Head to Head - Everton vs Coventry City

We've gone for a change this week and based the Head to Head image on a ticket from our last game away at Everton, way back on Boxing Day 2000. The ticket cost £22. Thanks to the price cap, it's only gone up £8 since. Well done to the FSA for that.

City had a fairly dismal away record at Goodison Park. Hopefully, things will be better at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Having said that, we won away at Everton last time out in that Boxing Day game.

For Coventry City supporters of a certain age, Goodison Park was one of those great old football grounds that belonged to a different era. I remember sitting on a wooden bench there not so long ago!

With City heading to Everton's new home at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, LAST takes a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the most interesting away encounters between the two clubs.

Head to Head

Here's this week's Head to Head Explorer for Everton. It lists all the past games, home and away, scores, scorers, totals and links to highlights where we can find them.

https://headtohead.letsallsingtogether.com/everton

And here's the stats for away games against Everton, from the explorer.

The Famous Away Encounters

Everton 1–2 Coventry City

26 December 2000 | Premier League | Goodison Park

A late Christmas present from Gary Breen!

The last time City visited Everton in a competitive fixture, Strachan's side were fighting for their Premier League lives.

City arrived at Goodison Park in the relegation zone, desperately needing points, and produced one of their most important away victories of the season.

After a goalless first half, Mustapha Hadji put Coventry ahead in the 69th minute, heading home from David Thompson's delivery.

Scot Gemmill equalised for Everton with just five minutes remaining, and it looked as though City would have to settle for a point.

But two minutes later, Gary Breen rose to meet another Thompson delivery and headed home the winner.

Cue scenes in the away end!

It was Breen's first goal in three years and a priceless victory for the Sky Blues, although sadly it wouldn't be enough to prevent relegation at the end of the season.

Everton 1–1 Coventry City

2 October 1999 | Premier League | Goodison Park

City were enjoying the attacking talents of Robbie Keane, Mustapha Hadji and Youssef Chippo at this point — The Entertainers. Makes you wonder how we ended up getting relegated the next season.

It was a side capable of producing some wonderful football, although away victories were proving rather more difficult to come by. So difficult that we didn't win away all season. Ridiculous! There's no way that team should have "achieved" that.

City earned a 1–1 draw at Goodison Park thanks to Gary Mac's volleyed equaliser after Robbie Keane's effort was parried.

Everton 1–1 Coventry City

10 May 1998 | Premier League | Goodison Park

Survival Sunday — but not for City for once.

The final day of the 1997/98 Premier League season produced extraordinary tension at Goodison Park.

Everton were battling to avoid relegation, with Bolton Wanderers their main rivals for survival. City, meanwhile, were safely in mid-table. It was nice to watch someone else go through the mill instead of us!

The match finished 1–1, a result that proved just enough to keep Everton in the Premier League on goal difference. Barmby missed a penalty, then Dion Dublin gave them a scare with an 89th-minute equaliser. It was his 18th goal of the season as he shared the Golden Boot with Michael Owen and Chris Sutton. I'm still baffled as to how Dion never went to the World Cup at the end of that season.

Everton 1–1 Coventry City

4 November 1996 | Premier League | Goodison Park

Another trip to Goodison Park, another share of the points. City were enduring a difficult start to the 1996/97 campaign, a season that would eventually produce one of the most famous relegation escapes in City's history at Spurs.

Gary Mc once again equalised in the second half after Kevin Richardson's handball had given away a penalty.

Everton 2–2 Coventry City

9 March 1996 | Premier League | Goodison Park

Four goals and a valuable away point for Big Ron's City.

Everton had enjoyed a successful previous season, winning the FA Cup in 1995, and went 2–0 up following a brace from Duncan Ferguson within 25 minutes. City fought back, though, with goals from Liam Daish and Paul Williams, the latter coming with just five minutes to go.

Everton 0–2 Coventry City

15 October 1994 | Premier League | Goodison Park

A rare away victory as Phil Neal's Sky Blues travelled to Goodison Park, with Everton the only team in the country without a win. They returned with all three points after a superb 2–0 victory.

Dublin hooked the first in after only six minutes, and then 'Who Needs Cantona When We've Got Wegerle' made it two from the edge of the box.

Everton 1–2 Coventry City

26 September 1987 | First Division | Goodison Park

FA Cup winners versus league champions. The two clubs had already met in the Charity Shield at Wembley in August, when Everton edged a 1–0 victory.

But the Sky Blues gained a measure of revenge when they travelled to Goodison Park in September.

John Sillett's side came away with a superb 2–1 win over the reigning league champions. Regis opened the scoring eight minutes before half-time. City went 2–0 up in the 44th minute with a well-worked goal, fired into the top corner by Dave Phillips. Wayne Clarke grabbed one back with the third goal in eight minutes, but City saw out the second half.

Everton 3–3 Coventry City

10 April 1979 | First Division | Goodison Park

Six goals at Goodison!

Gordon Milne's side had developed a reputation for playing attractive, attacking football, and the late 1970s produced some particularly entertaining Sky Blue teams.

City and Everton shared six goals in a 3–3 draw, with neither side able to claim all the points.

Coventry finished the 1978/79 season in tenth place, a respectable position in an era when the club was firmly established in the top flight.

Everton 6–0 Coventry City

26 November 1977 | First Division | Goodison Park

Perhaps we'll skip this one. It's nice to see Brian Moore on The Big Match, though, in the oldest footage we can find.

Everton 1–4 Coventry City

16 August 1975 | First Division | Goodison Park

One of Coventry's finest away results against Everton came on the opening day of the 1975/76 season.

Gordon Milne's side travelled to Merseyside and produced a magnificent 4–1 victory with a hat-trick from David Cross and a fourth from Alan Green.

Everton had finished fourth in the First Division the previous season, making the result all the more impressive.

It was an emphatic way to begin the campaign and remains City's biggest winning margin away to Everton.

Everton 1–2 Coventry City

2 October 1971 | First Division | Goodison Park

Our trip down memory lane finishes in the early 1970s, when Coventry were still establishing themselves as a First Division club.

Under Noel Cantwell, City travelled to Goodison Park and recorded an impressive 2–1 victory. Quintin Young, who I must admit I had never heard of, opened the scoring before Ian St. John scored with 22 minutes to go.

Everton had been crowned English champions only 18 months earlier, so beating them on their own ground was no small achievement. It was another example of how far Coventry had progressed since Jimmy Hill's Sky Blue Revolution had carried the club into the top flight in 1967.

Thanks to all the YouTube uploaders!