Pressley: We Can Handle It.

Last updated : 05 September 2014 By Covsupport News Service/RD

Coventry City make their long awaited return to The Ricoh Arean tonight when they take on Gilligham in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

After a year in exile playing at Northampton Town's Sixfields following a bitter rent dispute with the stadium owners ACL, the fans are ecstatic at the cub's return and are expected to turn out in huge numbers the support the Sky Blues. The club are estimating a crowd of 20,000 + tonight and are advising fans to arrive early.

Coventry City's manager Steven Pressley believes that the reurn to the Ricoh is one of the biggests days since the club won the FA Cup in 1987.

Pressley said: "With the emotions, without doubt. It's maybe the most emotional day since winning FA Cup. It's a night when we have responsibility to entice supporters back on a regular basis.

"It's a big club starved of success for too long. Around the ground there are lots of subliminal messages and references to the cup-winning team and a return to the Ricoh is a major step in our history.

"Everything surrounding the club at the moment typifies how important the club is to the city. We've had two or three thousand camping out to get tickets.

"It will be a fantastic atmosphere and we can show everyone the potential of this football club."

Pressley took the players to the stadium yesterday in order to reaquaint themsleves with the atmosphere. Pressley said that the occasion must not get to the players, but he is confident that they will handle the pressure. 

He said: "We must focus on our gameplan. We'll arrive on Friday night and feel the occasion. It's a contrast to last year's arrival at Sixfields where there wasn't really an atmosphere.

"For the players tonight is a different occasion to show as a group we can handle it. I've no doubt we can."