# 1998–99 Coventry City F.C. season

During the 1998–99 English football season, Coventry City competed in the FA Premier League.

## Season summary

Coventry City finished 15th in the Premiership – four places lower than last season – but were never in any real danger of being relegated, despite the loss of key striker Dion Dublin to local rivals Aston Villa.
The biggest news of Coventry's season was the announcement of a move to a new 45,000-seat stadium at Foleshill, which was anticipated to be ready by 2002. Manager Gordon Strachan then signed Moroccan international football star Mustapha Hadji, knowing that it would be important to have a top quality team to match the forthcoming new home.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 13 | Newcastle United | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 48 | 54 | −6 | 46 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 14 | Everton | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 47 | −5 | 43 | |
| 15 | Coventry City | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 42 | |
| 16 | Wimbledon | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 40 | 63 | −23 | 42 | |
| 17 | Southampton | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 37 | 64 | −27 | 41 | |
* ↑ As Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: 1998-99 FA Premier League table

### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | L | D | L | L | L | D | L | W | L | L | W | W | L | D | L | L | D | D | L | W | L | W | D | L | L | W | W | D | L | W | W | L | L | L | W | D | D |
| Position | 2 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 |

## Results

Coventry City's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 15 August 1998 | Chelsea | H | 2–1 | 23,042 | Huckerby, Dublin |
| 22 August 1998 | Nottingham Forest | A | 0–1 | 22,546 | |
| 29 August 1998 | West Ham United | H | 0–0 | 20,818 | |
| 9 September 1998 | Liverpool | A | 0–2 | 41,771 | |
| 12 September 1998 | Manchester United | A | 0–2 | 55,193 | |
| 19 September 1998 | Newcastle United | H | 1–5 | 22,656 | Whelan |
| 26 September 1998 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–1 | 20,043 | Whelan |
| 3 October 1998 | Aston Villa | H | 1–2 | 22,654 | Soltvedt |
| 18 October 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–0 | 16,006 | Dublin |
| 24 October 1998 | Southampton | A | 1–2 | 15,152 | Dublin |
| 31 October 1998 | Arsenal | H | 0–1 | 23,040 | |
| 7 November 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–1 | 23,779 | Huckerby, Whelan |
| 15 November 1998 | Everton | H | 3–0 | 19,290 | Froggatt, Huckerby, Whelan |
| 21 November 1998 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–2 | 34,293 | |
| 28 November 1998 | Leicester City | H | 1–1 | 19,894 | Huckerby |
| 5 December 1998 | Wimbledon | A | 1–2 | 11,717 | McAllister (pen) |
| 14 December 1998 | Leeds United | A | 0–2 | 31,802 | |
| 19 December 1998 | Derby County | H | 1–1 | 16,627 | Whelan |
| 26 December 1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–1 | 23,098 | Aloisi |
| 28 December 1998 | West Ham United | A | 0–2 | 25,662 | |
| 9 January 1999 | Nottingham Forest | H | 4–0 | 17,172 | Huckerby (3), Telfer |
| 16 January 1999 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 34,869 | Huckerby |
| 30 January 1999 | Liverpool | H | 2–1 | 23,056 | Boateng, Whelan |
| 6 February 1999 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–0 | 34,376 | |
| 17 February 1999 | Newcastle United | A | 1–4 | 36,352 | Whelan |
| 20 February 1999 | Manchester United | H | 0–1 | 22,596 | |
| 27 February 1999 | Aston Villa | A | 4–1 | 38,799 | Aloisi (2), Boateng (2) |
| 6 March 1999 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–1 | 20,259 | Whelan, Soltvedt |
| 13 March 1999 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–1 | 19,701 | Aloisi |
| 20 March 1999 | Arsenal | A | 0–2 | 38,073 | |
| 3 April 1999 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 2–1 | 28,136 | McAllister (pen), Whelan |
| 5 April 1999 | Southampton | H | 1–0 | 21,402 | Boateng |
| 11 April 1999 | Everton | A | 0–2 | 32,341 | |
| 17 April 1999 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–2 | 19,231 | McAllister |
| 24 April 1999 | Leicester City | A | 0–1 | 20,224 | |
| 1 May 1999 | Wimbledon | H | 2–1 | 21,200 | Huckerby, Whelan |
| 8 May 1999 | Derby County | A | 0–0 | 32,450 | |
| 16 May 1999 | Leeds United | H | 2–2 | 23,049 | Aloisi, Telfer |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 2 January 1999 | Macclesfield Town | H | 7–0 | 14,197 | Froggatt, Whelan, Payne (own goal), Huckerby (3), Boateng |
| R4 | 23 January 1999 | Leicester City | A | 3–0 | 21,207 | Whelan, Froggatt, Telfer |
| R5 | 13 February 1999 | Everton | A | 1–2 | 33,907 | McAllister |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st Leg | 16 September 1998 | Southend United | H | 1–0 | 6,631 | Hall |
| R2 2nd Leg | 22 September 1998 | Southend United | A | 4–0 (won 5–0 on agg) | 6,292 | Boateng, Dublin, Whelan, Soltvedt |
| R3 | 27 October 1998 | Luton Town | A | 0–2 | 9,051 | |

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | SWE | Magnus Hedman |
| 2 | DF | SWE | Roland Nilsson |
| 3 | DF | ENG | David Burrows |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Paul Williams |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Richard Shaw |
| 6 | DF | IRL | Gary Breen |
| 7 | FW | ENG | Darren Huckerby |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Noel Whelan |
| 9 | DF | BIH | Muhamed Konjić |
| 10 | MF | SCO | Gary McAllister (captain) |
| 11 | MF | NED | George Boateng |
| 12 | MF | SCO | Paul Telfer |
| 13 | FW | ITA | Stefano Gioacchini |
| 14 | MF | NOR | Trond Egil Soltvedt |
| 15 | FW | JAM | Paul Hall |
| 16 | GK | ENG | Steve Ogrizovic |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Ian Brightwell |
| 18 | DF | BEL | Philippe Clement |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Marcus Hall |
| 20 | MF | SCO | Gavin Strachan |
| 21 | FW | ENG | Andy Ducros |
| 22 | MF | BEL | Laurent Delorge |
| 23 | GK | AUS | Tynan Scope |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 24 | DF | IRL | Liam Daish |
| 25 | MF | IRL | Willie Boland |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Steve Froggatt |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Marc Edworthy |
| 28 | FW | AUS | John Aloisi |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Sam Shilton |
| 30 | DF | IRL | Barry Quinn |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Chris Barnett |
| 32 | MF | ENG | John Eustace |
| 33 | DF | ENG | Mark Burrows |
| 34 | DF | ENG | Richard Colwell |
| 35 | FW | IRL | Martin Devaney |
| 36 | DF | ENG | Jamie Williams |
| 37 | FW | ENG | Craig Faulconbridge |
| 38 | DF | IRL | Barry Prenderville |
| 39 | MF | ENG | Rob Miller |
| 40 | FW | ENG | Gary McSheffrey |
| 41 | MF | SCO | Craig Strachan |
| 42 | FW | ENG | Chukki Eribenne |
| 43 | GK | ENG | Chris Kirkland |
| 44 | DF | ENG | Craig Pead |
| 45 | DF | SCO | Gerard Mooney |
| 46 | FW | SCO | Stephen McPhee |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Dion Dublin (to Aston Villa) |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Darren Jackson (on loan from Celtic) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 13 | DF | FRA | Jean-Guy Wallemme (to Sochaux) |
| 22 | FW | WAL | Simon Haworth (to Wigan Athletic) |

### Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | GK | DEN | Morten Hyldgaard |
| - | DF | IRL | Barry Ferguson |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | MF | ENG | Robert Betts |
| - | MF | IRL | Daire Doyle |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
| 4 June 1998 | DF | Jean-Guy Wallemme | RC Lens | Undisclosed |
| 1 August 1998 | DF | Robert Jarni | Real Betis | £2,600,000 |
| 7 August 1998 | FW | Paul Hall | Portsmouth | £300,000 |
| 26 August 1998 | DF | Marc Edworthy | Crystal Palace | £1,200,000 |
| 1 October 1998 | MF | Steve Froggatt | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £1,900,000 |
| 12 October 1998 | MF | Laurent Delorge | Gent | £1,250,000 |
| 17 December 1998 | FW | John Aloisi | Portsmouth | £650,000 |
| 30 December 1998 | GK | Morten Hyldgaard | Ikast FS | £200,000 |
| 13 January 1999 | DF | Muhamed Konjić | AS Monaco | £2,000,000 |
| 28 May 1999 | MF | Youssef Chippo | Porto | £1,200,000 |

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee |
| 8 July 1998 | MF | John Salako | Fulham | Free transfer |
| 16 July 1998 | FW | Viorel Moldovan | Fenerbahçe | £4,000,000 |
| 15 August 1998 | DF | Robert Jarni | Real Madrid | £3,400,000 |
| 2 October 1998 | FW | Simon Haworth | Wigan Athletic | £600,000 |
| 5 November 1998 | FW | Dion Dublin | Aston Villa | £5,750,000 |
| 30 December 1998 | DF | Jean-Guy Wallemme | Sochaux | £400,000 |
    Transfers in: £11,300,000
    Transfers out: £14,150,000
    Total spending: £2,850,000

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | SWE | Magnus Hedman | 42 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | GK | ENG | Steve Ogrizovic | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | SWE | Roland Nilsson | 30 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | David Burrows | 28 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Paul Williams | 26 | 0 | 20+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Richard Shaw | 43 | 0 | 36+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | IRL | Gary Breen | 28 | 0 | 21+4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | DF | BIH | Muhamed Konjić | 4 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | SCO | Paul Telfer | 37 | 3 | 30+2 | 2 | 0+3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Ian Brightwell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | BEL | Philippe Clement | 16 | 0 | 6+6 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | ENG | Marcus Hall | 6 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Marc Edworthy | 23 | 0 | 16+6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Sam Shilton | 8 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | IRL | Barry Quinn | 8 | 0 | 6+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 10 | MF | SCO | Gary McAllister | 33 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | NED | George Boateng | 38 | 6 | 29+3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 14 | MF | NOR | Trond Egil Soltvedt | 33 | 3 | 21+6 | 2 | 2+1 | 0 | 0+3 | 1 |
| 20 | MF | SCO | Gavin Strachan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | IRL | Willie Boland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | ENG | Steve Froggatt | 26 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 7 | FW | ENG | Darren Huckerby | 39 | 12 | 31+3 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | ENG | Noel Whelan | 36 | 13 | 31 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | ITA | Stefano Gioacchini | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | JAM | Paul Hall | 11 | 1 | 2+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 28 | FW | AUS | John Aloisi | 18 | 5 | 7+9 | 5 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | FW | ENG | Gary McSheffrey | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who left the club during the season ||||||||||||
| 9 | FW | ENG | Dion Dublin | 12 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Darren Jackson | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | FRA | Jean-Guy Wallemme | 8 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | WAL | Simon Haworth | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |