As part of Kick It Out's 'write to unite' campaign, Wilson and Thomas get their hands on the iconic cup...
Coventry City stars Conor Thomas and Callum Wilson managed to get their hands on the FA Cup ahead of the Sky Blues fourth round clash against Arsenal tonight.
As part of Kick It Out’s ‘write to unite’ campaign, the two City youngsters went to President Kennedy School to help over 50 students from President Kennedy, Parkgate and Whitmore Park Primary to write entries to the competition, which encourages young children to show their creative side and write about how football can unite people regardless of their background.
As part of the event, there was an even more high-profile guest than the two players – the FA Cup itself!
The pupils were given a chance to see the trophy up close, and Thomas and Wilson were also given an opportunity to pose for pictures with the illustrious prize.
It is a competition which has been one of real excitement for City fans this season and, after the third round win against Barnsley, the Sky Blues have been rewarded with a trip to Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Thomas admits the tie has excited everyone at the club and hopes a bit of luck could see the Sky Blues pull off one of the greatest ever cup shocks.
“It’s where you want to be in your career,” Thomas said. “You want to play against players like this week in, week out and to test yourself against them.
“We all watch them on TV and we all know what they’re capable of. To actually play against them up close and see where we are as a team against them will be a great experience.
“Everyone’s really looking forward to it. Obviously we’re massive underdogs and hopefully we can go there and put in a decent performance. Fingers crossed, we’ll get a bit of luck and then you never know what could happen.
“I think you want to be playing against these players every week and because we’re in League One, this is the only opportunity through the FA Cup and Capital One Cup to play against the top teams.
“When we got through to the next round I was sitting at home with my mum and my brother watching the draw, just as the fans do. When we got Arsenal we were all buzzing and we wanted it to be the next game. It just lifts the place because you’re going to one of the best stadiums and you don’t get to play there every week.
“It’s a massive competition. Oggy’s won it before and he’s reminded us of that a few times! That’s where we want to get to.”
Kick It Out’s ‘Write to Unite’ creative writing competition is open to young people aged 7-18. The competition has three age categories, 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18. The deadline for submitting entries is January 31, 2014 at 5pm.
Picture: Callum Wilson and Conor Thomas with the FA Cup. Taken by Matt Hyde.