Jimmy Hill’s Third Division Sky Blues, who were playing in the coldest winter in recent memory, were able to ultimately break their third-round F.A. Cup tie with Lincoln City on March 7, 1963. The Imps were pulled out of the hat for their next opponent after defeating Millwall 2-1 in the Second Round replay at Highfield Road and Bournemouth & Boscombe 1-0 at home in Round One.
Much of Britain was covered in thick snow and ice starting on Boxing Day in 1962. The match and the other twenty-eight Third Round ties scheduled for January 5th were ruined by the bad weather, with most of England experiencing sub-Arctic temperatures. The first match to be canceled in early February was our scheduled replayed match in Lincoln City. After being delayed a record fifteen times over the course of the previous sixty-three days, today’s game was finally completed, and the wait was well worth it! This is a lengthy, day-by-day account of the Imps’ repeated postponements that prevented the game from being played.
In addition to defeating Lincoln City 5-1, City also defeated the deep freeze, securing an away match against Portsmouth in the fourth round. Approximately 700 Sky Blues supporters attended the 7,440-strong crowd at Sincil Bank on this Thursday evening to witness the Sky Blues secure their seventeenth consecutive league and cup victory.
After thirteen minutes, Bob Jackson of the Imps gave up an own goal, and Jimmy Whitehouse, the blonde-haired inside man, scored in fifteen seconds to put JH’s team ahead.
The final three goals were scored by three different Sky Blues players. Two minutes before halftime, Irishman Hugh Barr scored a goal to make it 3-0. Terry Bly (66 minutes) and Ron Farmer (75 minutes) finished the carnage in the second half. A minute later, Brian Punter of Lincoln managed one back, but it was small comfort. For the Sky Blues, the extended wait was well worth it, but the Lincolnshire team must have been devastated!
The following was JH’s entire team:-
Bob Wesson*, Hugh Barr, Willie Humphries, Hugh Barr, Terry Bly*, Jimmy Whitehouse*, Mick Kearns, Brian Hill*, George Curtis*, Ron Farmer*, and Ronnie Rees*
*Sadly, following their passing were Bob, Brian, Ron, Ronnie, Terry, Jimmy, and the eventual Sky Blue F.A. Cup winning managerial team of John and George. Except for Terry, every member of this team today, along with the Sky Blues “gaffer,” later joined CCFPA.
That day, Bill Anderson’s Imps XI consisted of:
Alf Jones, Jeff Smith, Bob Jackson, Neville Bannister, Jimmy Campbell, Brian Punter, Bert Linnecor, Albert Scanlon, Terry Carling, and Albert Franks J. Pickles served as the referee.
The Sky Blues defeated Portsmouth in the fourth round, but it required two replays. This was followed by two thrilling matches at Highfield Road with record gates against elite opponents. In the fifth round, Sunderland was defeated 2-1 by goals from “iron Man” center half George and CCFPA committee member Dietmar Bruck, who may have had 50,000 spectators after the gates were forced open.
Mighty Manchester United visited Coventry at the end of March and were given a scare when the Sky Blues scored first through Terry Bly in front of 44,000 spectators. Nevertheless, following a fierce 3-1 victory over Third Division CCFC, which garnered many accolades and national acclaim, the Sky Blues advanced to the semi-finals.
This season, City finished fourth, missing out on promotion due presumably to both the emotional impact of winning the FA Cup and the interruption created by the weather.
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