To the Ricoh.. 9 years ago today we thumped QPR 3.0 in the first league game at the Ricoh..
Here's how former Sports Editor Rob Madill saw that unforgettable day in 2005.
The sound of "In our Coventry home" was ringing around the Ricoh Arena.
It was 3.05pm on Saturday, August 20, 2005 and the Sky Blue faithful were settling into their new stadium by singing an old anthem.
It had been a difficult, stressful move. With no money to buy, City had to rent, delays had put the completion date back and the property still wasn't quite finished.
Doubts had been expressed about the wisdom of selling a perfectly good property to be tenants in a flashier more expensive new one.
Yet five minutes later the agonies had turned to ecstasy, Claus Jorgensen headed in and the Ricoh rocked for the very first time.
The roar was deafening, 23,0000 voices exploding with joy, relief and the knowledge that all the anxieties were over - this truly was the Sky Blues' new home.
And what a home. A mass of steel and concrete welded into a stunning structure. Sweeping stands, wonderful views, a superb setting for football. A field of dreams surrounded by a sea of Sky Blue.
Even at only three-quarters full, the noise was amazing. Passion poured on to the pitch from the massed ranks of the Sky Blue Army - the West End and the Kop joined together in the new Coventry Evening Telegraph stand to create a formidable new force that, on this evidence, can be worth a goal start to the team.
Dele Adebola made it 2-0 and the roars were so loud they must have been heard in Highfield Road - you remember, that place where City used to play, and now almost forgotten amid the awe-inspiring magnificence of the Ricoh.
Twenty minutes later it was 3-0. "Easy, easy" chanted the fans, the game now almost becoming incidental to the occasion. The housewarming party was in full swing and the gracious visitors from Queens Park Rangers had no intention of spoiling it. It was heady stuff.
Like any good party, after the intoxication comes and the singing. In the second half, the Sky Blue Song reverberated around the ground in celebration and pride.
Jimmy Hill had been brought on to sing his Coventry City anthem before the game - a reminder of that memorable last day at Highfield Road last April and a piece of symbolism to create a little of the old ground's atmosphere at the new one.
It was scarcely needed. As the game ended the manager responded to cries of "Micky, Micky gives us a wave" with a raised hand of acknowledgement.
Even with Hill's vision, the man who created the first all-seater stadium in England at Highfield Road in 1981, could surely never have envisaged his beloved Sky Blues playing in such a venue as this.
As the Sky Blues supporters trooped out, delighted with their team's win and even more delighted with their new surroundings, it was somehow fitting that the concourses and staircases they walked down and the bars and the toilets they had used, weren't quite finished.
They know that, like their team, there's much work to be done before they can sit back and admire the view.
But for now they'll take the three points and the knowledge that their team plays in one of the best grounds in the country.
Coventry City boss Micky Adams said: "The stadium was terrific and the fans made a tremendous noise which gave the players the confidence to go out and play.
"There are certain things that need to be addressed but I'm sure they will be. This is a fantastic stadium and I'm sure that in two or three weeks time all the faults will have been ironed out."
"This is the future of football stadiums", said gracious QPR boss Ian Holloway after the game. "The people of the region should be really proud of it."
Now safely installed in their new Coventry home, they are, Ian, they are.
Could of at least announced a return today so she could of celebrated with us all.
Here's how former Sports Editor Rob Madill saw that unforgettable day in 2005.
The sound of "In our Coventry home" was ringing around the Ricoh Arena.
It was 3.05pm on Saturday, August 20, 2005 and the Sky Blue faithful were settling into their new stadium by singing an old anthem.
It had been a difficult, stressful move. With no money to buy, City had to rent, delays had put the completion date back and the property still wasn't quite finished.
Doubts had been expressed about the wisdom of selling a perfectly good property to be tenants in a flashier more expensive new one.
Yet five minutes later the agonies had turned to ecstasy, Claus Jorgensen headed in and the Ricoh rocked for the very first time.
The roar was deafening, 23,0000 voices exploding with joy, relief and the knowledge that all the anxieties were over - this truly was the Sky Blues' new home.
And what a home. A mass of steel and concrete welded into a stunning structure. Sweeping stands, wonderful views, a superb setting for football. A field of dreams surrounded by a sea of Sky Blue.
Even at only three-quarters full, the noise was amazing. Passion poured on to the pitch from the massed ranks of the Sky Blue Army - the West End and the Kop joined together in the new Coventry Evening Telegraph stand to create a formidable new force that, on this evidence, can be worth a goal start to the team.
Dele Adebola made it 2-0 and the roars were so loud they must have been heard in Highfield Road - you remember, that place where City used to play, and now almost forgotten amid the awe-inspiring magnificence of the Ricoh.
Twenty minutes later it was 3-0. "Easy, easy" chanted the fans, the game now almost becoming incidental to the occasion. The housewarming party was in full swing and the gracious visitors from Queens Park Rangers had no intention of spoiling it. It was heady stuff.
Like any good party, after the intoxication comes and the singing. In the second half, the Sky Blue Song reverberated around the ground in celebration and pride.
Jimmy Hill had been brought on to sing his Coventry City anthem before the game - a reminder of that memorable last day at Highfield Road last April and a piece of symbolism to create a little of the old ground's atmosphere at the new one.
It was scarcely needed. As the game ended the manager responded to cries of "Micky, Micky gives us a wave" with a raised hand of acknowledgement.
Even with Hill's vision, the man who created the first all-seater stadium in England at Highfield Road in 1981, could surely never have envisaged his beloved Sky Blues playing in such a venue as this.
As the Sky Blues supporters trooped out, delighted with their team's win and even more delighted with their new surroundings, it was somehow fitting that the concourses and staircases they walked down and the bars and the toilets they had used, weren't quite finished.
They know that, like their team, there's much work to be done before they can sit back and admire the view.
But for now they'll take the three points and the knowledge that their team plays in one of the best grounds in the country.
Coventry City boss Micky Adams said: "The stadium was terrific and the fans made a tremendous noise which gave the players the confidence to go out and play.
"There are certain things that need to be addressed but I'm sure they will be. This is a fantastic stadium and I'm sure that in two or three weeks time all the faults will have been ironed out."
"This is the future of football stadiums", said gracious QPR boss Ian Holloway after the game. "The people of the region should be really proud of it."
Now safely installed in their new Coventry home, they are, Ian, they are.
Could of at least announced a return today so she could of celebrated with us all.
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