The result at Gillingham on Tuesday night was a pretty disastrous one but was a unique game in Coventry City’s history being the first time that four penalties were scored in a game involving the club.
Gillingham’s Adebayo Akinfenwa scored two from the spot with Callum Wilson and Carl Baker netting for the Sky Blues.
I am certain that there has not been another instance of four penalties scored in a City game since the Second World War but some of the pre-1939 penalty scorers are a bit uncertain.
There has been two post-war instances when four penalties have been awarded. The first was a game at Leicester City’s Filbert Street in 1977. City’s Mick Coop netted twice from the spot with Jon Sammels replying for the Foxes but Leicester’s first penalty by Dennis Rofe was saved by Jim Blyth. City won the game 2-1.
The second was in September 1990 at Highfield Road against Nottingham Forest when City were awarded three penalties. Brian Kilcline scored one and missed one, Forest’s Nigel Jemson scored from the spot and added a second from open play before Brian Borrows netted City’s third penalty two minutes from time to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw.
Akinfenwa is not the first opponent to score two penalties in a game against the Sky Blues – Liverpool’s Jan Molby managed three in the League Cup tie at Anfield in 1986 and other players to match Akinfenwa include Swindon’s Jan Age Fjortoft (1994), West Ham’s Ray Stevens (1984), Tottenham’s Glen Hoddle (1980), Manchester City’s Gary Owen (1978), West Ham’s Geoff Hurst (1969) and Sunderland’s Neil Martin (1967).
I think Martin is the only opposing player to score two penalties at Highfield Road and he later scored two penalties in a game against Crystal Palace for the Sky Blues.
More on this: http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/sport-opinion/sky-blues-spot-new-penalty-6835181