10 years in the Championship: 2003/04

Coventry City will be the Championship`s longest serving club next season following the relegation of Preston North End, the 2011/12 campaign being their 11th in a row in the second tier of English football.

The 2003/04 season saw Gary McAllister given some leeway in the transfer market to try and stop the procession of loan signings and free transfers that had made the club something of a laughing stock the previous year.

Andy Morrell, newly arrived from Wrexham, established himself as a crowd favourite while there were occasional flashes of brilliance from Patrick Suffo. Liverpool loanee Stephen Warnock was a class act while Calum Davenport emerged as a central defender of genuine quality.

'inconsistent'

McAllister took compassionate leave when the sad news of his wife`s illness emerged and despite a brief return eventually stepped down for good.

Eric Black took the reins and despite inconsistent form had the Sky Blues playing an attractive brand of football that brought them some superb wins (6-1 at Walsall, 5-2 at Gillingham and four-goal home hammerings of Burnley, Preston and Millwall).

His sacking prior to the final game of the season therefore came out of the blue and the mood of City fan was not helped by the news that Peter Reid was seen as the man to take the club forward.

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