Ben Wilson makes brilliant Mark Robins admission before Coventry City play-off final

Coventry City goalkeeper Ben Wilson admits that his manager Mark Robins didn’t have a whole lot to do with him while he was backing up Simon Moore – but now he’s the club’s first choice stopper, he hears a good bit more from him!

Wilson will take up his place in between the Sky Blues’ sticks on Saturday evening as Robins’ men look to complete the job and secure a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2001. He has excelled this season having been selected at the beginning of the season by Robins, ahead of Moore, to play regularly in the Championship.

The 30-year-old stopper, who signed in the summer of 2019 from Bradford City, has made the number one spot his own with a league high 20 clean sheets and he has even contributed at the other end of the pitch this season – on reflection, how important was that stoppage time equaliser at Blackburn Rovers in April?

READ MORE: Coventry City boss insists plans ‘in place’ regardless of Wembley outcome

READ MORE: Liam Kelly opens up on his Coventry City future and reveals Wembley speech plan

Wilson is comparably the apple of Robins ‘ eye now, having otherwise just been the goalkeeping support act, but the Sunderland academy product showered praise on the job his boss has carried out since he walked through the door and the recruitment which has been conducted – Michael Rose, Callum O’Hare, Kyle McFadzean, Matty Godden and Jamie Allen all arrived in the same summer as Wilson and the atmosphere fostered has contributed to the success.

“I think we’ve got an incredible culture at Coventry,” Wilson pointed out, in an interview with BBC Radio 5Live. “A lot of the lads have been here for the four years I’ve been here – we all signed at the same time. I think we brought in 14, 15 players in the season I first joined. That core is still together, and it’s a massive part of it.

“All the lads who have come in have settled straight in and every single individual has put their own stamp on things to help us get to where we are. The manager didn’t speak to me for three years, now I’m playing I hear a lot more from him! I was just the number two, I was the guy who made the cups of tea on a Saturday afternoon.

“The lads have been absolutely amazing but credit to the gaffer, because he’s the one who picks the XI, he’s the one who signs all the players who come in and who go out the door. He’s built a really good culture here and he’s got a really good coaching staff behind him. That’s a big part of it, getting the right people in at the top, all the way through to the 25-man squad.

“The gaffer takes huge responsibility for that. He’s been amazing. As I say, as much as I didn’t hear from him for the first two or three years, he’s been an absolute credit and he’s been an absolute joy to work under. This season, especially, he has filled me with massive amounts of confidence.”

If you were making a speech to the players before kick-off what would you say? Tell us in the comments section.

READ NEXT: