An exciting day beckons. Along with Liverpool and Man City, Coventry City have made it to the 4th Round of the FA Cup. Ok so have Shrewsbury and Tranmere but it’s still an achievement for a League One team in the third tier of English football to get this far.
Even more exciting we’ve been drawn at home to our landlords Birmingham City. It’s a long story but Coventry are, not for the first time, homeless this season. Having failed to do a deal with the owners of what should be our home ground Ricoh Arena, we play all our ‘home’ games some 20 miles away at St Andrews. We currently sit fourth in our league vying for promotion, a remarkable achievement for a team without a home.
Following Coventry’s replay win against Bristol Rovers a few weeks back, ourselves and Birmingham were drawn to play each other with Coventry being at ‘home’. What are the chances of that? Has it ever happened before? How will Blues fans feel about being in the away end? Today’s game will be a unique occasion.
In years gone by when both teams were in the same league we were fierce rivals so today’s game is likely to have a certain edge. Despite our lower league status I have a funny feeling thought that Coventry will triumph this afternoon.
If so, it will add extra fun to Burns Night, the annual celebration of the life and poetry of Scotland’s Robert Burns which is tonight.
We thought we’d make the most of a day in Birmingham so after the game me and Mrs Jones will be changing into fancy dress kilts and those tacky hats with the red hair I’ve never worn a kilt before and am quite looking forward to it! Also keen to see whether Mrs Jones – who is half Scottish – will wear the somewhat shorter kilt I’ve bought her.
We’re going to one of a number of Burns Night events in the city and the three-course meal on offer is, I have to say, worryingly cheap. I’m opting for a very Scottish meal starting with haggis scotch egg with spiced tomato chutney, followed by haggis with neeps, tatties and peppercorn finished off with a marmalade and whiskey bread and butter pudding. Will try not to think about what is actually in a haggis!
It could be a great day ahead though I’ve been warned a few times not to wear the kilt to the football – which was never my plan – and certainly not to wear it on the last train home.
The Saturday evening last train out of Birmingham is a raucous affair, packed with drunken revellers, only way to cope with it is it to be drunk yourself!