Gift of gab earns Stephen Hunt a way back into football

A personal phone call to Coventy City manager Tony Mowbray earned former Ireland international Stephen Hunt a short-term contract with the Sky Blues.

Hunt had been without a club since leaving Ipswich Town at the end of last season and Mowbray told the Coventry Telegraph of the Waterford man's efforts to get back into the game: "I was sitting at home watching a match on the telly about ten days ago when my phone rang.

"It wasn't his agent or a third party trying to open a deal, it was the boy himself who asked if he could come and train.

"He just wanted to get his boots on and feel like a player again. He lives relatively locally and because he phoned me himself I agreed he could come in.

"Hopefully over the next few weeks he gives himself the chance of getting around our 18. Knowing his career he is what you see which is a bundle of energy - a very likeable lad who has always got a smile on his face and he's very talented with the ball."

"I had a chat with after training the other day and talked to his advisors and we've come up with a package that suits us and him.

"It's a very open-ended arrangement. If something better comes in for him we won't stand in his way. We'll shake him by the hand and let him move on - but if he does well for us we might be offering him something more permanent."

While Hunt has been highly regarded throughout his career for his energy and application in a wide midfield role, Mowbray feels his creative side has been underappreciated.

"He can pick passes that some of our younger players don't even think about, let alone see, and it just made sense to me to give him a contract.

"You can see he's played at a higher level, he looks forward, passes forward and generally gets the ball to where he wants it to be.

Hunt played 90 minutes for Coventry's Under-21 side in a 2-0 defeat by Crewe reserves, but may have to wait for his first team chance, after Coventry beat the Crewe first team 5-0 last week.

“He won’t be involved against Walsall because I don’t think that’s fair on the players who won the last game 5-0," said Mowbray.

"We just want to incorporate him into the way we play and show what we expect in whatever position he plays, because he’s pretty versatile, whatever the demands are.”