Ace of League Two linked: Since deadline day, Coventry City trade rumors and news

Coventry City have dispelled their dark days in the doldrums of the Football League and are on an upwards trajectory year-on-year.

They’ve simply gone from strength to strength since storming to the League One title in the 2019/20 campaign, where they spent the first two years back in the Championship consolidating in the comfort of mid-table before launching a surge towards promotion last time out.

And while Coventry did unfortunately fall at the final hurdle through penalties in last season’s play-off final against fellow underdog outfit Luton Town, it still remains difficult to overlook just how well they’ve done over the last few years now.

The Sky Blues haven’t started the current campaign too badly either and are typically astute, while it’s also hard not to be excited about a team that boasts the likes of Ellis Simms, Haji Wright and Ben Sheaf to name a few.

Crucially, though, being back in the Championship gives them the opportunity to renew rivalries and hatred that they have with other teams – and that’s what we’ll be taking a look at here…

Who are Coventry City’s rivals?

Being based in the Midlands, there’s plenty of clubs near Coventry and that usually leads to bad blood.

Coventry used to have fierce rivalries with West Midlands duo Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers as they spent a lot of time in the same leagues as those two sides, although it’s fizzled out in more recent years.

Due to the geography, there was also a fair degree of animosity when Coventry would lock horns with Birmingham City.

However, the Blues’ decision to share their ground with Coventry for two years – saving them from EFL expulsion – has softened the hatred, although it’s still not as if the two fanbases are best pals.

Those rivalries make sense, but one that requires a bit more of an explanation is the one they have with Sunderland – who are based virtually 200 miles away in the North East!

It all dates back to the final day of the 1976/77 season, in which Coventry found themselves in a relegation dogfight alongside Bristol City and Sunderland.

Coincidentally, Coventry and Bristol City were playing eachother that day and the decision was made to delay kick-off by five minutes, while Sunderland headed to Everton and ended up losing 2-0.

That match was shown on the live scoreboard back down in Coventry, where they and the Robins effectively stopped playing at 2-2 given that a draw would secure safety for both sides.

Sunderland fans felt aggrieved as they were ultimately relegated, and that hatred has stood the test of time.

It’s always a fiery contest both on and off-the-pitch when the two sides face off to this day.