Wolves Fans' Verdict v Coventry: A devastating defeat

Clive Smith

Devastated.

Reminds me of the feeling after Watford in that semi-final. Nothing I say or write will change that feeling, from the jaws of victory.

After the Brighton game, given the cup draw, it was understandable to feel optimistic that a trip to Wembley was a distinct possibility. Since then enthusiasm has evaporated somewhat knowing we were short of our front three for the game. We still trusted Gary O’Neil to find a solution.

The day started well, I saw Hibbitt and Carr walking across the North Bank car park and Eves by the Stan Cullis statue. In Asda a young lad had his cardboard FA Cup wrapped in silver foil – I could not quite see if our name was on it for this season. One thing was missing from the nostalgia trip – there was no Express & Star FA Cup souvenir special issue on sale outside the ground. Those were the days my friend.

As for the game itself, had it fizzled out at 1-0 we’d have been disappointed but it would not have felt as bad as it does now. Coventry were the better side for most of the game and we were fortunate that they had missed some good chances and Sa had made several impressive saves else we’d have been beaten more convincingly.

Our line-up and formation made it very difficult to sustain any attacking momentum. We did have some impressive performances however. In the first half particularly Semedo and Ait-Nouri played well forward to supplement our attack. Doyle too saw plenty of possession and was good at circulating the ball.

In the second half Sa kept us in the game while Ait-Nouri continued to shine, being outstanding for both goals, while Gomes was getting better the longer the game went on. Fraser was finding it increasingly hard to make any impact, likewise Chiwome when he came on.

Lemina, who has been a consistent stand-out player recently, was well below par, with his passing.

No-one could have foreseen what happened from the 80th minute onwards. The highs and lows of being a fan eh, the emotional swing. We’ll remember that for a long time – probably as long as the Watford semi.

Rob Cartwright

Talk about the script not going to plan!