Coventry City: £500k Premier League transfer was destined to fail from the start - View | OneFootball

Kyle Lightbourne's time with the Sky Blues was over before it really began

It’s a tale we have all seen before; the lower league marksman gets his move to the big time, and then performs like a rabbit in the headlights.

Many an EFL hotshot has fallen foul of the step up to the Premier League over the years, as the home comforts of the Football League get stripped away in the unrelenting nature of top flight football.

Coventry City have their own example in that regard, with Kyle Lightbourne proving to be one of the best goalscorers in the lower tiers before the turn of the century, with regular match-winning performances for Walsall in the third and fourth tiers of English football.

With the Sky Blues still in the top flight at the time, they made the six-figure move to bring the striker in from one of their local rivals, but that hot streak in front of goal soon dried up once he was on the biggest stage.

Kyle Lightbourne makes history with Coventry City switch

Big things were expected of Lightbourne after his goalscoring exploits saw him net 25 times in 51 matches for the Saddlers lower down the footballing pyramid in the 1996-97 season, but he was unable to recreate any sort of form once he had made his big move two divisions up.

Despite his poor record at Coventry, the Bermudian did become the first player from the country to feature in the English top flight; paving the way for Shaun Goater and Nahki Wells to do so in future years.

But what the history books don’t show was a time spent in Sky Blue that saw him struggle to get to grips with the game at the highest level, with his natural composure in front of goal dissipating in an instant.

With just a single league start and six more substitute appearances, Lightbourne failed to find the back of the net for his new employers, and just months after his arrival he was on his bike once again, with a drop down to Fulham in the third tier.

Three goals in five games for the Cottagers once again raised his reputation as a solid goal-getter at the lower levels of the game, with Stoke City making him theirs on a permanent basis before the season came to an end.

And just like that, Lightbourne’s Premiership dream was over.

Kyle Lightbourne rediscovered goalscoring form for Stoke City - proving he was best at a lower level

With the move to the Potters sealed, Lightbourne got back to doing what he did best now that the bright lights were away, as he got himself back among the goals.

Some vital strikes that season saw him regain some confidence in front of goal, with eight goals in the 1998/99 campaign, before he got back into double figures the season after.

The striker had proven he was much more than a flash in the pan during his time at Walsall, and managed to re-establish himself as a deadly threat in and around the penalty area.

With his time with Coventry City well in the past, the Bermudian could focus back on playing, rather than the glitz and glamour that life in the top flight can bring, and that back-to-basic approach saw him flourish once again.

As for the Sky Blues, they took a risk and it backfired, although the club did recoup the transfer fee for their gamble, as Lightbourne went on to have a bright career in the lower leagues.

Sometimes a deal can be too good to be true, and that was the case for both Lightbourne and Coventry, with both likely wishing the move hadn’t materialised in the first place as he was never seemingly ready for the bright lights of the Premier League.