Will Robins cast his spell again?

NOW: Robins is the new manager of Coventry City.

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Latics set to reprise battles with their nemesis
MARK Robins is again aiming to break the hearts of fans of a club he was close to while growing up.

Coventry's manager, born in Ashton and raised in Chadderton, is infamous among Athletic fans for wrecking their FA Cup final dream back in 1990 as a Manchester United player.

Now, as Athletic supporters crave a barren home run to end — only four home wins have arrived at Boundary Park in 2012 — they will be hoping the former Old Trafford favourite has lost his knack of cutting the club to the quick.

The 3-3 draw at Maine Road in the first match was a classic which will forever stick in the minds of the 18,000 Athletic fans who made the trip to City's ground.

Roger Palmer netted the extra-time equaliser which took a stunning game to a replay.

Local lad Robins, though, netted to see off Royle's upstarts 2-1 in the replay, denying Second Division Athletic a Wembley trip.

It is 25 years since Coventry — the club Robins took charge of last week — won the FA Cup to write their own underdog narrative.

Suffice to say that neither club appears capable of coming close to replicating such past glories at the moment.

Athletic's current troubles are eclipsed by those of the Sky Blues.

Despite a squad peppered with some serious quality, the West Midlands club is foundering following relegation from the Championship.

At 42, Robins is too long in the tooth to sort out the problem by pulling on his boots again.

But as a player who scored a hat-trick for Norwich at Boundary Park 20 years ago, he will hope that his status as Athletic's nemesis rubs off on his players on Saturday.



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