Coventry City’s rollercoaster of a journey over the last decade was summarised in two hours of football on April 21st as they battled it out with heavyweights Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.
The Sky Blues looked down and out on the hour mark as they trailed by three goals to nil courtesy of strikes from Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
Pre-match, they were as long as 6/1 with some outlets, and one could only imagine their price when they were 3-0 down. However, the Midlands outfit battled back from the brink, just as they have done continually throughout the last ten years.
Striker Ellis Simms pulled a goal back in the 71st minute before Callum O’Hare brought them to within one just seven minutes later. It looked like the equaliser would never come, but then City were awarded a last-gasp penalty, which striker Haji Wright slotted home in the 95th minute to take the contest to extra time. It looked as though the game would go Coventry’s way when they netted a 121st-minute winner, only for the goal to be chalked off thanks to VAR.
Their efforts then came crashing down in a dreaded penalty shootout and Mark Robins’ brave side proudly bowed out. Now, Oddschecker, which compares the best odds and offers on English football, currently have United listed as 7/2 outsiders to lift the FA Cup by beating cross-city rivals Manchester City. Punters can click here for more info on that particular clash and its promotions, such as an offer of up to £30 in free bets with industry giant Bet365. While you do that, Mark Robins’ men will be licking their wounds.
Feint Playoff Hopes Ended By Hull City
If you were to take a look at the Championship table prior to their recent clash at home to Hull City, a Coventry City promotion opportunity wouldn’t immediately have stood out to you. The Sky Blues were down in eighth place, nine points off the playoffs with just a handful of games remaining. Even the bookies didn’t fancy their chances, pricing them as long as 125/1.
However, Coventry did have two games in hand on both Norwich City and West Bromwich Albion, who are placed in sixth and fifth, respectively. If they won both of those games, then the Sky Blues would move to within three points of the playoff spots with two games to go, giving them a prime opportunity to leapfrog their rivals. With a winnable fixture on the final day of the campaign at home to QPR, those odds of 125/1 suddenly seem much more valuable than at first glance. But unfortunately, it all came crashing down at the hands of the Tigers.
In an uncharacteristically poor display, the hosts lost 3-2. Now, if they are to get a spot in the top six, they need all three teams above them to lose their remaining fixtures, something that simply won’t happen. But let’s face it, promotion may well have been one step too far. But that shouldn’t take anything away from their journey over the last decade and indeed over the course of this campaign alone.
Sixfields Exile a Distant Memory
Ten years ago, Coventry found themselves exiled to neighbouring Northampton and were languishing towards the bottom half of League One. As recently as 2018, they found themselves in English football’s basement division for the first time in almost 60 years. Since then, their rise has been meteoric.
That May, they secured promotion back to League One after a triumphant outing in the League Two playoff final at Wembley. Just two years on from that, Coventry secured promotion to the Championship as winners of the division. After consolidating their status in the second tier, last season they battled it out with Luton Town with a spot in the Premier League on the line. Unfortunately for the Sky Blues, it was the Hatters that ran out victorious, once again on penalties.
More spot-kick heartache has surfaced since, but there can be no denying that the Coventry City rollercoaster is currently at its peak.
