Quiet confidence, then tears - but 'unsinkable' Coventry are back

Kim McQueen perfectly encapsulates the feelings of most Coventry fans that day in 2001. "I was excited going in and in tears leaving," she said. "I don't think there's any shame in loving your club that much that it leaves you in tears when you go down.

Like Graeme and Rick, Kim never anticipated what would happen to her club in the 25 years that followed. "I think being unsinkable , external took on a whole new meaning," she said. After spending 11 years in the Championship, Coventry were relegated to League One before falling into administration in 2013.

Two point deductions followed, home games were temporarily played at Northampton Town and supporters protested against owners Sisu and Coventry City Council as they dropped into League Two. Coventry midfielder Josh Eccles, 26, joined his boyhood club as a seven-year-old. "I've seen the worst of this club on the day-to-day," he told BBC Sport.

"We had a lot of broken things and it just wasn't a very good atmosphere or environment at the training ground and so on. "There weren't many shirts around the town or a lot to celebrate. Then Mark Robins came in and he brought the energy and the fans back into the club.