Being a Coventry fan used to mean chaos and pain – now it’s time to celebrate

With my club on the verge of a remarkable return to the Premier League, I’m ready to bury the hurt of the bad times

LONG-SERVING: Liam Kelly was a driving force in the play-off final win over Exeter City and is now club captain. Pic: Richard Sellers/PA Wire.

Queueing at the luggage drop at Sydney airport in Australia in 2017, I glanced around and wondered whether any other expats were as desperate as I was. To watch a game of football I was embarking on a 21,000-mile round trip to and from the UK and sacrificing a few thousand pounds – not to mention my environmental conscience. This wasn’t just any game, of course. This was the Checkatrade Trophy final between Coventry City and Oxford United.

The journey made sense, I reassured myself: Coventry’s last appearances at Wembley came in 1987 when I was four years old and not yet a supporter, and the club had spent recent seasons flirting with extinction. If I wanted to see the Sky Blues at Wembley, alongside my dad, this would be my only chance.