Coventry City's Premier League dream over after penalty despair

The Sky Blue army travelled in their thousands to Wembley to drive Coventry City towards the untold riches of the Premier League, only to endure the heartbreaking, gut-wrenching torment of defeat in a penalty shootout.

But once the tears subside, everyone associated with Coventry City will surely be left to reflect on a remarkable revival that brought Mark Robins' team to within touching distance of a return to English football's top division after an absence of 22 years.

"It's the cruellest way to lose any cup final," Coventry's 1987 FA Cup-winning goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic told BBC CWR..

"I feel so desperately sorry for the players but they've got to be proud of the season. There's so much fight and determination in this squad.

"The fans are going to be very down but you have to say thanks to the players, it's been a season to remember."

Under gorgeous Wembley skies, and despite major problems connected to Chiltern Railways, Coventry fans painted the home of English football sky blue for several hours leading up to kick off.

The game kicked-off with Coventry and Luton fans giving raucous backing to their teams, but silence fell over Wembley after just eight minutes when Luton captain Tom Lockyer collapsed on the pitch before being taken to hospital.

Luton dominated the first half, and were 1-0 ahead at half time in front of more than 87,000 fans.

In purely emotional terms, Saturday's post-match scenes were perhaps not massively different to the day Coventry were relegated from the top flight in May 2001.

And that set in motion a decline for most of the next two decades.

In 2005 they were forced to leave their Highfield Road home; and just two years later the Sky Blues were saved from potential extinction after Sisu's late takeover.

By 2013 they were embroiled in a rent row with the city council, so ended up moving to Northampton.

The Sky Blues moved back to their home at the Ricoh Arena the following year, with fellow tenants Wasps now their new landlords.

But in 2019, they had to move again, to Birmingham City's St Andrew's ground, and spent two seasons there.

And even this season started badly - bottom of the league, without a pitch, having to postpone four home games and then even briefly without a ground too when they were served with the threat of an eviction by the stadium's new owners.

Having come so close to the Premier League, fans will now be looking to their new owner Doug King, chief executive of Stratford-upon-Avon-based oilseed processing facility Yelo Enterprises, who completed his purchase of the club in January.

What investment will be made to develop a squad attempting to reach what is widely regarded as the toughest league in world football?

"It was really disappointing, but what teams tend to do is go up on the back of reaching the play-offs in the previous season, so it's about consistency now," said former Coventry winger Gary McSheffrey, speaking on BBC CWR.

"They need to recruit well, keep their best players and try to build on this next season.

"That's what Coventry have got to aim for."

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