COV Kid James Collins dedicated the equaliser that denied his beloved Sky Blues the full three points at Swindon to his best friend who died when he was hit by a train in the city last week.
The Swindon Town striker was berated by Coventry fans after ripping off his shirt to celebrate his 79th-minute leveller but he later revealed the heartache behind his joy.
I think the fans misread the situation and gave me a bit of stick, said the 21-year-old former Cardinal Wiseman schoolboy, who lived in the city with his parents until last summer when he left Shrewsbury to sign for flamboyant Swindon boss Paolo Di Canio.
My best friend from Cardinal Wiseman, Declan Callum, died last Thursday so I wanted to do well for him today and I dedicated the goal to him.
Dec was a Cov lad as well and he was due to be here for the game but unfortunately he was hit by a train near TGIs and passed away, so I was glad to do it for him.
Declan, of Minton Road, Potters Green, had taken the day off work to celebrate his birthday off-road biking with a group of friends on land near Brandon Woods when he was struck by a train travelling between Birmingham and London.
Collins, once a season-ticket holder at Highfield Road and on Citys Academy books as a teenager, added: I wouldnt say it was difficult for me to focus on the game because its my job. I was more full of excitement than anything, getting out there against my old team, and I think the result was fair in the end.
It was a great feeling for me personally to go on and get the equaliser against my boyhood club. Obviously I have always been a Cov supporter but the important thing was that we got back in the game and got level to 2-2 which, in the end, I thought we deserved