Trip to the Light FANTASTIC!
EXCITEMENT AT FEVER PITCH AS CITY GET PURR-FECT OPENING CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AT THE BLACK CATS
COVENTRY City fans have been given a firecracker of an opening day fixture with a trip to fierce rivals Sunderland!
A match at the Stadium of Light is one of the more anticipated trips by the Sky Blue Army with no love lost between both sets of supporters for historical reasons – the rivalry hitting fever pitch with City’s thrilling 5-4 victory in the Black Cats’ backyard in April 2019 – a truly memorable away day that fans have dined out on ever since.
The game is scheduled for a 12pm kick-off on Sunday, July 31, which means it’s likely to have been chosen for TV coverage by Sky Sports.
Mark Robins’ men will return to the Coventry Building Society Arena the following weekend on Saturday, August 6, when they welcome newly promoted Rotherham United who made an immediate return to the Championship this season as runners up to League One champions Wigan Athletic.
That will be followed by an away trip to Millwall before the Sky Blues host another newcomer to the division, with the above mentioned Latics travelling to the CBS Arena, in what is a fairly comfortable start to the campaign if City are on top of their game in the early skirmishes.
Coventry’s first clash against relegated Premier League clubs comes with a trip to Norwich City in early September, while they entertain Burnley on October 8, and face Watford at Vicarage Road in early November.
The club’s biggest local derby in the absence of Nottingham Forest and Derby County will be Birmingham City, and the trip to familiar territory of St Andrew’s comes as early as September 17, just eleven games into the schedule.
City play 21 games in the first part of the season which ends with a home clash against QPR on November 12 before a monthlong break for the World Cup. City’s fixtures will resume on December 10 with a trip to Reading.
Boxing Day falls on a Monday this year and City have landed a high profile and tough trip to one of the promotion favourites, Sheffield United, before entertaining Cardiff City on Thursday, December 29 in the second of the festive fixtures. New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday when the Sky Blues will host Bristol City.
The Sky Blue Army’s favourite weekend in Blackpool falls on Saturday, March 18, while the Easter schedule sees a long away trip to Swansea on Good Friday (April 7) followed by Watford at home on Easter Monday.
And the final run-in sees City face QPR and Blackburn in back-to-back
It’s a brilliant start, with Sunderland and three of the promoted sides in the first four games, which is always interesting. Mark Robins
away games before Reading and Birmingham at home ahead of a difficult final day trip to another side that fancies itself for promotion this season, Middlesbrough, on Saturday, May 6.
Boss Mark Robins gave his reaction to Coventry City’s fixture schedule that has thrown up tough away games to start and end the new Championship campaign.
He recognised the excitement among the Sky Blue Army for the opening away day in an early run that sees City play all three of the teams coming up from League One in their opening four fixtures.
“The fact that we have got 21 games until break on November 12 is significant, and that’s not including the cup games so if we have a decent run there will be more than that.
“It’s a brilliant start, looks like a great start with Sunderland, and then Rotherham, Millwall and Wigan as well, so three of the promoted sides in the first four games, which is always interesting.”
He added: “Then we look at the Christmas games and Boxing Day at Sheffield United and the last game of the season at Middlesbrough away, so we start away and finish away, which is unusual, and they are concertinaed in a lot more than normal.”
Asked if he would say the schedule hasn’t been kind to City, Robins said: “No, I wouldn’t want to say that at all.
“Everyone will have challenges with the fixtures.
“It could have been worse but could have been better.
“I think we have a really difficult trip to Sunderland but it is one that will excite everyone, I am sure.”