Coventry City fan bids to return historic stadium clock to CBS Arena 21 years after buying it

A Coventry City fan is hoping to bring a little piece of Highfield Road back to the Sky Blues after keeping the former stadium's clock for more than two decades.

Matt Bradley bought the clock as a teenager following the demolition of Coventry's historic home and now wants to see it displayed at the CBS Arena.

Highfield Road stadium clock could return to Coventry

A piece of Coventry history could soon return to the club after a supporter offered to give back the clock from the demolished Highfield Road stadium.

Bradley bought the clock at an auction in 2005, shortly after Coventry had played their final game at Highfield Road and the ground was being demolished.

The then-16-year-old paid £80 for the item, although he eventually secured it in rather unusual circumstances.

Bradley initially attended the auction with his friend John Anthony Sheehan, better known as Tony ‘Banger' Walsh, a former Coventry vice-president who bought the stadium's away dugout.

The auction company later told Bradley that it had been unable to remove the clock and refunded his money. However, the demolition team eventually managed to take it down, with Bradley ultimately paying for it with cake and a crate of beer.

The clock has spent the past 21 years in Bradley's garage at his home in Bournemouth, but he now believes it belongs back with the club.

“There is no real lasting legacy of Highfield Road at the CBS Arena, so hopefully we can get it put up on the stands for the fans to see and remember those days,” Bradley told the BBC.

He has contacted Coventry about returning the clock, which still works using a standard three-pin plug.

FGG says: A brilliant little piece of Coventry history

This is a strange but brilliant story, and it would be great to see the clock make its way back to Coventry City.

With Highfield Road now long gone, supporters have very little physical connection to the club's former home at the CBS Arena. Returning the clock would be a simple but meaningful way of preserving that history.

Bradley has kept it safe for 21 years, so let's hope the club can find a suitable spot for it and bring this little piece of Highfield Road home.