29 Minutes from Wembley

SKY BLUE THINKING

SKY BLUE THINKING

On 10 February 1981 Coventry City stood 29 minutes from Wembley in the League Cup semi-final second leg at West Ham United's Upton Park. Victories over Manchester United, Brighton and Hove Albion, Cambridge United and Watford had taken Gordon Milne's side to the first semi-final in the club's 97-year history. City's youngsters missed out on a trip to Wembley in the cruellest of circumstances after a fantastic first leg at Highfield Road in front of 36,000 fans.

29 Minutes from Wembley: The Inside Story of Coventry City's 1980/81 Season features exclusive interviews with players, management, supporters and opposition stars. Contemporary media reports appear alongside memories and retrospectives to recall a wonderful time in Sky Blue history, the team's age averaging just 21.

By the summer of 1983 the majority had left the club; here, they tell their individual stories of their time at Coventry City, a club still close to their hearts after all these years. Just how good could that team have been?

For the first time, the cast of 1980/81 are reunited to tell their stories:

  • Voted the most popular player in the top flight era, Tommy Hutchison, takes us through his Sky Blues career
  • England internationals Mark Hateley and Danny Thomas look back to where it all began
  • Gordon Milne links player memories with his own recollections of nine seasons as manager
  • One of the club's best centre-back pairings, Gary Gillespie and Paul Dyson, take us back in time
  • Garry Thompson, Peter Bodak and Andy Blair on the wonderful opportunities presented to them all at Highfield Road
  • The first player to score wearing the Admiral brown kit, Steve Hunt, on the Cosmos and much, much more
  • 'The goal that never was', Clive Allen's 'goal' for Crystal Palace and the referee who said 'NO'!
  • Ian Wallace and Mick Ferguson, one of the most prolific strike partnerships to wear sky blue
  • Memories of the late Les Sealey, City's 'vocal' goalkeeper, and number one in 1980/81
  • Cameos from John Sillett, John Motson and Keith Hackett

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from 29 Minutes from Wembley.