Coventry City: 6 Songs — Terrace Edition

Words: Tom Reed

Images: Tom Reed

And you wonder why you can't get no sleep

When you've got nothing to do

And you've had nothing to eat

Your life's slipping and sliding right out of view

And there's absolutely nothing that you can do,

Well, We'll live and die We'll live and die in these towns

Don't let it drag you down. Don't let it drag you down now.

The lyrics by Coventry band the Enemy are particularly relevant for the city’s football club, one that looked like it would die in another town, when they were exiled in Northampton under the SISU regime in 2014.

Football teams bring a sense of cohesion in a changing society, especially in a city like Coventry, so imagine what it was like to have your club, your pride, your joy, your pain, playing 45 minutes down the road, in a ground of another.

They didn’t let it drag them down too much though, for when you go to watch the Sky Blues you’ll see that there is a bigger energy at play there which means the ball will always be rolling and the club will always come back to the city.

They are have now returned to the Coventry Building Society Arena, which has got stick from traditionalists and people that went to the old Highfield Road but for FA Cup matches like Saturday’s 3rd Round tie with Oxford United it comes into its own.

Some young Oxford lads were on the train which drops you right outside the stadium, early doors, handing out free cans of San Miguel, as they’d brought too many. They’d want something stronger at the final whistle but the early optimism for the 12.30 kick-off was strong with the Yellows.

The Ghost Town beer on tap at Dhillon’s brewery signifies the cool relationship that Cov has with multi-culturalism via the seminal Ska band “The Specials”.

©Tom Reed/ Terrace Edition. Coventry City FC.

Even though it’s an early kick-off, it’s later than you think and both home and away fans enjoy themselves and arrive well oiled and not particularly on time.

In our Coventry homes

We speak with an accent exceedingly rare

You want a cathedral? We’ve got one to spare

In our Coventry homes.

That’s the problem with playing against Coventry, even if you’re doing well they will always feel they are a level up from you. It comes from the 60’s when the industrial city was booming and living standards higher than in many parts of the country.

They’ve been through bust too and the contraction of the car industry but that feeling of coming from a special city remains.

Oxford’s tenth minute equaliser that sent their 3000 fans into rapture was met with shoulder shrugs from the Sky Blue faithful and sure enough, City had gone 3-1 up within 17 minutes in reply.

Play Up Sky Blues

While we sing together

We will never lose

Tottenham or Chelsea

United or anyone

They shan’t defeat us

We’ll fight till the day is won.

Mark Robins has the Sky Blues playing a handsome style of possession football that sees the ball barely leave the grass for most of the game. Its all about a good first touch, a decent return pass and a work ethic to make space for the next give and go.

Cov’s third came via a kiss of a turn from Kasey Palmer and then a run with left and right before a 25 yard top corner curler, that really puffed out the home fans’ chests.

Maybe it was the Ghost Town lager kicking in but for a second, with the light cutting through the bowl in shards and the cavernous surroundings and the perfect hit, it could have been a goal to grace a major tournament by the Jamaica international.

Allez Allez Allez oh

CCFC

Sky Blue Army.

At one point, the Coventry fans began the Spanish style olé, with their side enjoying a particularly long spell of uninterrupted possession. The light blue jerseys tumbled around like broken pieces of mosaic and the Oxford fans with the Enemy words of “there's absolutely nothing that you can do” sharp in their minds.

But then, Oxford stole possession and their fans began their own wry olés, although their control was fragile and Coventry pressed them in packs till they didn’t have the ball anymore.

Who put the ball in the Oxford net?

Half the City team did!

By minute 88, City had scored six goals in this FA Cup Round 3 tie, not just putting Oxford to bed but turning out the light and sitting on the sofa with a glass of Sauvignon.

Coventry substitute Matty Godden notched a brace in two minutes with the first a nonchalant sweep of the right foot into the bottom corner and the second a cute left-footed drive after an intelligent run into space.

Some of Oxford’s travelling support had made the decision to head home before that, not in a rage but with a lucid choice of getting their hangover done before the evening.

The Cov fans in Block 14 serenaded the departing Yellows with songs about having “seen the City” and it being time to go home.

The train away from the stadium was packed and the Cov fans warm and happy, while the Oxford supporters got back to the good stuff of chants about rivals Swindon.

The City was in view again.

Take me home Highfield Road

To the place, I belong

West Terrace

To see the City

Take me home