If you are coming to the Sky Blues’ next home match on Saturday (17th October 2015) against Blackpool you will have a chance to see one of the Club’s fastest ever players, ‘The Flying Postman’ John Williams who is the Coventry City Former Players Association’s ‘special guest’.
John, like all fans, will be hoping to see the Sky Blues achieve a straight League One win treble against the lowly Tangerines following on from the 1-0 away victory at Fleetwood last Saturday and the 3-0 demolition of Shrewsbury the previous Saturday. Another win for the Sky Blues at the Ricoh (where they remain unbeaten this season) will cement their place in the top six and possibly, if other results go their way, get us all the way up to head the division!
A Brummy, John left his post office route for football with Cradley Town in 1990 and was quickly snapped up professionally by Welsh outfit Swansea Town the following year and he earned his nickname by winning the Rumbelows sprint challenge before the 1992 F.A.Cup final at Wembley in May 1992. His form at the Welsh club (11 goals in 39 league appearances) persuaded Sky Blue manager (and now fellow CCFPA member) Bobby Gould to add him to the roster of his new signings and John promptly scored the first goal of the 1992-93 Premier League campaign after 9 minutes against Middlesbrough in a 2-1 win!
John in the Sky Blue
A crowd favourite, though not quite as prolific as hoped, John was sent out on loan for periods at Notts. County, Stoke City and Swansea City before leaving Coventry for Wycombe Wanderers in September 1995 having scored 11 goals in 86 appearances in all competitions. After Wycombe John became something of a rolling stone appearing for the likes of Hereford United (1996-97); Walsall and Exeter City (1997-98); Cardiff City (1998-99); York City (1999-00); Darlington (2000-01); Swansea City (again) (2001); Kidderminster Harriers (2003); Bath City (2004); Redditch United (2005); Evesham United; Weston-Super-Mare; Stourbridge; Willenhall Town (2007); Boldmere St Michaels (2008).
After trials at Aris Salonika in Greece and Austria Vienna John finally hung up his boots at age 40 in 2009 with 71 goals from over 450 league appearances overall! Subsequently he has been (amongst other things) a football agent, a youth and community worker in his home city and running his own promotions company, ‘Flying Postman Productions’ company which arranges Sportsman’s Dinners and the like in the region and the UK.
John takes part when he can in the Former Players’ Legends XI Charity games (and suffered a bad leg injury a few years back playing for them in the Midland Masters Tournament indoors at the NIA in Birmingham). John will be around the Ricoh’s corporate areas before and during the game, will be assisting BBC CWR in their live matchday commentary and will appear on the stage at Lady G’s in the Casino with our very own Billy Bell. We are sure all Sky Blues fans will give the Flying Postman a warm welcome back to the Ricoh this Saturday.