I was there that night in May 1977 and how incredible it was. Firstly Alan Dicks left out Geoff Merrick who is in my top ten all time City greats. Then the thousands outside Highfield Road meant a delayed kick-off of some five or ten minutes. The gate was over 38,000 with probably 15,000 from Bristol! (Who says we could not support a Premier team?)
I was with my Dad, aged 73, who as a boy had seen City in the First Division in the days of "Fatty" Wedlock.
About thirty minutes from time, with Coventry winning 2-0, he turned to me and said this would be the last First Division game he would watch in his life. As it turned out, it wasn't his last 1st Div game and he was still down The Gate until April 1983 when we beat Bury.
Twenty five minutes later after we had equalised, the two managers, Dicks and Gordon Milne came running down the tunnel, obviously having heard the news of Sunderland's 2-0 defeat at Everton, and both signalled to their teams to shut up the game.
The players quickly caught on and for the last five minutes Donnie Gillies and John Shaw passed the ball to and from each other without a Coventry player in the City's half. As the referee blew for time, the crowd all around the ground started hugging each other, whether Sky Blues or Robins as everyone inside realised both teams would stay up.
Later on the way home, we went for a drink at Frankley Services on the M5 west of Birmingham. The place was absolutely heaving with happy City fans.
It remains as one of the most thrilling nights of my life watching City which now stretch back some 62 years. It even bettered the feeling coming back from West Brom a year before when we won 1-0 at The Hawthorns against our nearest rivals for the second promotion spot behind Sunderland.
If we escape this time, it will be almost as good a feeling, as many, including me, appear to have written us of in the past few weeks. COYR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We all agree, Bristol City are magic