Coventry City are united and chasing a Premier League return

The ponderous start can be put down to two factors. There was an inevitable hangover and regrouping after the heartbreak of the play-off final in May, when the Sky Blues were denied promotion to the Premier League in a penalty shootout.

That included the departure of several players including star striker Victor Gyokores, who is having an impressive season in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon. Shorn of his main attacking threat, Robins had to find a way through the opening weeks of the season with new signings Ellis Sims and Haji Wright struggling to fill the shoes of the departing Swede.

The second factor was Callum O’Hare’s absence. He started his first game in almost a year at Ipswich Town on December 2 after a long-term cruciate ligament injury lay-off. Since that defeat at Portman Road, Coventry haven’t looked back recording five wins and three draws in the league.

O’Hare was in superb form on Saturday as Robins’ men patiently bided their time when breaking down 10-man Leicester, who led through a first half penalty. With men behind the ball it took some brilliance to see off the visitors. O’Hare’s quick feet for the first goal was followed up by a sublime volley for the third in added time.

In between those strikes, Milan Van Ewijk had put Coventry in front with a pinpoint shot from the edge of the box. On Tuesday evening I caught up with the Dutch right-back and team-mate Luis Binks at a supporters’ event in the city. It was great to gauge the feel-good factor amongst the fanbase and within the squad.

Van Ewijk was signed for just over £3million from Eredivisie outfit Heerenveen in the summer and already looks destined for the Premier League. A cult favourite at Coventry, his performances won over fans instantly and he has been one of the Championship’s most consistent players this season.

O’Hare adds the star quality, but the success of the last couple of seasons has been built on a team ethic that has attracted plenty of admiring glances from other Championship clubs. That togetherness has transferred from the pitch to the stands too.

When the PA system plays The Enemy’s ‘We’ll Live and Die in These Towns’ just before kick-off it sets the tone for an atmosphere which is such a stark contrast to those miserable days under former owner Sisu, who oversaw some bleak days at the club. There is a poignancy to the song given that the club has twice had to leave its home town for a nomadic existence in Northampton and Birmingham.

The move from Highfield Road in 2005 took place under a financial cloud and it was an emotive issue for supporters who still miss their old home. But after so many years of mismanagement at boardroom level it is possible to see why the future can be so bright.

Saturday’s crowd was just a few hundred shy of 30,000. It would have tipped past that mark were it not for so many seats taken out with a somewhat cautious approach to crowd segregation between the away and home sections for this relatively local derby fixture.

It is a year since current owner Doug King formally took a 100 per cent controlling interest in the club, purchasing the remaining 15 per cent of Sisu’s holding. The play-off final last season ended a joyous campaign but everyone at the club is confident there are more good times just around the corner.

If Coventry could go one better than last season and make that final step up to the Premier League it would mark an already incredibly successful tenure for Robins. The Sky Blues were a League Two club when he took charge for a second time in March 2017. During that time he has had to endure terrible off-field problems with a homeless spell leading to ground-sharing with Championship rivals Birmingham City. A return to the Premier League after a 23-year absence would be something to savour.