[07 FEB 02] THE STUART LINNELL COLUMN

Big Mo's Play-Off Promise

Mo had just scored the goal all Sky Blues fans had been waiting for. As I have commented before in this column, his occasional forays upfield with the ball at his feet are always accompanied by a huge roar from the home supporters – and, no doubt, panic in the hearts and minds of the opposing players!

Against Rotherham United, with five minutes to go, he found himself in possession just inside the visitors’ half. After momentarily looking up to see if he should play it long down the middle or on to one of the wings, he realised that Rotherham, under pressure from a City side that seemed able to do everything but score, were backing off waiting for that long pass.

His head went down and the booster rockets in his head went into supercharge as he suddenly burst forward keeping the ball close to his feet. It is always a sight to behold when a big man dribbles well, and no one could describe Mo as clumsy when he’s on the ball.

He simultaneously weaved and charged his way through the Rotherham side, even dropping his shoulder at one point and appearing to step over the ball, DeLorge style. Inside the penalty area he kept going, finally unleashing a drive that ‘keeper Mike Pollitt could only turn on to the head of Lee Hughes. He, in turn, headed against the bar before big Mo headed home the rebound.

If we had been, as promised, in a stadium with a sliding roof, the crescendo that greeted this Konjic Special would have taken it off, never to slide again.

Lee Hughes came off the sub’s bench to score City’s second with the last kick of the game, giving new Chairman Mike McGinnity his first win since taking over from Bryan Richardson. It also visibly relieved the pressure of all concerned, on and off the pitch.

Quite what watching Crewe manager Dario Gradi made of it all, we should no doubt find out at Gresty Road on Saturday.

But back to big Mo and my interview with him after he’d been named Bass Sky Blues Man of the Match.

After he’d told us how important it was for the team to win and how his team-mates had pulled his leg about his goal, I told him that I could just see him scoring the winner in the Play-Off Final.

Through that huge smile, in his wonderful broken English, with that lovely Bosnian accent, he replied:

“I think so. I like that very much. In fact, for that I do strip-tease!”

Now – if we didn’t have an incentive to make it to the play-off’s before, we certainly do now!

Altogether: “He comes from Bosnia….he is a big feller!” (those are the words, aren’t they?).

[THE MATCH WAS PLAYED AT HIGHFIELD ROAD ON WEDNESDAY 6 FEBRUARY - COVENTRY DEFEATED ROTHERAM UNITED 2 - 0]