Coventry City at Highfield Road 1899-2005: Ghosts of a Vanished Stadium

Highfield Road is no more. For 106 years it was the home of Coventry City Football Club, witnessing the clubs fortunes all the way from the Birmingham League to the Premiership. In all, the Sky Blues played some 2,000 matches at the famous old stadium, some good, some bad, some unforgettable. A stadium has a life and character of its own, distinct from the football club which plays there. Over the years Highfield Road has witnessed bombs, fires, weddings, funerals, pop concerts, boxing matches, American football and perhaps most extraordinary of all motor cycle football. One wonders what the old ground thought of motor bikes ripping through its hallowed lawn, and what vengeance it took. All that is left of Highfield Road are memories and ghosts. A vanished stadium, bulldozed into oblivion, has taken its secrets to the grave. If it could sing, Highfield Road might chirp to Jimmy Hills Sky Blue Song. If it could dance, it might sway to the rhythms of the Spion Kop. If it kept a diary, it could be no richer than Jim Browns meticulous record.