|
The sheer folly of manager John Hollins' decision to sell the trusty
Joey Jones and Mickey Thomas at the beginning of his managerial tenure
was never better exposed than with his purchase of left-sided
all-rounder John Coady. Having tried a number of different players to
fill the respective voids left by the Welsh legends, Hollins eventually
signed the cheery Irishman from part-timers Shamrock Rovers for £25,000
in December 1986. Coady was working as a postman prior to his move to
London but despite his best endeavours, his delivery on the football
pitch was rarely as reliable.
His Chelsea career could barely have got
off to a better start, however, as he scored past David Seaman to earn
the Blues a point from a clash at QPR in April 1987, but his efforts
were undoubtedly hampered by Hollins' inability to decide on his best
position, opting to play him both on the left of defence and midfield as
well as in the centre of the pitch on occasions. John had reason to be
pleased with his input into the final month of Chelsea's 1986/87 season,
following up his goal at Loftus Road with assists for Gordon Durie
against Leicester and for David Speedie in the final match of the
campaign against Liverpool, but in spite of his promising start there
were clear limitations and it was no surprise when Hollins sought to
solidify his team's left-side with the signings of Tony Dorigo and Clive
Wilson in the summer of 1987.
Faced with such competition it was no
surprise that Coady was unable to make a significant impact throughout
the following campaign, although he got his season off to a flyer when
his fine strike against Luton Town set the Blues on their way to a 3-0
victory in his first appearance of the season. That was as good as it
got, though. The winning goal in a Simod Cup clash with Barnsley gave
him something to smile about (in fact he celebrated that goal with a
slightly embarrassing wildness, all things considered!) but he was only
called upon to start a total of four league games, with a further six
substitute appearances including a five-minute stint in goal against
Oxford, replacing Eddie Niedzwiecki after the impeccable Welshman's
troublesome knee gave way for the last time on a football pitch. Coady
kept a clean-sheet as the Blues won - and this was no coincidence after
Niedzwiecki's injury - their last game for almost six months. They were
relegated at the end of that campaign and early the following season
John Coady returned home to Ireland, signing for Derry City for a
nominal fee. (Kelvin Barker)
1982-1986 Shamrock Rovers 86 (14)
1986-1988 Chelsea 9 (2)
1988-1992 Derry City ? (?)
1992-1993 Shamrock Rovers 19 (1)
1993-1994 Monaghan United F.C. 29 (1)
1994-1996 Dundalk 58 (3)
1996-1997 Home Farm 31 (3)
1997-1998 Drogheda 25 (2)
1998-1999 Monaghan United F.C. ? (?)
|