The Coventry City Former Players Association are delighted to announce that F.A.Cup winning hero (and CCFPA member) Greg Downswill be the Association’s special guest for the Sky Blues next home league game at the Ricoh when they take on Notts County on Saturday 15th November 2014.
Greg will be coming over from his East Anglian home to be the Association’s ‘special guest’ at the match. Norwich City, of course, was the club that discovered him in the mid seventies and (in addition to loan outings for Torquay United and Connecticut Bicentennials in the USA whilst with the Canaries) Greg made 169 first team appearances before signing for the Sky Blues in the summer of 1985. He quickly became popular at Highfield Road and was always ‘game for a laugh’ once briefly sporting an outlandish wig on the pitch to cover his balding pate! He became an indispensible part of the close knit Division One squad which surprised many outside Coventry by bringing the F.A.Cup back to a jubilant Sky Blue City in May 1987 after a stirring ‘road to Wembley’ and a memorable Final against Spurs.
Greg & fellow FA Cup hero Micky Gynn at a previous CCFPA event.
By the time he left CCFC for near neighbours Birmingham City in August 1990 full back Greg had clocked up 184 first team appearances for the Sky Blues (7 goals). After a season at St Andrews Greg became player-coach, then Manager at Hereford United from 1991-1994. Spells at a cluster of non-league clubs including Raunds Town, Redditch Town, Kettering Town, Forest Green, Bridgnorth Town, Malvern Town, Merthyr Tydfil, Worcester City, Lowestoft Town, Great Yarmouth Town, Mulbarton United, Blofield, Dereham Town, North Walsham Town and Wroxham followed until he retired from football in the mid noughties. Since 1997 Greg’s ‘day job’ has been as a serving policeman in East Anglia.
If you are planning to go to the game look out for Greg around the lounges at the Ricoh before the game and if you aren’t able to get to the Arena why not listen to him for he is hoped to be part of the BBC C&W Radio match commentary team during the game. After the game we also hope to entice Greg down to the G-Casino where Sky Blue fans can see him ‘lightly grilled’ in a Q&A conducted by CCFPA Vice Chairman Billy Bell on the stage of Lady G’s. All are welcome!
Greg comes back to Coventry fairly infrequently so make the most of his visit – he has always been good value both in his playing days and an entertaining interviewee! No doubt he will renew acquaintances with other members of the 1987 F.A.Cup squad as the likes of Dave Bennett, Micky Gynn, Paul Culpin (and of course Oggy) are also expected to be around.