Coventry have been penniless, homeless and at war with their owners but, like the city bombed in 1940, they have risen from the rubble to set up their semi-final date with Man United

The sun is up on a sky-blue day and no one in Coventry feels remotely inclined to wait until the weekend before breathing in the full FA Cup semi-final experience. Those purchasing flags emblazoned ‘Coventry City marching up Wembley Way’, declare this weekend in the spotlight to be nothing less than an existential triumph, even though the club reached Wembley for last season’s Championship play-off final. Coventry have risen from the rubble and are now just one game away from the FA Cup final They will look to pull off a giant killing when they play Manchester United at Wembley Stadium Coventry lurched from crisis to crisis after their relegation from the top-flight in 2001, with the club even having stints playing home games in Northampton and at Birmingham City There is a popular opinion that Mark Robins is Coventry's greatest ever manager Your browser does not support iframes. Coventry City have risen from the rubble like the city itself did after it was bombed, with the cathedral rebuilt after a German bombing raid back on November 14, 1940 It's a city built on a thriving car industry, home to Jaguar, Rover, Chrysler and more When the automotive industry entered a death spiral, Coventry's '2-tone' sound led by the Specials gave voice to protest introducing pre-match entertainment, the ‘Sky Blues’ nickname, and taking them as a third-tier club to the 1963 FA Cup quarter-finals, where Sir Matt Busby’s Manchester United beat them, and up to the First Division in 1967. Jimmy once said that if Coventry won on a Saturday, the production lines would be happy and output would go up.’ On the pedestrianised walkway leading out to the city’s cathedral, Wembley scarves were flying off the stalls which have been set up to sell FA Cup merchandise this week The new colour he introduced to the club is an intrinsic part of the city’s identity now – from the sky blue ‘Welcome to Coventry’ signs emblazoned on the flyovers, to the new city skyline merchandise in the Herbert Museum and the packs of ‘Cov Trumps’ cards.