LET’S HAVE AN 80s REVIVAL
Sky Blues owner King is on a high after his request for Cup run is answered in style
COVENTRY City owner Doug King asked manager Mark Robins to engineer an FA Cup run.
So, guess what happened. The man who bought the Sky Blues just 14 months ago enjoyed a moment to himself outside the visitors’ dressing room as he pumped his fists upwards following a tie that was in the best tradition of this famous competition.
And he revealed that he had asked the club’s boss to zero-in on rekindling the memories of 1987 (top) as Coventry mounted an incredible stoppage-time comeback to book their trip to Wembley.
King (above), whose men host Manchester United in the semi-finals, was still breathless as he went to congratulate Robins and his players.
He said: “Last year, we lost to Wrexham at home and I was disappointed - even though we went to 10 men, we would have hoped to have done better.
“We did have injuries and we rotated the squad and it was a helleva game of football but we could have done better.
“So, I said to the manager, ‘The FA Cup is what we’ve done. It’s our biggest ever success. I fancy this. Let’s go and have a run’. The draw has been quite kind to us but you’ve still got to win ’em - this was our biggest challenge and we have succeeded.
“It’s a big moment for us. It’s our third quarter-final in 37 years… but we do the right things, excellent manager, top boys on the pitch.
“It was awesome work. I’m so happy for the manager after all his time here taking back from the nadir and the depths to get to a semi-final for him is just fantastic.”
However, it was the manner of the victory which left him most contented.
He said: “What pleased me is that whenever I go to a game I’m asking, ‘Are we in the mix, are we playing well, are we getting on with it?’
“I felt like we were really in it and I don’t want to be going to Wolves, hanging about, nicking one, holding on and it all goes a bit ridiculous.
“We played really properly. We’d been a bit hard done by but we kept going until the end and then it just went mad.
“Everyone was stunned. I was with my family and friends in the directors’ box and we were looking at each other saying, ‘What just happened?’
“I’m a Sky Blue. But they’re now Sky Blue and we’re going to paint the outside of the house sky blue.”
King’s investment in January last year almost reaped instant rewards. But for defeat in the penalty shootout at Wembley, he would have taken the club back to the top flight for the first time since 2001.
Asked if this could have a positive knock-on effect, he replied: “Oh yes. From my point of view, it was a stolen play-off.
“We’d arrived late into the top six and I know we finished fifth but we were only there for 15 days all season. We played well against Middlesbrough but once you get to the final, you’ve got a chance.
“We’re not playing one of the clubs with the parachute payments and it dribbled away in the cruellest way.
“You’ve got to knock on the door a few times before you get in. I’ve been consistent in that. Here we are in eighth trying to get in again. If you do the right things and you do them professionally, hopefully we can get one moment when we get out but for now, we’ll settle for this.
“What happened to us, with Wolves’ scoring twice, felt like a sucker-punch but to see what happened afterwards... I think that will stay with us all for a very long time.”
WOLVES (5-3-2): Sa 8, Semedo 6, Kilman 6, Bueno S 6, Toti 6, (Doherty 59, 5) Ait-Nouri 8, Doyle 6, (Bueno H 72) Lemina 7, Gomes 7, Sarabia 6, Fraser 5 (Chiwome, 59, 5)
COVENTRY (4-3-3): Collins 6, van Ewijk 7, Thomas 8, Kitching 7, Bidwell 7, Latibeaudiere 6, (Tavares 90) Sheaf 9, Eccles 6, (Torp 90) Palmer 8, (O’Hare 69, 6) Wright 7, Simms 8