Graham Rodger said that he did not have time to be nervous during the 1987 FA Cup Final.
Speaking to the Coventry Observer’s Steve Carpenter as part of an excellent series to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Coventry City’s FA Cup victory against Tottenham, Rodger, who now works at Grimsby Town said: "I remember watching the match build up on the TV in the hotel with a couple of the other players on the morning of the match.
"They were giving out some early team news and I saw my face pop up on the screen as one of the last players in the squad, but I convinced myself it was a mistake.
"It was early in the day so they might have got it wrong. "That season I acted as cover to Trevor Peake and Brian Kilcline.
"I wanted to play as much football as possible but I was a young player and being part of a team that included the likes of Kilcline and Peake helped me develop as a player.
"I looked up to the two of them because they were like father figures to the younger team members.
"We went down to Wembley and did the customary walk around the pitch in our suits.
"We got into the dressing room at around 1.30-1.40pm and I noticed my boots were placed under the number 14 shirt.
"It was at that moment I realised I could be playing a part in one of the biggest days in the club's history. I didn't know if I was going to be involved but I was always hopeful.
“John Sillett and George Curtis kept it away from me right up until the final minutes so I didn't have any time to feel the nerves, I just knew I had to enjoy the occasion."
More on this; http://www.coventryobserver.co.uk/2012/04/12/sport-Graham-Rodger-recalls-big-impact-as-FA-Cup-final-substitute---35442.html#.