THIS weekend’s Championship play-off final between Coventry City and Luton Town is arguably the biggest game in the Sky Blues recent history.
Victory at Wembley would see City return to the Premier League for the first time in more than two decades.
Ahead of the big match, lets take a look back at five memorable matches from Coventry’s past including the club’s 1987 FA Cup final win and City’s incredible Houdini act to escape relegation on the final day of the 1996/97 season.
City’s Finest Hour
The 1987 FA Cup final had a little bit of everything.
Coventry were clear underdogs against a Tottenham Hotspur side which contained the likes of Ray Clemence, Clive Allen, Chris Waddle, Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles.
And City fans would have feared the worst at Wembley when Allen opened the scoring after just two minutes.
However, Dave Bennett equalised on nine minutes after he rounded Clemence only for Gary Mabbutt to restore Tottenham’s lead shortly before half time.
The Sky Blues refused to be beaten and took the game to extra time courtesy of Keith Houchen’s sensational 63rd minute diving header from Bennett’s cross.
And just six minutes into the extra period, Mabbutt put through his own net to ensure Coventry lifted the FA Cup for the first and only time in their history.
Coventry were managed by the late John Sillett and George Curtis who masterminded City’s run to the final which included wins against Bolton Wanderers, Manchester United, Stoke City, Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United.
The team of Steve Ogrizovic, David Phillips, Greg Downs, Lloyd McGrath, Brian Kilcline, Trevor Peake, Bennett, Micky Gynn, Cyrille Regis, Houchen, Nick Pickering, Graham Rodger and Steve Sedgley etched their names into the club’s history books forever.
Goals Galore in League Cup Thriller Against Forest
Coventry City’s League Cup, then known as the Rumbelows Cup, fourth round clash against Nottingham Forest on November 28, 1990, was quite simply unbelievable.
The Sky Blues stunned Forest, managed by the late, great, Brian Clough, as City raced into a 4-0 lead inside 35 minutes.
A hat-trick from Kevin Gallacher and a Steve Livingstone strike had all but guaranteed City a place in the quarter-finals.
However, much to the amazement of those inside Highfield Road, a seven-minute hat-trick from Forest striker Nigel Clough, son of manager Brian, before half time sent Coventry into the break with a 4-3 lead.
And Forest drew level at the start of the second half when Garry Parker found the net before only for Livingstone to score his second of the game and seal a dramatic 5-4 win for the Sky Blues.
The game earned Terry Butcher his first victory as Sky Blues boss, after he replaced the club’s FA Cup winning manager John Sillett, as City dumped out back-to-back League Cup winners Forest.
The Great Escape
Heading into the final day of the 1996/97 season, Coventry looked certain to suffer a first ever relegation from the top flight.
The Sky Blues sat 19th at the start of the day and needed to win away at Tottenham Hotspur and hope that both Sunderland and Middlesbrough dropped points.
However, City made the perfect start when Dion Dublin headed in Gary McAllister’s cross after 13 minutes to the delight of the 4,500 travelling Sky Blues supporters.
And Coventry were in dreamland on 39 minutes when McAllister’s corner was hooked in by defender Paul Williams.
Tottenham pulled a goal back through Paul McVeigh just before half time to set up a nervy second half.
However, as news filtered through that Middlesbrough had drawn with Leeds and Sunderland had lost at Wimbledon, City knew that should they hold onto their slender lead, they would be safe.
And after several tense minutes, City could at last celebrate their survival as the club pulled off the most unlikely of escape acts on a dramatic final day.
Huckerby Magic Downs Champions United
With four minutes to go, Coventry City looked set to lose a sixth league game in seven matches as they trailed Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United 2-1 at Highfield Road on December 28, 1997.
Despite Noel Whelan’s 12th minute opener, goals either side of the break from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham completed an impressive turnaround from the defending Premier League champions.
However, Huckerby was fouled in the box following a mazy run which allowed former United man Dion Dublin to step up and coolly pass the ball into the top left corner of the goal from the penalty spot.
And just two minutes later, Huckerby collected the ball just inside the United half and weaved his way past two defenders before sliding the ball into the bottom right corner to spark wild scenes of celebration.
Coventry’s remarkable late comeback ended United’s six-game winning run in the league and helped turn City’s fortunes around as the club enjoyed a fine second half of the season.
Mifsud Stuns Old Trafford
Not many football fans will be familiar with the name Michael Mifsud but in the city of Coventry the Maltese striker has cult-hero status.
City were a Championship club back in the 2007/08 season and travelled to Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering Manchester United side in the third round of the League Cup.
Few expected anything other than a routine win for the reigning Premier League champions but Coventry and Mifsud had other ideas.
The striker broke the deadlock on 27 minutes when he turned home Michael Doyle’s cross to silence the Old Trafford crowd.
And he sealed a famous win with a clinical finish on 70 minutes to send the 11,000 travelling Sky Blues supporters into delirium.
United’s team featured future World Cup and Champions League winner Gerard Pique and Portugal international Nani whilst Michael Carrick was deployed from the bench.
You can read about Coventry’s last season as a Premier League club HERE
