Tsawon shekaru 25, magoya buran Coventry City sun sha wahala iri-iri — gwagwarmaya da fitarwa daga babbar ƙungiya, rikicin mallakar kulob, wasan gida a wurare nesa, da kuma rashin isa Premier League sau biyu a wasan ƙarshe na gasar play-off. A wannan kakar wasan, jiran ya ƙare a ƙarshe. Karkashin jagorancin Frank Lampard, Sky Blues sun karbo taken Championship da maki 95, suna dawo da matsayi a Premier League bayan dogon lokaci.

Taken da aka ci da ƙarfi da kwarjini

Nasarar Coventry ta kasance babu ta biyu. Kulob din ya yi kwanaki 40 daga cikin 46 na wasa a cikin wuraren tashin kai tsaye, ya kammala da maki 11 sama da Ipswich wanda ya zo na biyu, kuma ya zira kwallaye 97 cikin gasar baki daya — duk wannan ba tare da taimakon kuɗin parachute ba. Wannan irin daidaito yana cancanta girmamawa.

Gordon Strachan, wanda shi ne ƙarshen mutumin da ya jagoranci Coventry a babbar ƙungiya kafin faduwarsu a 2001, ya dawo birni a wannan lokacin rani kuma ya shaida bukukuwan da idanunsa. «Akwai alamu — har a kan alamomin hanya — da ke cewa: 'We're back'», ya shaida wa FourFourTwo. «Al'umma, a bangaren kwallon kafa, ta sha wahala tsawon shekaru 25. Yanzu duniya daban ce a Coventry.»

Daga legen kwallon kafa ta huɗu zuwa ɗaukaka

Girman wannan dawowar yana bayyana a sarari lokacin da aka kalli tarihi. Har zuwa shekarar 2020, Coventry suna buga League One, bayan da suka wuce ta ƙungiyar ta huɗu jim kaɗan kafin haka. Hanyar dawowar daga League Two zuwa Premier League ɗaya ce daga cikin mawuyacin hanyoyi a kwallon kafa ta Ingila — duk da haka, kulob din ya cimma hakan a cikin shekaru takwas.

Babban daraja ya tafi ga Mark Robins, wanda ya zo a zagayen nasa na biyu a matsayin manaja a watan Maris 2017 lokacin da kulob din yake a bayan maki goma don tsira a League One. Ya cece su daga fitar da su, ya lashe taken League One a kakar 2019-20 da Covid ta shafi, kuma ya yi ƴan inci kadai ya dawo Premier League a 2023, lokacin da Luton suka doke su a harbin bugun fanariti a wasan karshe na play-off a Wembley.

Strachan bai yi jinkiri ba wajen bayyana tausayinsa. «Ina ganin Mark Robins yana tsaye tare da Jimmy Hill, Noel Cantwell da mutanen irin su ga wannan kulob,» in ji shi — wani yabai mai ban sha'awa, tun da Hill ne ya jagoranci Coventry zuwa ƙarshen tashinsu zuwa babbar ƙungiya a 1967.

Lokacin da Lampard ya maye gurbin Robins watanni 18 da suka wuce, an karɓi wannan shawarar da shakka. Zamansa na biyu a Chelsea ya sa zuciya ta daɗe, kuma lokacin da ya yi a Everton ya ɓace wajen tabbatar da tsira daga fitarwa maimakon gina wani abu mafi girma. Duk da haka, wannan haɗari ya haifar da taken Championship da dawowar zuwa babban matakin kwallon kafa — sakamakon da ya kai darajar ɗaruruwan miliyoyin fam ga kulob din.

Grimes: kyaftin mai dacewa da wannan lokaci na tarihi

Ɗayan mahimman ƙarin waɗanda Lampard ya kawo a tsakiyar kakar wasa shi ne kyaftin Matt Grimes, wanda aka saye daga Swansea City. Yana da shekaru 31, Grimes ya yi wasanni 485 a gasar EFL amma huɗu kawai a Premier League a lokacin yana ɗan wasan matashi na Swansea. Yanzu zai jagoranci Coventry a babbar ƙungiya, yana rufe da'irar kansa da ta kulob din gaba ɗaya.

Strachan, wanda danginsa har yanzu suna da tikiti na kakar wasa a kulob din, ya taƙaita abin da tashin wannan ya nuna fiye da filin wasa. «Tsawon shekaru 20, an kasance ana tambaya: 'Wa ne shi ke da filin wasa? Wa ne shi ke da hannun jarin? Muna buga a Northampton ko Birmingham? Wa ne mai shi?'» in ji shi. «Idanun duniya yanzu suna kan Coventry, wanda yana da kyau, kuma suna yin magana a kan kwallon kafa kanmu.»

Bayan shekaru 25, wannan shi ne duk abin da magoya buran Coventry City suka taba so.