Three years ago, on August 21, 2021, Coventry City marked a significant return to their home ground, the Ricoh Arena (now known as the Coventry Building Society Arena), after two years in exile at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s. Despite a lackluster pre-season where they lost all but one game, including a narrow defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in a friendly, the Sky Blues made an emotional and triumphant return in their Championship opener. Nearly 21,000 fans watched as Mark Robins’ men secured a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.
However, the team was quickly brought back to reality with a 2-1 Carabao Cup first-round exit at home to Northampton Town and a 1-0 league defeat at Barnsley. On this day, Coventry City was looking to build upon a midweek 1-0 win at Blackpool as they welcomed Reading to the CBS Arena.
In front of a crowd of 16,464, including 1,310 Reading supporters, the Sky Blues pulled off a 2-1 victory in dramatic fashion. As would become a theme that season, Coventry had to come from behind to secure the win. Reading took the lead just before halftime with a penalty from John Swift after Coventry’s Fankaty Dabo conceded a foul in the box. However, two masterful substitutions by Mark Robins at the 61st minute turned the tide. Jamie Allen equalized just a minute later with a sweet volley from the edge of the box, and in the eighth minute of added time, Matty Godden sealed the victory with a precise drive, sending the home fans into ecstasy.
The victory was well-deserved, with the referee David Webb booking eight players in a competitive match that was far from dirty. Coventry would go on to complete the double over Reading, winning 3-2 in the return fixture in February after coming from behind once again. That match also featured goals from defenders Dom Hyam, Michael Rose, and Ian Maatsen.
By the end of the season, Coventry City finished comfortably in 12th place in the Championship. Reading, on the other hand, narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 21st after being deducted six points by the FA for breaching profit and sustainability regulations. The Royals finished just four points above the relegation zone, which included Peterborough United, Derby County, and Barnsley. Notably, Derby County, who were deducted 21 points for various infractions, would have relegated Reading if not for their own penalty. At the top of the table, Fulham claimed the Championship title, with Bournemouth as runners-up, and Nottingham Forest secured promotion to the Premier League through the playoffs.
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