# 1996–97 Coventry City F.C. season

During the 1996–97 English football season, Coventry City F.C. competed in the FA Premier League.

## Season summary

Manager Ron Atkinson stepped up to the role of Director of Football at struggling Coventry City in early November, with assistant Gordon Strachan stepping up to the manager's seat. A good run of form saw Coventry climb to 11th place in January, but then a decline set in and defeat in the penultimate game of the season made Coventry's 30-year stay in the top flight appear to be over. However, with a win over Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of the season and losses for Sunderland and Middlesbrough, the Sky Blues pulled off a miraculous survival act to book themselves a 31st successive top flight campaign. The key player in the great escape act was striker Dion Dublin, who scored 14 Premier League goals to attract attention from several larger clubs and encourage calls for an international call-up from many observers.
However, Coventry only ultimately avoided relegation due to the three-point deduction imposed upon Middlesbrough, who had been penalised in mid-season for cancelling a fixture at short notice.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 15 | Everton | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 42 | |
| 16 | Southampton | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 41 | |
| 17 | Coventry City | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 38 | 54 | −16 | 41 | |
| 18 | Sunderland (R) | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 35 | 53 | −18 | 40 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 19 | Middlesbrough (R) | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 51 | 60 | −9 | 39 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
* ↑ Middlesbrough were docked three points for failing to fulfill their original fixture at Blackburn Rovers on 21 December 1996.

## Results

Coventry City's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 17 August 1996 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–3 | 19,468 | |
| 21 August 1996 | West Ham United | A | 1–1 | 21,580 | McAllister |
| 24 August 1996 | Chelsea | A | 0–2 | 25,024 | |
| 4 September 1996 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 23,021 | |
| 7 September 1996 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–4 | 29,811 | |
| 14 September 1996 | Leeds United | H | 2–1 | 17,297 | Salako, Whelan |
| 21 September 1996 | Sunderland | A | 0–1 | 19,459 | |
| 28 September 1996 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 0–0 | 17,032 | |
| 13 October 1996 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | 15,485 | Dublin |
| 19 October 1996 | Arsenal | A | 0–0 | 38,140 | |
| 26 October 1996 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 0–0 | 17,267 | |
| 4 November 1996 | Everton | A | 1–1 | 31,477 | McAllister |
| 16 November 1996 | Wimbledon | A | 2–2 | 10,307 | Whelan, Dublin |
| 23 November 1996 | Aston Villa | H | 1–2 | 21,340 | Dublin |
| 30 November 1996 | Derby County | A | 1–2 | 18,042 | Dublin |
| 7 December 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–2 | 19,675 | Whelan |
| 17 December 1996 | Newcastle United | H | 2–1 | 21,538 | Huckerby, McAllister |
| 21 December 1996 | Leicester City | A | 2–0 | 20,038 | Dublin (2) |
| 26 December 1996 | Leeds United | A | 3–1 | 36,465 | Huckerby, Dublin, McAllister (pen) |
| 28 December 1996 | Middlesbrough | H | 3–0 | 20,617 | Huckerby, McAllister (pen), Liddle (own goal) |
| 1 January 1997 | Sunderland | H | 2–2 | 17,700 | Dublin, Daish |
| 11 January 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–4 | 24,055 | |
| 18 January 1997 | Manchester United | H | 0–2 | 23,085 | |
| 29 January 1997 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–0 | 22,619 | Huckerby |
| 1 February 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–0 | 21,793 | |
| 19 February 1997 | Aston Villa | A | 1–2 | 30,409 | Staunton (own goal) |
| 22 February 1997 | Everton | H | 0–0 | 19,497 | |
| 1 March 1997 | Manchester United | A | 1–3 | 55,230 | Huckerby |
| 3 March 1997 | Wimbledon | H | 1–1 | 15,273 | Dublin |
| 8 March 1997 | Leicester City | H | 0–0 | 19,220 | |
| 15 March 1997 | Newcastle United | A | 0–4 | 36,571 | |
| 22 March 1997 | West Ham United | H | 1–3 | 22,291 | Rieper (own goal) |
| 6 April 1997 | Liverpool | A | 2–1 | 40,079 | Whelan, Dublin |
| 9 April 1997 | Chelsea | H | 3–1 | 19,917 | Dublin, Williams, Whelan |
| 19 April 1997 | Southampton | A | 2–2 | 15,251 | Ndlovu, Whelan |
| 21 April 1997 | Arsenal | H | 1–1 | 19,998 | Dublin |
| 3 May 1997 | Derby County | H | 1–2 | 22,839 | McAllister (pen) |
| 11 May 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–1 | 33,029 | Dublin, Williams |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 25 January 1997 | Woking | H | 1–1 | 16,040 | Jess |
| R3R | 4 February 1997 | Woking | A | 2–1 | 6,000 | Whelan, Foster (own goal) |
| R4 | 15 February 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–1 | 21,123 | Jess, Huckerby |
| R5 | 26 February 1997 | Derby County | A | 2–3 | 18,003 | Huckerby, Whelan |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R2 1st Leg | 18 September 1996 | Birmingham City | H | 1–1 | 11,828 | Daish |
| R2 2nd Leg | 24 September 1996 | Birmingham City | A | 1–0 | 15,281 | McAllister |
| R3 | 22 October 1996 | Gillingham | A | 2–2 | 10,603 | Telfer (2) |
| R3R | 13 November 1996 | Gillingham | H | 0–1 | 12,639 | |

## First-team squad

    Squad at end of 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 |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Steve Ogrizovic |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Richard Shaw |
| 3 | DF | ENG | David Burrows |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Paul Williams |
| 5 | DF | IRL | Liam Daish |
| 6 | MF | ENG | Kevin Richardson |
| 7 | MF | SCO | Eoin Jess |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Noel Whelan |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Dion Dublin |
| 10 | MF | SCO | Gary McAllister (captain) |
| 11 | MF | ENG | John Salako |
| 12 | MF | ENG | Paul Telfer |
| 13 | GK | AUS | John Filan |
| 14 | FW | ZIM | Peter Ndlovu |
| 15 | FW | BRA | Isaías |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Brian Borrows |
| 17 | MF | IRL | Willie Boland |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Marcus Hall |
| 19 | FW | ENG | Iyseden Christie |
| 20 | MF | NIR | Michael O'Neill |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 21 | FW | ENG | Andy Ducros |
| 22 | MF | IRL | Gavin O'Toole |
| 23 | DF | UKR | Oleksandr Yevtushok |
| 25 | DF | IRL | Gary Breen |
| 26 | MF | SCO | Gordon Strachan (player-manager) |
| 27 | MF | NIR | Chris McMenamin |
| 28 | FW | ENG | Darren Huckerby |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Scott Goodwin |
| 30 | DF | IRL | Lorcan Costello |
| 31 | DF | ENG | Adam Willis |
| 32 | DF | IRL | Barry Prenderville |
| 33 | MF | ENG | Brett Healy |
| 34 | DF | IRL | Colin Hawkins |
| 35 | FW | ENG | Craig Faulconbridge |
| 36 | DF | ENG | Carl Nolan |
| 37 | MF | ENG | Sam Shilton |
| 38 | MF | ENG | Tim Blake |
| 39 | MF | ENG | Paul Bailey |
| 40 | DF | ENG | Jamie Williams |

### 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 |
| 24 | DF | BEL | Régis Genaux (to Udinese) |

### 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 |
| - | DF | IRL | Barry Quinn |
| - | MF | ENG | John Eustace |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | MF | SCO | Gavin Strachan |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos. | Name | From | Fee |
| 26 July 1996 | MF | Gary McAllister | Leeds United | £3,000,000 |
| 10 August 1996 | DF | Régis Genaux | Standard Liège | £750,000 |
| 23 November 1996 | FW | Darren Huckerby | Newcastle United | £1,000,000 |
| 30 January 1997 | DF | Gary Breen | Birmingham City | £2,500,000 |
| 30 January 1997 | DF | Oleksandr Yevtushok | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | £800,000 |
| 21 May 1997 | FW | Simon Haworth | Cardiff City | £500,000 |
| 19 June 1997 | MF | Trond Egil Soltvedt | Rosenborg | £500,000 |
| 4 July 1997 | FW | Kyle Lightbourne | Walsall | £500,000 |
| 7 July 1997 | GK | Magnus Hedman | AIK | Free |
| 9 July 1997 | MF | Martin Johansen | Copenhagen | Free |

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee |
| 5 August 1996 | DF | David Rennie | Northampton Town | Free |
| 15 August 1996 | DF | Ally Pickering | Stoke City | £280,000 |
| 28 January 1997 | DF | Régis Genaux | Udinese | £800,000 |
| 1 July 1997 | MF | Chris McMenamin | Peterborough United | Free |
| 4 July 1997 | MF | Eoin Jess | Aberdeen | £700,000 |
| 14 July 1997 | FW | Peter Ndlovu | Birmingham City | £1,600,000 |
| 14 July 1997 | GK | Neil Wypior | West Bromwich Albion | Undisclosed |
    Transfers in: £6,550,000
    Transfers out: £3,380,000
    Total spending: £3,170,000

## 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 | ENG | Steve Ogrizovic | 46 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | AUS | John Filan | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | IRL | Richard Shaw | 42 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | David Burrows | 21 | 0 | 18+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Paul Williams | 38 | 2 | 29+3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | IRL | Liam Daish | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | SCO | Paul Telfer | 42 | 2 | 31+3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Brian Burrows | 29 | 0 | 15+7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 18 | DF | ENG | Marcus Hall | 18 | 0 | 10+3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | UKR | Oleksandr Yevtushok | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | IRL | Gary Breen | 9 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||
| 6 | MF | ENG | Kevin Richardson | 36 | 0 | 25+3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | SCO | Eoin Jess | 32 | 2 | 19+8 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | SCO | Gary McAllister | 46 | 7 | 38 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | John Salako | 29 | 1 | 23+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | IRL | Willie Boland | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | NIR | Michael O'Neill | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | SCO | Gordon Strachan | 11 | 0 | 3+6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||
| 8 | FW | ENG | Noel Whelan | 43 | 8 | 34+1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Dion Dublin | 39 | 14 | 33+1 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | ZIM | Peter Ndlovu | 22 | 1 | 10+9 | 1 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | FW | BRA | Isaías | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | FW | ENG | Andy Ducros | 5 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | FW | ENG | Darren Huckerby | 29 | 7 | 21+4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who left the club during the season ||||||||||||
| 24 | DF | IRL | Régis Genaux | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |