Wata alama mai sauki, da aka rubuta da hannu kuma aka ɗaga sama a Villa Park a watan Mayu 2001, ta ɗauki sako mai sauƙi: "We'll be back." John Mullaney, mai goyon bayan Coventry City wanda ya yi ta, ya jira kwata na ƙarni — amma an tabbatar da cewa ya yi gaskiya. Sky Blues sun dawo Premier League.
Dawowansu ya zo da alama mai nauyi. An sauke Coventry daga ƙwallon ƙafa na kara na farko a cikin shekaru 34 a daren nan a Villa Park, kuma ƙaddara ta ga ya dace a haɗa su da Aston Villa a zagaye na uku na Carabao Cup a lokacin farko da suka dawo tsakanin fitattun kulob din Ingila.
Hamayya da ba ta tafi gaba ɗaya ba
Wasan — da aka buga a Coventry Building Society Arena — ya ɗauki nauyi na gaske ga magoya bayan gida, ko da yake magoya bayan Villa sun kasance a hankali wajen yarda da hakan. A wajen filin wasan kafin fara wasan, mai goyon bayan Villa mai suna Steve ya gaya wa FourFourTwo cewa Coventry sau ɗaya sun kasance babban abokin hamayyarsa na yankin, amma ya yarda cewa ba ya tunaninsu kusan a lokacin da suka yi nesa da Premier League na dogon lokaci.
"Ina tuna da tura su ƙasa, amma tun dā ne sosai har ban tuna da yadda na ji da gaske ba," ya ce. "Yana da kyau ga yankin cewa suna cikin Premier League kuma amma ba zan iya tunanin za su zauna na dogon lokaci ba. Su ne babban abokan hamayyarmu na yankin lokacin da nake girma ko da yake wani lokaci ba mu so mu yarda."
Wannan salon — ƙarfi a gefe guda, rashin kulawa a ɗayan — alamar hamayyar da ba daidai ba ce, ko da yake giɓin yana ƙunshe lokacin da kulob din biyu suka ƙarshe sadu.
Yan wasa da suka ketare iyakar
Ga magoya bayan Coventry, ɗaci ya kasance mai rai a wani bangare ta hanyar tunawa da 'yan wasa da suka yi tafiyar gajeriya zuwa Villa Park. Dion Dublin, Moustapha Hadji, da George Boateng duk sun tafi Villa, jerin tafiyoyi da suka bata wa tsara ɗaya ta magoya bayan Sky Blues rai.
"Hamayyarmu ta kasance mai yanayi kullum," in ji Dominic Jerams, mai goyon bayan Coventry a bayan aikin Sideways Sammy. "Lokacin da na fara zuwa wasannin Coventry muna cikin Premier League kuma Aston Villa sune babban abokin hamayya. A matsayina na matashi mai goyon baya, su ne dukan 'yan wasana da nake so, don haka Villa ya ci gaba a zuciyata a matsayin abokin hamayya."
Villa sun ci gaba yayin da Coventry ke ci gaba da wahala
A filin wasa, Villa sun cike daman daren. Tammy Abraham ya ci ƙwallo biyu kuma Ross Barkley ya ƙara kai ba tare da tsayin daka ba don ɗaukaka Aston Villa 3-0, tare da bugun 'yanci mai kyau na Victor Torp yana ba Coventry bege na ɗan gajeren lokaci amma a ƙarshe banza.
Villa sun tabbatar da wurinsu a zagaye na huɗu, yayin da manaja Frank Lampard ya rage tunani kan farko mai wahala na kakar wasa ta 2026/27 ta Coventry. Bayan wasanni shida, nasara ta 4-2 kan Plymouth Argyle kaɗai ne ke ba da wani ta'aziyya.
Manajan Villa Unai Emery ya amince bayan wasan cewa Carabao Cup ta wakilci hanya mai yuwuwar dawo zuwa gasar Turai, ko da yake ya yarda cewa wasu wasannin suna ɗaukar ma'ana fiye da dabaru da sakamakon wasan. Lokacin da waɗannan ƙungiyoyi biyu suka sake haɗuwa a Premier League, manajoyin biyu za su sami hoton da ya fi bayyana inda kulob dinsu suke tsaye da gaske.
