Coventry channel spirit of ’87 to reach cup semi
The memories of that sun-drenched afternoon at Wembley in 1987 are impossible to forget for Coventry supporters of a certain vintage, and the magic of the FA Cup will never be diluted for the club.
Coventry are heading back to the national stadium after a quarterfinal dripping with drama, joy, controversy and scenes of wild celebration at the end.
With former goalkeeper and FA Cup winner Steve Ogrizovic watching on from the stand, Coventry fully deserved their triumph and the achievements of manager Mark Robins continue to astound.
Since Robins was appointed in 2017, Coventry have risen from the fourth tier to within a missed penalty of the Premier League – and here was another memorable afternoon for the former striker.
It will be United States international Haji Wright who hogs the limelight after his fine winner 10 minutes into added time. Yet there were heroes all over the pitch for the Championship club, from summer signing Ellis Simms to attacking midfielder Kasey Palmer.
Coventry appeared down and out a minute from the end of normal time, yet responded with two late, late goals to spark the full catalogue of Wembley chants from 4797 travelling fans.
It will have certainly evoked memories of that rollercoaster 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur 37 years ago, when the likes of Ogrizovic, Keith Houchen and Brian Kilcline etched their names into folklore.
“I’m devastated for the players and the fanbase,” Wolves manager Gary O’Neil said. “It’s obviously a missed opportunity and we produced as good as we could produce. There’s loads of reasons why we lost. I thought where we’ve ended up today as a football club, we know how small the squad is and how many players we have missing, so that plays a big part and I’m not interested in making excuses.”
O’Neil also revealed that Pedro Neto could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, while Hee Chan Hwang will not return for at least a month after sustaining a similar problem.
Coventry had the better chances in the first half and it was Simms who put them in front early in the second.
It was a time for Coventry fans to experience the farcical VAR delays which so frustrate, after the goal was reviewed for an alleged handball. Four minutes elapsed until referee Sam Barrott upheld his initial decision.
Ait-Nouri’s close-range finish and Bueno’s sweeping strike put Wolves in the box seat but Simms and Haji Wright delivered the late goals in extra time.
The FA Cup is alive and well, thank you.