Battling Coventry City are heading to Wembley. The only question is are they going once or twice?
Mark Robins’ side are heading to the capital in the FA Cup, but the play-offs are still up for debate. The scenes at Molineux as the Championship side knocked Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers out of the FA Cup were like something out of a fairytale.
The Sky Blues showed grit and fight to come from behind to eventually get past Gary O’Neil’s side and reach the semi-finals. Ellis Simms scored the opener for Coventry and despite a four-and-a-half minute check for handball, the goal was eventually given. Rayan Ait Nouri and Hugo Bueno then both found the net to give Wolves the lead and seemingly secure a spot in the last four.
That’s not how it played out, however, Simms ripped up the script when he headed in defender Bobby Thomas’ flick on from American Haji Wright’s cross. Extra time then? Not quite. Coventry broke at pace and Simms was found in the box where he laid it back to Wright close to the edge of the box, where he curled in a wonderful winner.
Back to the league, and Robins’ side currently sit in eighth position in the Championship. They are just four points behind Norwich City who sit in the final play-off spot in sixth and the Sky Blues have hit form as well, taking nine points from a possible 15.
If achieved it will be the second time in two years they will have made the end-of-season bonanza after they beat Middlesbrough in the semi-final last season. They were left heartbroken in the final though, as Luton Town won the world’s most lucrative fixture 6-5 on penalties at Wembley to send the Hatters to the Premier League.
The West Midlands-based outfit have scored an impressive 59 goals this season in the league but their defence has been just as good, conceding 43 in 37 games so far which is the fifth lowest in the Championship.
The Sky Blues have two dependable goalkeepers in Bradley Collins and Ben Wilson, 11 shutouts in just 37 games. The defence has been equally as impressive. Liam Kitching, Joel Latibeaudiere and Bobby Thomas all have over 80% accuracy for their own passes.
With a passing accuracy of 81.9% per game according to Sofascore, Coventry are one of the hardest teams to take the ball off in general. With flair players such as Haji Wright, Callum O’Hare and Ellis Simms amongst your ranks, it’s easy to see how they starve the opposition of the ball.
Wright and Simms appear to be having an in-house battle for the top scorer accolade as well, almost spurring each other on. Wright sits atop the summit at the moment with 13 in the league but Simms isn’t far behind on nine.
It’s always a good sign for a club when a player of Mason Ephrom Clarke’s quality can be loaned out. He’s been brilliant for League One club Peterborough United, with 18 goal involvements in 35 league games for the promotion-chasers after his signing was confirmed during the winter transfer window.
With nine cup finals to go against sides battling at the top such as Leeds United, Hull City and Southampton, as well as clubs struggling at the bottom like Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers, the Sky Blues will hope to get a minimum of at least 15 points from 27.
Given the heartbreak of last season, could Coventry City use that to take the extra step and make it up to the Premier League? Provided they make it into the play-offs, they should be a team to be feared. Robins will be hoping they can add to his promotion from League One in the 2019/20 season. Write them off at your peril.
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