Coventry boss Robins apologises for celebrating in front of Wolves ball boy
Coventry City manager Mark Robins apologised after celebrating Saturday’s 3-2 FA Cup quarterfinal victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in front of a Wolves ball boy, saying the emotions of watching his side score a 100th-minute winner got the better of him.
Coventry, who had gone down 2-1, scored two goals in second-half added time, with the winner coming in the 100th minute as the Championship side booked a semifinal spot for only the second time in their history.
The ball boy in question had dropped the ball at Robins’s feet earlier in the game when Wolves had looked on course to seal a semifinal date at Wembley.
When Coventry’s third goal went in, Robins ran to the ball boy with clenched fists but after the game the 54-year-old “apologised unreservedly”.
“I have an apology to make because before that (winning goal) happened, a ball boy had the ball in his hand,” Robins said.
“He dropped the ball and walked away, smiling. It really annoyed me. But he’s a kid. At the end of the day, I’ve reacted.
We scored the goal and I’ve gone and celebrated in front of him. So I’m apologising to him.
“I do not show emotion very often but I did today, and that’s what the FA Cup does to you.”
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil said Robins had apologised to him as well but labelled the celebration “disgusting”.
“I was disappointed. I waited for Mark downstairs after I’d seen it and spoke to him,” O’Neil said.
“He apologised but to celebrate in a young boy’s face like that I thought was disgusting.
“The boy is really upset. Of course, it shouldn’t happen but I don’t have too much to say because I’ve lost and it’s going to sound bitter.
“But I thought it was really important for me to speak to Mark about it. They are just kids doing a job.”
● Holders Manchester City cruised into the semifinals of the FA Cup thanks to two deflected strikes from Bernardo Silva that gave them a 2-0 win over a lacklustre Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
City made five changes from the side that started last weekend’s 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool and still managed to make the semifinals of the competition for the sixth season in a row as Newcastle provided little resistance.
City took the lead in the 13th minute when a Silva shot took a wicked deflection off Newcastle defender Dan Burn, wrong-footing keeper Martin Dubravka and sending the ball looping into the net.
The home side went 2-0 up in the 31st minute and again it was Portuguese playmaker Silva cutting in from the right and shooting, with Sven Botman’s head helping to steer the ball past Dubravka this time.
“The team played well, we did exactly what the coach wanted us to do and we scored some nice goals, we scored some important goals, we defended well, we attacked well, so very happy,” Doku told the BBC.
“We were in control but you never know, you always have to be careful with counterattacks... but I think the defenders did very well and we came back to help them as well.”
For Newcastle, the defeat brings an end to any hope they had of winning silverware this season.