Recently by Andy Walker

STEPHEN Wright's return to fitness couldn't come at a better time for Coventry City.

Criticised for complacency in their recent 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace at the Ricoh Arena just days after beating second placed Birmingham away from home, the Sky Blues youthful looking squad appears to be lacking experience in their ranks to help the team dig in when the going gets tough.

Manager Chris Coleman is actively scouring the loan market for suitable leaders, but defender Wright might just provide the influence that was sadly lacking in that dismal display against the Eagles.

"There are only five or six of us in the squad aged 28 or over so maybe we need a bit more experience," said the 28-year-old right-back who has been out for almost three months with a partial tear of his left Achilles.

But after coming through 65 minutes of his second reserve game - a 2-1 defeat at Wolves - and the 1-0 away win at Sheffield Wednesday, the former Liverpool player can finally see light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's been a nightmare to be honest and the worst injury I have ever had," he said.

"I joined the club for a fresh start and it has been frustrating, especially when I have been unable to help the lads out.

''It came at the worst possible time for me but I am getting closer and hopefully I can make the squad in the next week or two."

Wright signed for City on a free transfer from Sunderland in the summer, bringing an end to five years in the North-east.

Although surplus to requirements at the Stadium of Light, the full-back put himself in the shop window with an impressive three-month loan spell with Stoke last season where he helped pave the way for the Potters' promotion to the Premier League.

SCOTT Dann revealed his debt of gratitude to Walsall - but has no doubts at all that when he departed the club last season, it was "the right time to go".

Dann's move to Coventry City, sealed at eight minutes to midnight on transfer deadline day last January, knocked the stuffing out of the Saddlers' bid for promotion from League One.

When the central defender followed left-back Dan Fox down the road to the Ricoh Arena, Walsall supporters were dismayed.

The seeds were sown for the resignation of manager Richard Money, privately aghast at the board's decision to cash in the player who was the biggest factor behind the team's surprise promotion challenge. But, looking back, even the most partisan Saddlers supporter could not deny that, for Dann, a move up to the Championship was already due.

Ten months on, the Liverpool-born player has more than proved that, having graduated into the England Under-21s set up and been appointed the Sky Blues skipper.

"I think I have proved it was the right time to go," Dann told the Sunday Mercury.

"Things have gone pretty well for me this year. I got into the England Under-21 squad and I think if I had stayed at Walsall, that might not have happened.

"Since coming to Coventry, I have become a better player and moved on to the next level. I was made club captain and that was a great honour.

''It is a big achievement to be captain of any side and I am delighted with it. Now I just want to keep improving and see how far I can go.

PLAYERS are often accused of saving their best performances for the television cameras.

But anyone who has seen Coventry City goalkeeper Keiren Westwood in action this season will know his recent sparkling display against Birmingham City was just one of many for the Sky Blues.

The 24-year-old shot-stopper has impressed on a regular basis since moving to the Ricoh Arena from Carlisle United at the start of this season.

Westwood's performances prompted Coventry manager, Chris Coleman, to claim there were no better goalkeepers outside the Premier League and to compare him to Manchester United star Edwin Van der Sar.

The youngster's quality was underlined as he shone during Coventry's 1-0 victory at St Andrew's last Monday evening when he made a series of world class saves during the televised clash.

But despite the latest in a string of good performances, the former Manchester City trainee is keeping his feet on the ground.

He told the Sunday Mercury: "I'm just enjoying my football at the moment and I am really enjoying it here but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

"I just want to keep working hard and keep improving; I'm only 24-years-old and by no means the finished article.

"I let other people judge the saves and I just get on with it. To be fair it's not just about me it's about big team performances.

"The Birmingham City game was the fourth clean sheet of the season and we base the whole team performance on the clean sheets so that was pleasing.

"When we concede we're not happy, it's our job to keep the ball out of the net and it has been disappointing in recent weeks but hopefully we've turned a bit of a corner now," he said.

There was a time when Westwood thought he might not make it as a professional footballer.

JAY TABB admits he swaps penalties for putters as soon as he gets away from the Coventry City training ground.

During his playing days at Brentford, Tabb struck a deal with a Bees fan who worked at Wentworth Golf Club to swap a free session on the world-famous course for tickets to Griffin Park.

And he kept his passion for golf going when he moved to the West Midlands by playing a host of local courses to keep him ahead of the other Sky Blues swingers.

"I love golf, it's just one of those things I've always enjoyed," said Tabb, who admits to having a handicap of between 10 and 12.

"I think it's because it's such a hard sport and you never really quite crack it - one week you can be amazing and the next you can be shanking them off the tee.

"It's a big challenge, when I was younger I used to get really annoyed if I hit bad shots but now I just love playing it, love being out there and it's a great way to relax and unwind.

"Luckily enough I've got a guy who is a Brentford fan and works at Wentworth Golf Club, I used to get him tickets for games and he used to get me on there, which is something I'm eternally grateful for because it's my favourite course in the world.

"I've walked around watching people play it in tournaments but to actually play it was a dream come true.

"I watch any golf that's on the TV, when they have it on the BBC and they have coverage from 10am till 6pm - that's me in front of the TV watching it all day long.

"I played at the Emirates in Dubai over the summer and another one of my favourites to play is one in Ireland called Mount Juliet, which is an amazing golf complex with an old manor house building.

"I played the Forest of Arden in a charity day for Cure Leukaemia with Steve Ogrizovic. We used to have a corporate membership at Warwickshire where we could go and play for free but we don't have that any more. I also play at Stratford.

"Kevin Kyle is better than me, Ogrizovic is good as well, there's a few of us at Coventry who are pretty good so we have a good game together.

"I imagine life as a top professional golfer must be awesome."

SKY Blues hot-shot Leon Best insists that he deserves a call-up to the Republic of Ireland's senior squad.

Coventry ace Best is a confident character like teammate Clinton Morrison, who over a month ago admitted that his recent omissions from Gianni Trapattoni's squad had left him baffled.

Best has a long way to go to chalking up the 36 caps that Morrison has received as the ex-Southampton star is yet to make a senior appearance.

And given the complicated background that Best had on the international stage during his youth, it's unlikely to be straightforward for the 22-year-old.

Nottingham-born Best opted for his mother's country of birth and came through the teen ranks with Ireland.

LEON BEST insists he's loving life at Coventry City at the moment -especially with all of the competition for places.

Following his arrival from Southampton, he had an encouraging start to his Coventry career with nine goals in his first season but persistent speculation about a return to Nottingham to join Forest suggested it would only be a short stay at the Ricoh.

But there's no sign of Best going in search of the exit door just yet as he is relishing the competition from the likes of Freddy Eastwood, Clinton Morrison, Leon Mckenzie and Michael Mifsud in the Sky Blues' striking pecking order.

"I'm very happy at Coventry, the new players have definitely added a bit more to our squad and hopefully if we start winning a few more games then we'll be up there.

"It's a very good atmosphere to be around and it brings you on as a player because you know that when you've got good strikers breathing down your neck then you have to perform.

"There's no bad feeling towards whoever is playing or scoring."

COVENTRY CITY'S Leon Best says he's lucky to be playing football because he could have easily followed his school pals into prison or an early grave.

The Sky Blues striker grew up on the mean streets of Nottingham's St Ann's where violent gangs and drugs were common place.

However his beloved mother Irene made sure he steered clear of the dark underworld by getting him involved with nearby Notts County.

Since then the youngster has blossomed into an exciting talent on the football field and is now a key part of Chris Coleman's impressive attacking force at the Ricoh Arena.

However Best could have grown used to regular run-ins with the boys in blue rather than playing for the boys in sky blue.

The 22-year-old appreciates his strict upbringing because he knows without it, things could have turned out a lot worse.

"From a young age where I lived there was a lot of gangs and a lot of people doing things that they shouldn't like selling drugs, killing, stabbing," Best told the Sunday Mercury.

"It's happening everywhere nowadays but when I was growing up it was right smack in my area.

ELLIOTT WARD says that Sky Blues skipper Scott Dann is getting better and better as Coventry City club captain.

When Ward and centre-half partner Dann are on form they are one of the Championship's finest defensive partnerships.

Ward has previously worn the Coventry captain's armband but now he's seen the less-experienced Dann take up the role of skipper this season.

At 21, Dann is relatively young to be captaining a Championship side and Ward understands the pressure the ex-Walsall man is under having been handed the armband at the same age by former Sky Blues boss Iain Dowie.

Ward believes Dann has got what it takes to keep up his high standards and not buckle under the pressure of the role.

"I was fortunate enough to be captain at the same age as Scott under Iain Dowie and now the current manager has seen something in Scotty," Ward told the Sunday Mercury.

COVENTRY CITY'S Elliott Ward has described last weekend's spot-kick blunder as the most embarrassing moment of his career.

The Sky Blues centre-back is usually seen as Chris Coleman's tried and tested penalty taker but last Saturday against Southampton it went horribly wrong for the Londoner.

Rather than opting for his usual style of smashing the ball into the net at full force, Ward attempted a cheeky chip that was akin to ex-Villa star Dwight Yorke.

The ex-West Ham man was left red-faced as the weak effort landed straight in the hands of Saints keeper Kelvin Davis, although he avoided a full ear-bashing from Coleman as Coventry chalked up a 4-1 win.

The Welsh boss did, however, bizarrely describe Ward as being a bit "dingly-dangly" and the stopper admits that it's a moment that will live long in his memory for all the wrong reasons.

"I knew what I was going to do before the penalty but, to be fair, once the goalkeeper stood up for that long it did throw me a bit," said Ward, 23.

"It was something that I wanted to try and it didn't come off so I've put it behind me now. If a penalty like that comes off you look good, if it doesn't you look like a div.

COVENTRY City pocket-rocket Jay Tabb plans to take up RUGBY when he eventually kicks his football career into touch.

The Sky Blues star became an instant crowd favourite at the Ricoh Arena with all-action performances that earned him the player of the year accolade last season.

However, despite showing nothing but 110 per cent commitment for Chris Coleman's charges, 24-year-old Tabb admits that football isn't the be-all and end-all of his life.

The versatile midfielder has already admitted that he plans to retire at 30 to pursue other activities of interest.

Now the indie music fan has revealed that he plans to ruck and roll when his days as a footballer are finished by picking up the oval-shaped ball.

Tooting-born Tabb is a massive rugby fan and would sooner watch Leicester Tigers take on London Wasps
than Manchester United v Chelsea.

The ex-Republic of Ireland Under-21 international grew up playing as a scrum-half before eventually deciding to pursue a career in football.

But even when Tabb was plying his trade with his first club Brentford as a teenager, he would still turn out for his dad Tony's rugby team when he was dropped from the Bees' squad on a Saturday.

Looking back, Tabb admits that he was stupid to risk injury and his career by sneaking off to play rugby and
he soon knocked that on the head due to his professional commitments.

However, his passion to play rugger still hasn't faded and he plans to return to the other sporting code when his days as a tenacious midfielder are over.