, but what an utterly sickening outcome ater our earlier form pick up.

somewhereI wasn't at the SAFC game, but what an utterly sickening outcome ater our earlier form pick up.

tbf it wasn't that night's results that did for us, it was earlier games when a single goal scored or not conceded somewhere to get us a point could have done it.

 

[Lo Ursem]

I wasn't at the SAFC game, but what an utterly sickening outcome ater our earlier form pick up.

tbf it wasn't that night's results that did for us, it was earlier games when a single goal scored or not conceded somewhere to get us a point could have done it.

I remember we were robbed in a midweek match at Man City. The Mags scored a last minute equaliser on Good Friday. Ifs buts and maybes. What was unfortunate however .. in winter the pools panel sat 3 times during our terrible run and all 3 times we played and lost. Now had those games been held back ....

 

[TOONDOON]

Hill,a twat indeed a thief a bandit corrupt **** of a man oh and a liar .

You omitted pointy chinned **** out of your description.

I don't think Sunderland fans have ever really blamed Bristol City for their part in the debacle. You're absolutely right that any club, including Sunderland, would have done the same when presented with the knowledge that was made available. The thing we hate is Jimmy Hill's actions in this - he clearly violated the integrity of football, yet he presented himself as a paragon of virtue with the game's interests at heart. An obnoxious person in every way imaginable. But we should have taken care of business ourselves and not lost at Everton to even allow the farce to develop.

It would have been even more intriguing if Coventry had still been winning when the final score at Everton came through. I wonder if they would have then allowed Bristol City to equalise? I know we were losing when news came through of your equaliser and, the way we were playing at Goodison, the realisation quickly set in that we were down before the game ended - we kept hoping that you'd score a third one, but we all knew there was no point, as we certainly didn't look like getting an equaliser, and then Everton scored the second goal in the last minute and it was all over.

After the euphoria of our draw at Norwich on the Saturday, we just didn't get started and Everton won because they could, not because they really went hard at it. A truly horrible day.

We didn't play well on the night but as others have said what chinny did that night was abysmal.

 

[Ghfd]

If three points for a win, we’re available then, would Safc have still gone down ?

 

[Exapno Mapcase]

We did don’t get relegated by one result alone. Stokoe was never a top division manager and so it proved. Took ages to get over the managerial change.
Failure to invest in quality after the FACup win was our down fall. It took 3 young lads to kick start the season.
Then Adamson left early next season and another uncertain period took over
15 minutes of Coventry snd Bristol playing keepie up was not the reason we fell shor as a club. That was all to do with owners, investment snd managers

I think a lot of the ire was with Hill who pontifcated about fair play and all the rest of it but he pulled a stroke and was always getting away with it because he was part of the blazer club.

I keep my petulant childish dislike of Coventry (though relented in 1987 because of Nick Pickering and Cyril Regis). Football thrives on these gripes. It's funny that Bristol City have had none of the stick all these years.

Sometime in the 80s I turned the telly on and there was an Open University programme using the game to explain something - risk I imagine. Would love to see that and how they presented it.

Your summary of how things were managed at the club then can't be argued with. As so often is the case, we didn't build on momentum - we did it again when Reid was here and have a chance to reverse that trend this summer.