10 years in the Championship: 2009/10

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.

Chris Coleman began his second full season in charge of the Sky Blues having seen two of his best defenders, Scott Dann and Daniel Fox sold to Birmingham City and Celtic respectively.

Against that backdrop, City made an inconsistent start to the season which threatened to turn into a crisis after a long winless run culminated in a tame defeat away to Scunthorpe live on TV.

'dejected'

Coleman cut a dejected figure in the Glanford Park dugout but could reasonably point to a host of injury problems which prevented him fielding his best team.

As the players came back, so the results
improved and without ever setting the division on fire, Coleman`s side pieced together a run of form, typified by a battling 1-0 home win against Nottingham Forest.

Even the sniff of a play-off place was enough to set the fans` pulses racing and 3,000 made the trip to Peterborough at the start of March to see Jon Stead settle a tight game in the visitor`s favour. Little did those supporters, or Coleman, think that that would be City`s final victory of the season.

A second disastrous run-in in succession spelled the end for the Welshman, whose fate was sealed by a home hammering at the hands of Watford on the final day of the season.

The axe fell shortly after.

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