Coventry City is on the verge of making a spectacular comeback to the Premier League this season. The Sky Blues will face Luton Town in the Championship play-off final at Wembley, which will be broadcasted live on talkSPORT this afternoon, after beating Middlesbrough 1-0 over two legs in the semi-finals. Mark Robins has led his team through a remarkable rise, with the club moving from League Two in 2018 to being only one win away from the top flight. Coventry was part of the first-ever Premier League season and is now close to making their long-awaited return to the big time.
Coventry last played in the Premier League in the 2000/01 season, which marked the end of their nine-year stay in the modern-day top flight as they finished 19th in the table. Gordon Strachan was the manager at the time, with Craig Bellamy and John Hartson being the club’s joint-top goalscorers with six goals. Interestingly, in the same season, now treble-chasing Manchester City was also relegated, as well as Bradford City.
After relegation in 2001, Coventry went on a downward spiral. They spent 11 years in the second tier before being relegated to League One in 2012, finishing 23rd in the table. Five years in League One followed before they dropped down to the fourth tier of English football for the first time since 1959. However, Robins took over as manager in March 2017, and that is where the rise began. The Sky Blues were promoted from League Two via the play-offs the following season before winning the League One title two years later.
Now, after three years in the Championship, Coventry is one win away from taking their place back in the Premier League.