Christmas Day Was Always A Home Day
However, up until 1959, you played on Christmas Day morning, followed by a game on Boxing Day afternoon.
Travel back then was not as easy as it is today with no motorways or high speed rail links. Coach journeys were long especially to the likes of Plymouth or Carlisle and tended to be uncomfortable and if it was an away trip seeing your family on Christmas Day was out of the question.
Thankfully, the Leagues were kind to Singers & City and in thirty five matches, played on Christmas Day, only four were played away from their home ground.
One of the first games that Coventry played on Christmas Day was in 1895 when Singers beat Clitheroe 5-1 in a home friendly. Two years later, they drew 2-2 against Rudge Whitworth. In 1902, Coventry City's first game on Christmas Day was a 1-0 defeat at Small Heath Reserves.
Three thousand turned up to see City beat Dudley 3-0 in a Birmingham League game in 1905 with 2,000 in the crowd when the sides met again twelve months to the day later.
In their last season in the Birmingham League which is the equivilent of the Midland Combination today, 3,000 saw City beat Kidderminster Harriers 2-0 at Highfield Road on Christmas Day 1907.
Up into the Southern League, City drew 1-1 with Swindon Town in 1908 in front of 7,000 but in 1911, lost 2-1 at home to Bristol Rovers in front of a crowd of 10,016.
Christmas Day 1912 provided a 2-0 home win over Portsmouth, watched by 8,500 only for City to lose the year after 1-0 at home to Northampton.
After that, the first World War took over and when that finished, City were promoted into the Football League.
City's Christmas Day Football League Record
1919 DIV2 Stoke H W 3-2
1920 DIV2 Cardiff City H L 2-4
1922 DIV2 Wolverhampton Wanderers H W 7-1
1923 DIV2 The Wednesday H W 5-1
1924 DIV2 South Shields H L 0-1
1925 D3N Crewe Alexandra H W 2-1
1926 D3S Crystal Palace H W 3-1
1928 D3S Charlton Athletic H L 0-1
1929 D3S Plymouth Argyle H W 1-0
1930 D3S Bournemouth & Boscombe Ath. H D 3-3
1931 D3S Reading H W 5-1
1933 D3S Cardiff City H W 4-1
1934 D3S Gillingham H W 4-0
1935 D3S Aldershot H L 0-2
1936 DIV2 Southampton H W 2-0
1937 DIV2 Sheffield United A L 2-3
1946 DIV2 Tottenham Hotspur H W 3-1
1947 DIV2 Barnsley H W 3-2
1948 DIV2 Bury A W 2-0
1950 DIV2 Cardiff City A L 1-2
1951 DIV2 Bury A W 2-0
1953 D3S Ipswich Town H L 1-3
1954 D3S Southampton H D 1-1
1957 D3S Port Vale H W 1-0
1959 DIV3 Wrexham H W 5-3
Played 25, Won 16, Drawn 2, Lost 7, Scored 62, Conceded 34
1920 DIV2 Cardiff City H L 2-4
1922 DIV2 Wolverhampton Wanderers H W 7-1
1923 DIV2 The Wednesday H W 5-1
1924 DIV2 South Shields H L 0-1
1925 D3N Crewe Alexandra H W 2-1
1926 D3S Crystal Palace H W 3-1
1928 D3S Charlton Athletic H L 0-1
1929 D3S Plymouth Argyle H W 1-0
1930 D3S Bournemouth & Boscombe Ath. H D 3-3
1931 D3S Reading H W 5-1
1933 D3S Cardiff City H W 4-1
1934 D3S Gillingham H W 4-0
1935 D3S Aldershot H L 0-2
1936 DIV2 Southampton H W 2-0
1937 DIV2 Sheffield United A L 2-3
1946 DIV2 Tottenham Hotspur H W 3-1
1947 DIV2 Barnsley H W 3-2
1948 DIV2 Bury A W 2-0
1950 DIV2 Cardiff City A L 1-2
1951 DIV2 Bury A W 2-0
1953 D3S Ipswich Town H L 1-3
1954 D3S Southampton H D 1-1
1957 D3S Port Vale H W 1-0
1959 DIV3 Wrexham H W 5-3
Played 25, Won 16, Drawn 2, Lost 7, Scored 62, Conceded 34