THE HUD-SKY BLUE LEGEND

KEVIN HALLS EXPLAINS WHY STRIKER GEORGE HUDSON IS HIS ALL-TIME COVENTRY CITY HERO

- KEVIN HALLS

EVERY football club has their legends, players idolised by the fans. My club Coventry City have had some great footballers over the decades, adored by supporters young and old.

As I’ve been following the Sky Blues since the 60s, I have a few favourites. But my all-time hero, who sadly passed away in late December aged 83, was George Hudson, affectionately known simply as The Hud.

As a young kid stood on the Spion Kop at Highfield Road, I, along with all the other youngsters decked out in sky blue and clicking our wooden rattles, would be behind the goal cheering on Jimmy Hill’s team.

As we were a good side back then, the atmosphere was usually electric and the ground was a sea of sky blue.

Our star striker was Terry Bly, who was a crowd favourite because of his many goals, but, to everybody’s amazement, Hill decided to replace him with a center-forward who played for Peterborough United called George Hudson.

He cost Coventry a then club record of £21,000 in 1963 but the supporters were not happy at this and the manager was called all sorts of names, many not printable in this article!

But Hill took it all on the chin, pardon the pun, and stuck Hudson straight in his team for his debut against Halifax Town on April 6 of that year.

I was there at that match with my dad, who was a big Bly fan and angry at his star player being dropped, but decided to carry on supporting the City even though many had stayed away in disgust.

But me being young, I wasn’t too concerned - I was just happy being at the ground with my mates. And what a thrilling match it was - it ended up 5-4 to the Sky Blues with Hudson netting a debut hat-trick. I left Highfield Road with a new hero, namely George Hudson.