Players Parade at Goodison Park

Appearance record to end of 1969-70 season

Football League – Division 1

Saturday 12th April 1971

By Alan Williams, Daily Express, in Everton Matchday Magazine

COVENTRY CITY

Bill Glazier

Former Coventry City manager Jimmy Hill raised a few eyebrows in  October, 1964, when he went to Crystal Palace with a £35,000 cheque and made BILL GLAZIER Britain´s most expensive goalkeeper of the time, topping the existing record paid by Everton to Blackpool for Gordon West.

Nottingham-born Glazier, who was  once released from Torquay´s ground-staff, has since justified that fee over and over agan. His agility and no-nonsense command of the goal area won him three Under-23 caps in 1965, but this season of high promise ended sadly when he broke a leg against Manchester City. It took him a year to get back, but he has since continued his brilliant form and earned recognition from Football Leauge representative teams.

Bill Glazier´s Leauge career:

Crystal Palace Apps. 106

Coventry Apps. 194

Bill Rafferty

BILLY RAFFERTY, 20-year-old Glasgow-born forward, was given a chance to solve Coventry´s scoring problem in the game against Tottenham on April 3rd. Rafferty made his debut last season and before the recent transfer deadline Coventry refused a £25,000 bid from Preston.

Billy Rafferty´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. 1

Bobby Parker

BOBBY PARKER, a promising back line player, is one of the most advanced of Coventry´s excellent batch of youngsters. A local boy, signed from schools football, he made his debut last season when he played in Coventry´s losing FA Youth Cup Final team against Spurs. He has played frequently since squeezing into the side in November.

Bobby Parker´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. 1 (1)

Brian Alderson

Speedy winger BRIAN ALDERSON is another Coventry newcomer this term. Picked up from Scottish junior club Lochhie Harp in 1968, the 20-year-old is reckoned to have the hardest shot on the Coventry staff.

Brian Alderson´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. -

Brian Joicey

BRIAN JOICEY was given the chance to become Coventry´s regular centre forward when they sold Neil Martin to Nottingham Forest a few weeks ago. Yet the strong North Easterner didn´t break into Leauge football until he was 23 and only two years ago he was playing in the Amateur Cup Final - scoring the winning goal for North Shields. Netted 44 goals in his last season with the amateurs and chose Coventry in preference to Newcastle.

Brian Joicey´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. 13 (6)  Goals 7

Chris Cattlin

Coventry also possess another of Britain´s most expensive full backs in CHRIS CATTLIN, who cost £70,000 when signed from Huddersfield Town in March, 1968. A strong, forceful defender. Cattlin won two Under-23 caps after joining Coventry.

Chris Cattlin´s Leauge career:

Huddersfield Apps. 59 (2)  Goals 1

Coventry Apps. 75 (2)

Dave Clements

DAVE CLEMENTS could now be helping Hull City´s promotion bid, but he turned down a £50,000 move to Booyhferry Park. The Irish international has since retained his Coventry place. Dave won an amateur cap while still at Larne Grammar School and he played with Portadown before joining Wolves for £5,000 in 1963. Just over a year later he was released to Coventry for only £1,500 and has since added to his honours at Under-23 and full levels.

Dave Clements´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. 186 (2)  Goals 23

Dennis Mortimer

Liverpool-born DENNIS MORTIMER, won his way into the Sky Blues´ side last season ….making his debut against his schoolboy idols, Liverpool. Skipper of last season´s Youth team, the 18-year-old Mortimer also won England Youth caps.

Dennis Mortimer´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. 6 (3)

Ernie Hunt

ERNIE HUNT is well known to Goodison Park fans after joining us for a big fee from Wolves in 1967, but his Everton career lasted only six month before he was sold to Coventry.

Ernie actually started his Leauge experience with Swindon Town, where he won an Under-23 cap before costing Wolves a £40.000 fee in September, 1965. He won two Under-23 honours at Molineux. At Coventry, he was top scorer in 1968-69.

Ernie Hunt´s Leauge career:

Swindon Apps. 214  Goals 81

Wolves Apps. 74  Goals 32

Everton Apps. 12 (2)  Goals 3

Coventry Apps. 76 (2)  Goals 21

Ernie Machin

ERNIE MACHIN was Coventry´s club captain when injuries received in a motor-car accident put him out of the game last season. This was the third serious interruption to his first-team career at Highfield Road, for he was out for a long time in 1963-64 and knee trouble kept him out again the following year, Signed from Nelson, in the Lancashire Combination, in 1962, he has been a valuable member of the Coventry staff since making his debut in 1963. A good midfield worker.

Ernie Machin´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. 205 (2)  Goals 31

Geoff Strong

Another newcomer to Coventry this season was GEOFF STRONG, signed from Liverpool for £30,000 just before the campaign opened in August.

Born in Northumberland, Geoff has been one of the Leauge´s most versatile players over the last decade. At Arsenal he was a powerful front runner, but on his move to Anfield in 1964, he slowly moved backwards, appearing in midfield and at left back. He appeared in Liverpool´s 1965 Cup-winning side and also won a Championship medal.

Geoff Strong´s Leauge career:

Arsenal Apps. 125  Goals 69

Liverpool Apps. 150 (5)  Goals 30

Jeff Blockley

Two years ago, Leicester-born JEFF BLOCKLEY was only just making his first steps in Leauge football. Today he is captain in one of England´s most progressive clubs - after switching yo centre half last Spring when Roy Barry broke a leg.

A member of the same Leicester Schools side as Peter Shilton, the tall and powerful Blockley learned all about First Division defensive skills while playing alongside Maurice Setters or George Curtis, but he admits he found responsibility at centre half "a bit nerve-wracking". Not that his opponents would have noticed, for Jeff is now one of the strongest players in the country at No 5.

Jeff Blockley´s Leauge career:

Swindon Apps. 214  Goals 81

Wolves Apps. 74  Goals 32

Everton Apps. 12 (2)  Goals 3

Coventry Apps. 49 (2)  Goals 3

John O´Rourke

JOHN O´ROURKE, expensive Coventry City striker, was on the books at Arsenal and Chelsea before he finally made the Leauge grade with Luton Town.

Born in Dagenham, he won an England Schools cap and then several youth honours while on Arsenal´s ground-staff. At Luton he was a prolific scorer and later helped Middlesbrough win promotion from Division III.

He won an Under-23 cap and then had a spell at Ipswich nefore joining Coventry in November, 1969.

John O´Rourke´s Leauge career:

Luton Apps. 84  Goals 64

Middlesbrough Apps. 63 (1)  Goals 38

Ipswich Apps. 60  Goals 30

Coventry Apps. 20  Goals 11

Mick Coop

MICK COOP, strong tackling full back who was discovered in schools football in Leamington Spa, joined City in their Third Division days, but Coventry were in the Second Division by the time he made his debut in 1966.

Mick Coop´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. 91 (5)

Roy Barry

Coventry appeard to have made on of the bargains of last season when they captured Scottish centre half ROY BARRY from Dunfermline for £25,000. Barry´s strong personality was the a key to their qualification to this season´s Fairs Cup and he was appointed skipper of the side. But he broke a leg against Sheffield Wednesday in March and only now is he nearing a first-team comeback.

Made his first re-appearance in a friendly against Aberdeen a fortnight ago.

Roy Barry´s Leauge career:

Dunfermline Apps. 94  Goals 5

Coventry Apps. 14 (1)

Wilf Smith

Coventry set a record fee for a full back when they invested £100,000 on Sheffield Wednesday´s WILF SMITH early in the season and you can imagine the feeling of horror which struck manager Noel Cantwell when he saw Smith carried off on his debut at Derby. Fortunately, that injury cleared up quickly, but Smith has again been on the casualty list in recent weeks.

Born in Germany, where his father was on Army Service, Smith impressed as a thoughtful defender, though, in Wednesday´s relegation fight last season, he often appeard in midfield and scored their goal in a defeat at Goodison.

He won six England Under-23 caps while with Wednesday.

Wilf Smith´s Leauge career:

Sheffield Wednesday Apps. 205  Goals 4

Willie Carr

WILLIE CARR, a pocket-sized dynamo at 5ft 6 ins tall, is the "sparking plug" of the Coventry City attack. Even though he has had little more than three years´ Leauge experience, he is recognised as one of the best schemers in the business and won his first Scotland caps by playing in all three Home internationals last season.

Born in Glasgow. Willie moved to Cambridge with his parents. After joining the Highfield Road staff, he won Scottish youth caps and he has appeard several times for the Under-23´s as well.

Willie Carr´s Leauge career:

Coventry Apps. 91 (6)  Goals 7