Newcastle v Coventry City: Preview, Not Review!

By CCFC Sid
January 28 2005

OK, so it's not a foregone conclusion, but only somebody looking to pay off their mortgage would bet that CCFC would come away from St. James Park still in the F.A. Cup (Latest odds, as revealed on CWR, is 8 to 1!!).

3,000+ CCFC fans will be travelling to watch the underdogs of Coventry City play the under-achievers that are Newcastle (It would have been more had more tickets been available), in what might be Alan Shearer's last chance of winning Silverware with his favourite club. Let's hope we can deny him that wish....

Sadly, Bellamy-baiting, the reason a fair few people were going in the first place, looks to be off the menu, with the unpopular (Under-statement!) seemingly having played his last game for the club. Birmingham City, who seemingly haven't read stories concerning him over the last five years, are the latest club to offer £6 million for him, in a bid to bring him back to the Midlands ("Six" appears to be the number of this beast, with CCFC, Newcastle, and Brum paying said amount!).

Staunton versus Bellamy would have been a mis-match made in CCFC hell, though CB's replacement, should Staunton be selected, will possibly enjoy just as enjoyable a game....

With CCFC's liking for gifting the opposition at least one goal, the task of scoring two or more past Shay Given (Or whoever is selected) looks ominous. Some would say, with Titus Bramble in the Newcastle defence, we might be gifted a goal too though!! He was supposed to have improved when Boumsong was signed, but the ex-Rangers man has booked a spell on the NU treatment table - hopefully to CCFC's advantage. Our liking for missing gilt-edged chances needs to be abandoned for at least a day....

As debut matches go (As Mickey Adams officially took over AFTER the QPR match, so this is his CCFC managerial debut!), they don't get a lot nastier than this, and a repeat of our last but one managers 6-1 away victory in his first match looking as likely as Graeme Souness and Craig Bellamy still being on each others Christmas Card list!

Our (Fairly) recent record away at Newcastle makes depressing reading, having been beaten in six out of our last seven visits (Premiership), while our last journey up there in the F.A. Cup resulted in a 2-0 defeat (And our previous F.A. Cup visit there, a replay, seeing CCFC on the wrong end of a 5-0 hammering).

Our last away victory at St. James Park was a 3-0 victory in the 1988/89 season, which was one of five positive results in six away matches there between 1977/78 and the 1984/85 to 1988/89 seasons.

One final statistic, that also makes depressing reading, is the fact that in four cup ties against Premiership opposition since CCFC were relegated, CCFC have failed to score a goal! (Losing 0-3 to Middlesboro (LC), 0-2 to Chelsea (LC), and 0-2 against Spurs (In both the League and F.A. Cup)).

If the players can show as much pride in wearing the badge as CCFC fans did in keeping it, a cup shock is maybe not the impossible task it might seem - IF!!