Coventry City manager Iain Dowie is particularly looking forward to the visit of West Ham United in Tuesday night's Carling Cup tie.
The Championship club's manager had two spells as a player at the Boleyn Ground, having first scored four times in 12 appearances in 1991 before playing a further 69 times, with nine goals, between 1995 and 1998. A fan since childhood, Dowie revealed to Coventry's official website that he will never lose his affection for West Ham United.
"I have very fond memories of them as a fan and as a player and I think it is destined to be a fantastic game," said Dowie, who could of course call upon another former Hammer in defender Elliott Ward. "I used to watch the games from the North Bank and I am looking forward to pitting my wits against them as a manager."
Dowie has, of course, come up against his boyhood club before as a manager, most notably when he led Crystal Palace to a 1-0 victory in the 2003/04 Championship play-off final and promotion at the club's expense. However, visiting fans can perhaps point to a more recent fixture as a good omen.
Tony Carr's youth team have already played at the Sky Blues this season, and goals from the highly-rated Jack Jeffrey and Freddie Sears ensured a 2-0 away victory in the Midlands on 15 September. A similar result in Tuesday night fourth-round fixture would no doubt go down well with the 4,000-plus travelling supporters