Coventry City chairman Bryan Richardson today praised the supporters who cheered the Sky Blues to victory in their first game of the season.

Almost 4,000 City fans made the trip to Edgeley Park to watch Lee Hughes score on his debut and the Sky Blues run out 2-0 winners over Stockport.

Many of them had to stand in the wind and rain in an uncovered end of the ground but Richardson said their efforts had been appreciated by the players.

He said:

“I thought the fans were sensational. The players were quite overwhelmed.

“There is a very good spirit in the squad and together with that fantastic support it gave us a distinct advantage. You could tell by the players’ reaction on the whistle just how delighted they were.

“Lee Hughes was really pleased with the reception he got. To have that sort of welcome would give any player a lift.

“To take 4,000 supporters to Stockport is a superb effort. Stockport sold a lot of tickets on the day and people were still coming into the ground 10 minutes or so after the kick off.

“That level of support will make a massive, massive difference through the season. If we can keep people right behind us and play as we did at Stockport then the signs are very encouraging.

“Hopefully we can get a good crowd against Wolves and Bradford and build a run of results. If Saturday is anything to go by, then watching City away from home is going to be very good fun.”

Tickets for the game at Bradford on 24 August go on general sale from today.

City have an allocation of 2,000 but another 1,000 are available should they sell out. Tickets cost £19 for adults, and £11 for the over 65s and under 16s.

Supporters should note that the home league game with Nottingham Forest on 27 August, a Bank Holiday, has been switched to a 7.45pm kick off.

City’s new ticket office manager Andy Ward has called on fans coming to Sunday’s home clash with Wolves, to get their tickets early.

There are seats still available in all stands but the club are hoping for a increase demand following Saturday’s win at Stockport.

He said:

“I would urge people not to leave it too late so they avoid both disappointment and queues on match day.

“We are extending the opening hours of our tickets office at Highfield Road for the game, which will trade between 9am and 4pm on Saturday and from 10am on the day of the match, right up until kick off. People can also buy tickets from our West Orchards outlet which is open from 10.30am on Sunday.”

The Reserves are in action on Tuesday when they travel to Barnet’s ground Underhill to take on Arsenal.