Members News: ‘Duggie’ Became A ‘Diamond Geezer’ Last Thursday!
We are pleased to see that our member Alan Dugdale was back at the CBS Arena last Thursday (12th June) as one of the main speakers at the Diamond Club summer lunch (along with CCFC’s Head of Communication Mark Hornby) in the Dhillons Lounge at the CBS Arena. As regulars know the DC, an association for the club’s older generations of supporters, meets regularly for lunch, roughly quarterly. The DC has many Full and Associate Members shared with CCFPA as well as with some of its management committee.
The lunches are very popular (there were more than 200 there on Thursday) and typically engage one of our Former Player members as a speaking guest. Last time out it was John Salako who entertained a packed meeting of CCFC’s veteran supporters and the next luncheon it is reported will host former CCFC manager (and Duggie’s fellow CCFPA member) Eric Black.
To remind readers Alan made 142 league appearances for Coventry City between 1969 and 1977 before leaving to join Charlton Athletic. Guests heard many stories and anecdotes from that period of Alan’s footballing life, especially his Sky Blues days! Thanks to our Associate member (and the DC’s committee member) Kev Monks for allowing us to reproduce the photos of Alan’s day back at the CBS and a very full report of the meeting and its goings on which can be found by clicking here.
lan had a strong footballing pedigree as his uncle Jimmy also had an extensive career in the Football League and his brother Ken apparently managed the New Zealand national team.
A Liverpudlian who became an England youth player, Alan will be remembered as a particularly uncompromising defender who came to City as an apprentice in 1968 and made his Division One debut four year’s later, eventually making over 170 appearances in total for the Sky Blues (without scoring). ‘Duggie’ was eventually transferred to Charlton Athletic in 1977 also making loan appearances for Barnsley before finally plying his trade with Tulsa Roughnecks (1979-81) in the States where he settled.
Back in late 2010 Alan visited the Ricoh and the UK for the first time in several decades as part of a family visit. He was entertained by CCFPA at the Sky Blues game against Leeds United on 6th November and was promptly signed up for the Association by then CCFPA committee member, the late Bob Bromage.
Alan then still sported his trade-mark ‘zapata’ moustache and an extremely friendly demeanor (in spite of his ‘bite your legs’ reputation in his playing days)! It was great to see him then renew old friendships in the Legends Lounge at the Ricoh with some of our other Former Player members of his day like Jim Holmes, Alan Green and Donal Murphy!
Alan also came to visit us again in October 2021 at the CBS Arena as a ‘special’ guest and had a great time catching up with his old team mate ‘Harry’ Roberts (above left). The 72 year old also bumped into then CCFPA Chairman Billy Bell earlier in 2025 (right) and they had a great time catching up!
Were glad you had a great day at the CBS with the Diamond Club ‘Duggie’! Come back and see us again soon!
On this day (June 15th) in 1983 the Sky Blues tucked another substantial win in Zimbabwe under their belts in their first ever African close season tour. New ‘gaffer’ Bobby Gould (who is now a CCFPA member), who had taken over from Dave Sexton at the end of last season was a former Sky Blue centre forward so should have appreciated the performance on tour of the 23 year old Sky Blues striker Steve Whitton.
