Coventry City fans seek Wembley tickets after play-off win

Tickets for Coventry City’s Wembley play-off have gone on sale 12 hours after fans celebrated a semi-final win.

Season ticket holders hoping for a victory that would secure Premier League football next season have been able to buy since 10:00 BST.

Former players praised the team’s “spot-on” display in Wednesday’s win.

Supporters celebrated after the final whistle at the Riverside Stadium and at pubs and bars in Coventry, where fans also gathered for an event at HMV Empire.

The Sky Blues have been allocated 36,237 tickets for Wembley and their fans will be in the west end of the stadium – the same as their League Two play-off final and Checkatrade Trophy final.

Despite a late night travelling back from Middlesbrough, supporter Sue Medlock was up early to secure her ticket.

She said: “[I] got into bed at just gone three and [was] up again this morning, but it was worth it.”

When she logged on to make her purchase, she said, “there were already about five or six thousand [people] in front [of me]”, adding the experience was “very stressful” and that she was “very relieved” to have her ticket.

The Sky Blues are now within 90 minutes of reaching the top flight of English football for the first time since the 2000-01 season, when they were playing at their former Highfield Road ground.

Since then, Coventry have dropped down to League Two and played some home games at Birmingham City and Northampton Town.

One supporter, Ricky Hill, stated: “At the beginning of the season we had no pitch. [But] we’ve got [manager] Mark Robins for another four years. We’ve got a stadium. It’s just pure relief, because the good times are back.”

Mr Hill said he was crying at full-time and added: “My beloved wife died in January and I remember her saying to me before she went ‘get to Wembley’.

“We’re there and this is for her.”

Lauti Murguia was handed the shirt after February’s 1-1 draw, coincidentally against Luton, by midfielder Kasey Palmer, who had reached out after a photo of the Argentinian buying a Sky Blues shirt in London was shared widely on social media.

He said: “It was a draw [in February], but it was a nice game to watch. Luton has a great team.

“When I started to support Coventry we were at Wembley, but playing against Exeter in League Two, so this is like unbelievable.

“I have no words to explain what I am feeling now. It was a tough game [at Middlesbrough], but, well, Hamer did that beautiful goal.”

Podcast host Edward Walker tweeted: “Luton Town and Coventry City came up from League Two together in 2017-18… Incredible pair of stories.”

Former Coventry goalkeeper and 1987 FA Cup winner Steve Ogrizovic pointed out the team had been unbeaten against all of the sides in the Championship play-offs this season.

He added: “There’s been talk… quite a number of times in recent years [about] how Luton are one year ahead of us in development if you have a look at what’s happened.

“It’s ironic that we’re meeting them at Wembley… and we can possibly overtake them on the line.”

Former Sky Blues player and Coventry local Gary McSheffrey said: “I didn’t get to play [at Wembley] myself, which is disappointing.

“But since retiring I’ve watched Coventry there three times now, so this new era, after we’ve hit rock bottom, under Mark Robins has just gone from strength to strength.

“[On Wednesday] they got everything spot on really, the team selection, the shape, the tactics.”

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