Ernie Hunt And The Greatest Free-Kick Ever

We’ve all seen Roberto Carlos’ swerving free-kick against France, but have you seen the Ernie Hunt donkey-kick ?. You’ve probably Beckham’s last-minute wonder strike against Greece. But both these free-kicks pale in comparison to Ernie Hunts donkey-kick scored at Highfield Road, Coventry in 1970. A free-kick so ingenious they had to change the rules of football to stop it from happening again. The Ernie Hunt donkey-kick as it became to be known broke down barriers in the art of the set-piece goal.

Coventry City at the time was a permanent if not regular fixture in English top-flight football. Everton their opponents on the day were one of the biggest clubs in England.

The Ernie Hunt Free-Kick

During the game, Coventry were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box. A dubious decision by the referee as it appeared the Everton player had clearly won the ball. Willie Carr stood innocently over the ball. The crowd waited in anticipation for a touch to the right and a strike on goal from a City player. However, Carr walked over the ball and trapped it between his feet. In one quick motion, he flicked the ball up between his heels.

With the ball in mid-air, Ernie Hunt strode forward to unleash a volley into the back of the Everton net. It was a goal not witnessed before in English football. The goal became affectionally known as the Ernie Hunt donkey-kick.

Coventry City went on to win the match 3-1 with Hunt scoring twice. No one remembers his other goal in the game….just the Ernie Hunt free-kick. It would be a goal that would be talked about in the pubs and clubs in Coventry for many years to come.

Aggrieved Everton boss Harry Catterick said after the match it was “like something out of a circus”, and the method of free-kick was churlishly banned at the end of that season (although it is now legal again) because it was deemed that the ball had not travelled “its full circumference either forwards or backward”.