GEORGE'S BOYS HAVE MADE US SO PROUD

THE ROAD leading into Coventry City’s CBS Arena from the M6 is called Jimmy Hill Way. If ever George Elokobi needed a reminder as to the scale of the task facing his Maidstone United side in the FA Cup on Monday night, then that was it in a nutshell.

- JON COUCH

Who can forget – those of a certain age bracket anyway – Keith Houchen’s flying header and John Sillett parading the trophy top on his head as the Sky Blues famously toppled Tottenham Hotspur in the 1987 final at Wembley.

Coventry City have since upped sticks from Highfield Road into their swanky new community stadium since those glory days but the memories – and, of course, the history – remain. A Wall of Legends is displayed on the side of the East Stand of the resplendent 32,000-seater arena featuring many of those cup heroes, while the club shop remains a shrine to the past successes.

Fitting, therefore, that the first person I shall see at the grand stadium entrance was legendary goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic, making his way out of the Press room. A true Coventry City welcome if ever there was one!

But, aside from their famous cup triumph, the Sky Blues are also, arguably, victims of one of the biggest ever FA Cup upsets themselves, in 1987-88, when, just 20 months after lifting the famous trophy at Wembley, they famously crashed out in to Conference side Sutton United in a third round tie at Gander Green Lane.

Home fans, again of a certain age, will no doubt have had that feeling of being on the wrong end of a Non-League giant-killing etched in their memories, so it was perhaps no surprise that all the noise before kick-off was emanating from the 4,800 Maidstone fans, who sung their hearts out from the moment they took to their seats.