For today’s On This Day feature we focus on the Coventry City issue from 1970/71 – one of the most instantly recognisable of its time thanks to the imagination of its editor, John Elvin. Read our full review below and click here to see all the 1970/71 Division One programmes.
The Coventry programme for the 1970/71 season was one of the most distinctive issues ever produced. The programme was edited by John Elvin, who had previously helped to overhaul West Bromwich Albion’s matchday issue. Priced at two shillings, the programme cost twice as much as any other issue in Division One, but was packed with innovative design and layout work, with more reading in one issue than many clubs managed across several.
To mark the break with past issues, ‘Sky Blue’ started a new numbering system for the 1970/71 season, with each programme labelled with ‘Volume One’ and an issue number. The programme for the fixture against Crystal Palace (number fourteen) was typical of the club’s issues for the season, featuring the large bold title on the cover, together with some text relating to the match, and an action shot in the upper half of the page.
Visitors Crystal Palace were treated to four pages of coverage. In keeping with the inventive layouts used in ‘Sky Blue’ the section was presented in landscape format, with a team group picture occupying the first page. There was also an introductory article that covered the rise of Palace from the Fourth Division to the top-flight, with connections drawn between their rise and the fortunes of Coventry, not least in respect of the friendship between the two clubs’ chairmen. Pen pictures of the Palace team were also provided, whilst a further article further profiled some of the key men in the club’s squad, including Gerry Queen, Alan Birchenall, and Bobby Tambling. The final page of the section included artwork of various Palace players and manager Bert Head, whilst the back cover featured a picture of visiting captain John Sewell.
Coventry manager Noel Cantwell penned a column under the heading ‘Scene Setter’, which in this issue sat alongside a photograph from the Sky Blues’ recent match at Liverpool, which saw them earn their first ever point at Anfield. There were also two further pages of pictures from the trip to Merseyside further inside the programme, as well as two pages of action shots from the home win against Manchester City. The first team stats section was another presented in landscape format, with results, line-ups, and tables all provided.
‘Say So’ was a news type column, featuring interesting snippets from around the club and the wider game. Included within this issue were references to other clubs’ programmes and criticisms of issues such as the 1970 FA Cup final replay, which were priced at two shillings without offering the kind of content that justified that price at Highfield Road. ‘Sky Blue Focus’ profiled Coventry defender Mick Coop, whose background and career were covered in some detail, alongside various ‘cut-out’ pictures of the player. Coop was also the ‘host’ of the ‘Junior Sky Blues’ section, which featured more information about the full-back, together with various updates and a cartoon column.
Undoubtedly one of the best issues of its time, the Coventry programme was truly unique and a testament to the hard work, creativity, and imagination of John Elvin. Whilst Coventry had issued impressive programmes through the final years of the 1960s, ‘Sky Blue Mark 2’ marked something of a step-change in programme production.