One El of a
SKY BLUES HEAD TO WEMBLEY
ELLIS SIMMS had headed to the dressing room at half time crestfallen after conjuring up one of the misses of the season.
The live TV cameras had followed his every step towards the tunnel. There was no hiding place for the former Everton striker.
But at the end of this pulsating tie he was the hero with two goals as well as setting up the last-gasp winner for Haji Wright.
Wolves, bereft of attacking power through injuries, fought to the end but Molineux deservedly went all sky blue. It hadn’t seemed that way when Mark Robins’ Championship fighters missed a glut of first-half chances, the biggest culprit being Simms.
The travelling Sky Blues fans had been ready to celebrate as Jake Bidwell quickly found the unmarked striker just six yards out after Jose Sa could only push out a low prod from Kasey Palmer.
Somehow the former Everton forward found Sa’s body instead
of the back of the net. But eight Rayan Ait-nouri volleyed in an minutes after the break – 83rd-minute equaliser and with HEADERYLINE PLEASE PL although after an interminable two minutes to go Ait-nouri VAR check it must have seemed found substitute Hugo Bueno like 80 – he had managed to give (right) to slot in what appeared Coventry the lead. to be the winner. SDPFAGLMDFEGRH– the puppet-master of But Coventry and Simms Madrfgkhdrfoghbins’ Championship weren’t finished, the striker who fighters – swung in a free-kick scored a hat-trick in the last which Liam Kitching headed round against Maidstone back across the face of goal for pounced from Bobby Thomas’ Simms to apply the vital touch. headed flick-on to make it all
The suspicion was it had come square in the 97th minute. off his arm, resulting in a forensic Just two minutes of added VAR examination. time to go and with virtually the
More chances came and went last piece of action Coventry and it appeared they had paid became giant-killers, Simms the price when Wolves livewire feeding Wright to calmly slot
past Sa. Cue pandemonium in the Coventry dug out. The Sky Blues were back at Wembley.
There was heartbreak the last time they were there losing the Championship play-off final in May against Luton.
But they and their fans would rather remember the heroics of the 1987 side who lifted the FA Cup against the odds. Iconic images of Keith Houchen’s diving header, which brought favourites Spurs to their knees, will be in vogue again as the club return to the famous stadium. And really Coventry, and Simms in particular, could have made life easier for themselves on an afternoon when they dominated at Molineux. Watching on as a pundit was one of the Coventry heroes of 1987, keeper Steve Ogrizovic. He seemed as exhausted as the new heroes in Sky Blue. An afternoon to go down in Coventry folklore.