I was at that match (I seem to keep doing this to games Erimus remembers!
). Working down in Gloucestershire (it was actually 1977), one of my flatmates was a Bristol City fan and another mate, a Brentford fan, was the more important because he had a car...so all three of us went to Highfield Road. It had to end in a draw and Sunderland lose for both of Coventry and BC to stay up. Coventry went 2-0 up, which would have relegated Bristol City and even worse, kept our Mackem chums up. Bristol City pulled it back to 2-2 in the second half and as it was allegedly still 0-0 for the Mackems at Goodison, Coventry were heading for the drop. (Younger readers please note-in this antediluvian pre-internet/mobile phone age, you had to rely on someone in the crowd with a radio for score updates. And when other scores really mattered, false rumours used to abound, but that's another tale). Oh yes, and the Coventry match had kicked off late due to crowd congestion at a time when games never ever kicked off late for crowd congestion. Jimmy Hill, RIP, you rascal! As both sets of fans at Highfield Road sweated for different reasons, the scoreboard announced the final score from Goodison. " Everton 1 Sunderland 0". Cue pandemonium on the terraces with Sky Blues and Robins fans hugging each other. I felt quiet happy as well. On the pitch....as Erimus described, the strangest last five minutes I've ever seen with both teams time wasting. Final whistle, celebrations all round, on the pitch and on the terraces, both sets of players and fans embracing. And then on the scoreboard, one word..... "CORRECTION" ....Pin drop or what! Complete silence. Thousands of held breaths. Again, never experienced anything like it in a packed football ground, with the players still on the pitch.......Seemed like an age, then the correction came up..............................
"Everton 2 Sunderland 0" .......... I reckon they heard the cheer in Goodison. Think Maccarone scoring v Steua to get the flavour. Coventry and Bristol City fans all left as best pals. And we had a celebratory drink or two on the way home to toast Bristol City's survival. OK, I'm fibbing, I was buzzing about the Mackems' fate.
. Happy Days!
