In seven years as a professional football coach, Mark Robins has achieved impressive feats with Coventry including two promotions and a close victory in the FA Cup semi-finals. Fans are now calling for a statue honoring his contributions after another thrilling win led the team back to the national stadium, thanks to a brilliant goal by Haji Wright in the 100th minute.
In the last seven minutes of regular time, two goals drastically changed the outcome of the game. Wolves were now leading and heading into additional stoppage time, thanks to goals from Rayan Aït-Nouri and Hugo Bueno. It would have been a tough loss for Coventry, who had many missed opportunities in the second half. After Ellis Simms scored Coventry’s first goal, he then tied up the game in the 97th minute and assisted Wright’s amazing game-winning goal. Wright smoothly placed a first-time shot into the bottom corner of goalie José Sá’s net, with help from substitute Callum O’Hare keeping the attack going.
Robins has transformed a dysfunctional club, rebuilding them from the bottom up and restoring Coventry’s proud name, and few could begrudge the celebrations at the final whistle. He has steered them through incessantly choppy waters, making light of ground shares, skeleton staff and unplayable pitches, and here he was able to drink in the reality of a Cup semi-final. Robins, of course, helped Manchester United to win Sir Alex Ferguson’s side the competition in 1990.
The initial score was disputed, causing a delay of four minutes while the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) reviewed the play. Eventually, referee Graham Scott awarded the goal after the ball deflected off Simms’s right arm and went into the net. Kasey Palmer’s free-kick was headed by Liam Kitching towards the goal, and Joel Latibeaudiere made contact before the ball hit Simms and went in. Simms, who missed an easy opportunity in the first half, unintentionally played a role in the goal.
Sam Barrott, the referee, stood with his hands on his hips at the halfway point, while both teams struggled to stay warmed up during the ridiculous delay caused by VAR. The Wolves fans even booed as Stockley Park deliberated over the call. As usual, Robins remained unaffected, with his hands in his pockets on the sidelines.
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The Wolves were not very aggressive in their offensive plays. 19-year-old Nathan Fraser, who almost went on loan to third-tier Shrewsbury in January, was once again responsible for leading the attack due to the injuries of Matheus Cunha, Hwang-Hee chan, and Pedro Neto. Despite this, Aït-Nouri played a key role in the team’s success and his goal brought the game back to a tie. He then cleverly assisted Bueno in scoring what he likely believed was the winning goal in the 88th minute. However, things did not go quite as planned.
Source: theguardian.com
