Coventry City are one point of a Premier League return – and ahead of their potential return Daily Star Sport looks at one bizarre chapter in their history
Coventry City stand on the cusp of the footballing equivalent of the promised land.
The Sky Blues are one of football’s great institutions who have, over the past couple of decades, existed in a different world to the glitz and glam of the Premier League. On Friday, that could all change, with Frank Lampard’s men one point away from the Prem.
It has been a season from their wildest dreams, and while each and every Coventry player that has pulled on the shirt this season will be immortalised – they will never be the most famous player to wear their shirt.
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That accolade, instead, might fall at the feet – and taken down with an impeccable touch – of Gianfranco Zola, who pulled on a Coventry shirt in one of the league’s most bizarre matches.
It was 1997, and Chelsea and their assortment of stars had hoped on their team bus from West London and headed north up the M1.
At the time, the Blues were unaware they had, somehow, managed to forget to pack their away kit. Ruud Gullit, however, had a cunning plan, he would get the home side to change.
Former Coventry defender Richard Shaw explained they always had their dressing room door open, a trick taken from Sir Alex Ferguson: “Ruud came through the door and said: ‘We’re not changing!’, even though we were at home, the home team!
“I think Ruud thought that his name was enough so we would change. It was a bit of a standoff. In the end, they got given what was probably our worst away kit ever. It was red and black chequered and they wore their blue shorts, it just didn’t go.
“They brought the wrong kit and we got blamed for it!”
However, the strange events weren’t quite over: Gordan Strachan, who was Coventry boss, picked himself at the base of the midfield – dropping Darren Huckerby.
Years down the line, Huckerby joked: “I got dropped by Strach, he picked himself, picked up Man of the Match at 40-years-old! it was the right call…”
This was a Chelsea team that featured the likes of the their future manager Roberto Di Matteo, 1998 World Cup winner Franck Leboeuf and, of course, Zola.
Paul Hughes gave the disorganised visitors a 1-0 lead at half time, but a whirlwind second-half saw the home side score three times through Dion Dublin, Paul Williams and Noel Whelan.
Chelsea players, disgusted with the garish shirts, threw them on the ground after the full-time whistle.
“I always felt like Chelsea had got a touch of arrogance about them, and I get that,” Shaw added to the Coventry Telegraph. “They are party animals, shall we say, so I do understand that.
“A couple of years after this they beat us 6-1, we had a keeper sent off, and [Chelsea chairman] Ken Bates came into the changing room with a crate of champagne and said: ‘Unlucky lads, you kept it down to six. Well done!’.
“Carlton [Palmer] picked it up threw it at him, ask him! So Chelsea have always had that arrogance.”