sentences:  Abbott was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, on 14 December 1963.He started his football career with his hometown club Coventry City, first signing schoolboy forms, before becoming an apprentice in June 1980.He developed through the junior and reserve teams to sign a professional contract in January 1982 but at the end of the season he was given a free transfer without making a league appearance for the Division One side.