Mark Robins rouses reconstructed Coventry to brink of Premier League

O n Coventry City’s last visit to Wembley five years ago, the air conditioning on the team coach conked out en route, hardly ideal preparation for players and staff suited and booted in 33C heat for the biggest game of the season, if not longer. Most removed their ties and opened the collar on their shirts. Mark Robins debated taking his team off the bus but thankfully the iconic arch was on the horizon. For Robins, it represented just another hurdle to overcome, but small fry compared with the events that would follow. Regardless, it is the sort of hiccup Coventry could do without when they take on Luton Town on Saturday for a place in the Premier League.

Robins has grown accustomed to contending with adversity, be it groundshares, pitch problems or protracted takeovers since returning to the club six years ago, though a takeover by Doug King in January finally abated the sense of never-ending uncertainty. Coventry have played home games at Northampton, Birmingham and Burton over the past 10 years, at Burton last August because 65 rugby sevens matches across three days of Commonwealth Games action put paid to their pitch. Coventry were bottom of the Championship in October but ended the regular season fifth, their best finish since dropping out of the Premier League in 2001.

Robins has proved a master in coping with chaos and a miracle-worker of a manager. When he was reappointed by Coventry in March 2017, they were bottom of League One, 13 points adrift of safety. A month later an EFL Trophy final victory at Wembley, in front of more than 43,000 Coventry supporters, offered a reminder of the club’s appeal, a glimpse into the future. At the start of that summer Coventry were without a chief executive and recruitment