February 18 2010

The Football League

Crystal Palace and Coventry City have faced each other in all divisions of the football pyramid and competitions, writes Simon Pophale.

Of the 46 matches in the League, we have been victorious 14 times, Coventry 13 and with 19 draws, Coventry have been robust opponents over the years.

The statistics couldn’t be tighter and there have been some flighty highs but also the pits of despair against the Sky Blues.

Division Four

The 1958/59 season was the very first of the Fourth Division, due to both clubs finishing in the lower half of Division Three South the previous season.

Coventry made light work of this division, finishing runners-up to Port Vale while we ended up in 7th place. A 1-1 draw at Selhurst in November 1958 means that we never lost in the basement division against Coventry.

Division Three

We joined Coventry in Division Three in 1961 and once again under this banner, we never lost a game. For three seasons (1961/62, 62/63 and 63/64) we managed three draws (2-2, 0-0 and 1-1). Both clubs also finished very close in the league, culminating in 1964 when Coventry won the Division Three title on goal difference from us.

Division Two

As Coventry and Crystal Palace rose through the divisions through the 1950s and 1960s, we had two spells of meeting Coventry. The 1960s brought three seasons again (1964/65, 65/66 and 66/67) until Coventry won Division Two under Jimmy Hill and our record was poor, with no victories and two draws at home.

Our first spell came in 1921/22 after our winning Division Three the previous season. Our home record was again very good, with three draws and one win, between 1921/22 and 1924/25.

Sadly at the end of the 1924/25 season, both clubs would finish in the bottom two places, which meant that the 1925/26 season saw the clubs fall into the newly formed and regionalised Division Three, with Coventry going into the Northern section and Palace, the Southern.

Division Three (South)

Coventry did something back in 1926 that is unthinkable; they switched divisions! After finishing 14th in 1925/26, Coventry clearly fancied their chances more (as well as possibly reduced travelling times) in the Southern section.

So for 10 seasons from 1926/27 to 1935/36 we faced each other and we came out on top, with six wins, one draw and only three defeats at Selhurst.

Our 3-1 win in 1936 would be the last time the clubs would meet for 16 years, which is the longest break between the sides in the last 90 years. It was a poignant victory too, as Coventry would only suffer eight more as they won the Division Three South title.

Coventry’s relegation from Division Two in 1951/52 saw us resume hostilities with the Sky Blues and for the next 6 seasons under the name Division Three South. This period brought us success again with four wins and two draws at Selhurst, the best was a 3-0 win in 1955/56.

Division One

Coventry’s ascension into the top flight in1967 saw them remain there for 34 years. While we just a couple of years behind them in terms of promotions, our top flight stays were much shorter.

We arrived in 1969 and the team that Noel Cantwell managed were highly successful, with a UEFA Cup appearance in 1970/71. We struggled in our four season sojourn against Coventry at home and only one draw and three defeats showed the difference in quality between the clubs at the time.

Our second appearance in the top flight was no better; two games at home, one draw and a defeat but no goals saw our poor record against Coventry continue.

Season 1989/90 would see Coventry come for the first home match on a Saturday in our Division One return and it was another disappointing affair. After holding Manchester United to a draw in midweek, Brian Kilcline netted the winner on a disappointing day.

We finally managed a victory against Coventry in the top flight with a 2-1 win the following season, but in 1991/92 we lost again by a single goal. The top flight rebranding, would bring us even more misery against Coventry.

Premiership/Premier League

Some of the worst matches ever against Coventry came in the Premiership. A drab 0-0 draw in 1992/93 was a highlight while our 2-0 defeat in 1995/96 was simply one of the worst matches I can remember. It tipped down with rain; we conceded two poor goals to Dion Dublin and Cobi Jones and my programme disintegrated in the wet.

Season 1997/98 went one better, we lost 3-0 and the most memorable aspect of this match was a miss by Viorel Moldovan which would have made the score even worse. After beating three players and rounding Kevin Miller (given his size, no mean feat); he side footed the ball wide with an empty goal in front of him.

League Division One/Championship

More rebranding and all of these matches have been in the new millennium. Two wins, one defeat and four draws, with the last meeting ending 1-1 with Aron Gunnarson putting Coventry ahead, only for our own youngster Kieran Cadogan made his own cameo with the equaliser.

Given the poor performances in midweek, both sides will want to bounce back. Will the Cookie crumble? Fingers crossed...