The Donkey Kick goalscorer, a special express and a few players from the noughties make the latest installment of the Sky Blues A-Z...
Across the season, we worked our way through the alphabet for this year's Coventry City matchday programme PUSB, finding a Sky Blue perspective of each letter in the alphabet.
It made for a popular feature so we thought we'd bring it to the web too! So without further ado, here is E, with the Donkey Kick goalscorer, a special express and a few players from the noughties make the latest installment of the Sky Blues A-Z...
E is for…
Ernie Hunt
Roger Patrick Hunt, or 'Ernie', as he was more popularly known to City fans, was one of the most exciting players to don the Sky Blue shirt.
Born in Swindon, Hunt started his career at his hometown club and made his debut for the Robins in 1959 during a 3-0 defeat at Grimsby Town, which made him the youngest ever first-team player at the time.
He had an immediate impact at the County Ground and finished as the club's top-scorer over four consecutive seasons, helping them win promotion to the second division.
After his 214 appearances and 82 goals, Wolverhampton Wanderers took Hunt to Molineux in 1965 where his goal-scoring exploits didn't cease. Over a two-year spell for Wolves, he scored 32 goals in 74 appearances.
After brief spells in America and on Merseyside with Everton, Hunt moved to Highfield Road to join a side which was enjoying life during their first season in England's top flight.
Coventry City sealed the £65,000 transfer in March 1968 just before the end of the 1967-68 season when City finished 20th in the Old Division One.
Hunt immediately became a star at Highfield Road and he was top-scorer for the Sky Blues during the 1968-69 season with 13 goals.
Ernie's iconic, and possibly defining moment, came in 1970. Against his former club at Highfield Road, City were awarded a free-kick just outside the area. Willie Carr gripped the ball between his heels and flicked it up for Hunt to find the left-hand corner with a sensational volley.
The goal was crowned Goal of the Season and it was so good, the FA outlawed the 'donkey kick' at the end of the season.
During his five-year spell at Highfield Road, Hunt made 146 league appearances for City, scoring 45 league goals.
He ended his league career in 1974 and went on to play for a number of non-league sides.
Express – Sky Blue
One of Jimmy Hill’s revolutionary innovations, the Sky Blue Express was designed to help away fans get around the country to watch City.
During the 1965-66 season, using ex-British Railways stock, the club achieved a footballing first by organising a designated train for supporters. It was in response to British Railways suspending ‘football special’ trains the previous season following several incidents.
The train was manned by the club’s own stewards and had Radio Sky Blue piped out through the carriages with Sky Blue catering and bingo to keep the fans occupied.
The first trip was to Preston in October and with tickets priced at 24 shillings (£1.20), all 600 seats sold out in advance as City went on to pick up a 0-0 draw at Deepdale. The club continued to run the service and for a trip to Middlesbrough in December, a local band ‘The Midnights’ provided entertainment and dancing as the club continued to pioneer new fan relations ideas.
In a time when Hooliganism was on the rise in England, there were no reported incidents of hooliganism on the Sky Blue Express. The service ran for a successful four years before British Railways reintroduced the Football Special service.
Eric Deloumeanux
The French defender moved to the Sky Blues in 2004 from Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen after spells with Motherwell and Le Harve.
Deloumeanux went on to make 21 appearances for the Sky Blues during his one year with the club, scoring one goal. He retired in 2012 after spells in the French third division.
Ellery Cairo
The Dutch midfielder Cairo joined Coventry City in 2007 on a free transfer from German side Hertha Berlin after spells with Feyenoord, Twente and Freiburg.
Cairo only made seven appearances for the Sky Blues and after one season at the club, he returned to Holland to play for NAC Breda.
He retired in 2012 after a one-year spell with Dutch second division side AGOVV Apeldoorn.
Elliott Ward
The central defender moved to the Sky Blues in 2006 after coming through the West Ham United Academy and spells at Peterborough United, Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle.
Ward made over 110 appearances for the Sky Blues, scoring 14 goals over a four-year spell with the club before moving to Norwich City in 2010. He currently plays for Bournemouth.