Coventry City have sealed their return to the Premier League.
The Sky Blues have had their fair share of heartbreak in recent years, losing in the play-offs in two of the past three seasons. But this time around they made sure there were no such issues.
Frank Lampard’s side ran away with the Championship title, securing an automatic return to the top flight. In 2026-27, Coventry will be playing in the Premier League for the first time since 2000-01.
Coventry had been ever-present in the first nine seasons of the Premier League, though they always finished out of the top 10. The 2000-01 campaign proved to be too far, with Coventry finishing 19th having taken 38 points from their 38 matches.
Relegation was confirmed with a defeat to Aston Villa in Gameweek 37, but the Sky Blues officially bowed out of the Premier League with a goalless draw against Bradford City.
But what happened to the starting XI, and the substitutes used, from that final Premier Leage appearance?
Goalkeeper: Chris Kirkland
- Coventry appearances: 28
Chris Kirkland came through the academy at Coventry and was their first-choice goalkeeper for most of the 2000-01 Premier League season. Despite Coventry’s relegation, Kirkland was highly sought-after and joined Liverpool for £6m — a then-British record for a goalkeeper. Kirkland spent five years at Liverpool but could never really become their first-choice goalkeeper. But he did get a Champions League winners’ medal in 2004-05, having played four times across the campaign. He had two loan spells at West Bromwich Albion and then Wigan Athletic, before joining the latter permanently.
It was at Wigan that Kirkland had his best spell, playing 134 times across all competitions — though he did spend time out on loan in the latter stages. Kirkland went on to play for Sheffield Wednesday for almost 100 games, and eventually retired in 2016. After his retirement, Kirkland went into coaching and has since been honoured for his work in mental health advocacy.
Right-back: Marc Edworthy
- Coventry appearances: 83
Marc Edworthy was another nearing the end of his Coventry career, but he did stay with the Sky Blues for one season in the second tier. The right-back played 24 times in Coventry’s final Premier League season but featured less often the following campaign. He left for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2002 but only lasted a season.
Edworthy made the move to Norwich City in 2003 and became a key part of the Canaries side that gained promotion to the Premier League. He was a regular feature in the top-flight, though returned to the Championship with Derby County in 2005. Edworthy was promoted once more with the Rams two years later but didn’t get much Premier League playing time. He eventually retired in 2009 after spells with Leicester City and Burton Albion.
Centre-back: Richard Shaw
- Coventry appearances: 355
Richard Shaw was synonymous with Coventry in the late 90s and early 00s, spending 10 years at the club. He played over 350 for the Sky Blues and was there for the good and the bad. Shaw was a regular feature for Coventry in the Premier League, including in their final season, remaining for five more years in the second tier.
Shaw eventually left Coventry in 2006, joining Millwall in League One. He ended his career at the south London club, retiring two years later. But that was not before he had a spell as caretaker player-manager of the Lions, which did start the end of his career. Shaw remained in coaching and has had spells as both assistant and caretaker manager of Coventry.
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Centre-back: Paul Williams
- Coventry appearances: 195
Paul Williams spent a good chunk of his career at Coventry, spending six years with the club. He joined in 1995 having come through the ranks at Derby without being able to properly break into the Rams team. Their loss was Coventry’s gain, as Williams racked up almost 200 appearances for the Sky Blues. But his time at the club was nearing its end as Coventry suffered relegation.
The centre-back left Coventry after just a few months in the second tier, moving back to the Premier League with Southampton. He played a lot in his first season back in the top-flight but didn’t have much longer. Williams returned to the second tier with Stoke City, before retiring in 2005 after a spell in America. Williams moved into coaching and has had a fair few assistant manager roles, including in the England Under-21s setup. He now works as a senior coach developer for the FA, and does mental health work on the side.
Left-back: Barry Quinn
- Coventry appearances: 91
Barry Quinn came through the academy at Coventry and had started to become a regular in the team during the 2000-01 campaign. He played 25 league games in total as Coventry unfortunately suffered relegation. Quinn’s playing time did drop after their relegation, and he eventually left in 2004. It started with a loan to Rushden and Diamonds, before Quinn joined Oxford United.
Quinn became a big part of Oxford’s side over the next six years, in both League Two and non-league. He left the club in 2010 and spent two years with Brackley Town before retiring.
Right-midfielder: Youssef Chippo
- Coventry appearances: 131
Youssef Chippo was a regular for Coventry after joining from FC Porto in 1999 – having failed to truly break into the first-team there. He was 26 at the time, so Coventry had him at his peak. After four direct goal involvements in his first season in the Premier League, Chippo blanked as Coventry suffered relegation.
Chippo stayed for two more years in the second tier, before making a move to Qatari side Al-Sadd. He had another spell with Al-Wakrah before retiring. Like a lot of former players, Chippo has moved into punditry but he also runs a football academy in his native Morocco.
Central midfielder: Gavin Strachan
- Coventry appearances: 23
Gavin Strachan – son of Coventry manager Gordon – came through the club’s academy during his father’s time in charge of the club. But it wasn’t really a case of nepotism. Strachan made just 23 appearances for the Sky Blues, scattered across six seasons. This was one of just two league starts made in the 2000-01 season, and it came with Coventry already down.
Strachan left Coventry in 2003, joining Southend United after brief loan spells with Motherwell and Peterborough United. Thus began a career across a variety of teams in England, including Stockport County, Hartlepool United and a return to Peterborough. He retired in 2011 and moved into coaching, mostly as an assistant manager. Strachan has been a coach at Celtic since 2020, under their various managers.
Central midfielder: Lee Carsley
- Coventry appearances: 77
Lee Carsley spent just two seasons at Coventry, and joined the club midway through the 2000-01 season as an attempt to save them from relegation. He had joined from second-tier side Blackburn Rovers, and stayed at Coventry for a short while following their relegation. But he was not destined for second-tier football. Carsley returned to the Premier League in February 2002, signing for Everton.
That’s where he truly made his name as a top-class midfielder, playing almost 200 games for the Toffees. There’s even the conspiracy theory that Real Madrid wanted to sign him in 2005 but went for the wrong bald Everton midfielder in Thomas Gravensen. Carsley left Everton in 2008 to join Birmingham City, and returned to Coventry for the final season of his career. He turned to coaching and has spent most of his career working in youth systems. Carsley is the current England U21 manager though, of course, did have a brief stint in charge of the senior team between Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel.
Left-midfielder: Mustapha Hadji
- Coventry appearances: 68
Mustapha Hadji left Coventry at the end of the 2000-01 season, having spent two years with the club. During that time he did rack up almost 70 appearances across all competitions, becoming a mainstay. His performances caught the eye of Aston Villa, who gave Hadji a chance to remain in the Premier League.
Hadji’s time at Villa Park wasn’t as successful as his spell across the Midlands, and he eventually moved to Espanyol. That started a bit of a world tour for Hadji, who played for UAE side Al-Ain, Saarbrucken in Germany and Luxembourg’s CS Fola Esch. After his career, Hadji made a list of the greatest African players of all time. He moved into coaching and spent a long spell as assistant manager of the Moroccan national team. But after leaving in 2022, Hadji was hit with a five-year ban for forging a coaching licence.
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Striker: John Hartson
- Coventry appearances: 12
John Hartson was signed by Coventry at the start of 2001 as they tried to fight their relegation. He scored six goals in 12 Premier League games, a fantastic return. But it wasn’t enough to save the Sky Blues. They did make a good profit on Hartson, selling him to Celtic for £6million. There, Hartson built up an excellent partnership with Henrik Larsson.
Hartson spent five years at Celtic, winning three league titles, two Scottish FA Cups and a Scottish League Cup. He also won the Scottish Premiership Golden Boot in 2004/05 – despite Celtic not winning the league. Hartson left Celtic in 2006 and spent two years with West Bromwich Albion before retiring. The former Wales striker was diagnosed with testicular cancer which had spread to his brain, and underwent successful chemotherapy. He currently works as a pundit.
Striker: Ysrael Zuniga
- Coventry appearances: 30
Ysrael Zuniga is such an interesting footballer. He spent just three seasons in his whole career playing outside of the Americas, two of which came at Coventry City. He struggled to make an impact in England, netting just three goals in 30 games for the Sky Blues – which didn’t help them in their battle against relegation.
Zuniga returned to the Americas in 2002, joining Argentinian side Estudiantes. But that stay was brief, as was his spell with Cruz Azul Hildago in Mexico. Zuniga returned to his native Peru with four clubs across five years, before returning to Europe for a one-season stay with Buraspor in Turkey. But he returned once more to Peru and retired in 2018. He then studied to be a dentist, having initially trained in the field before embarking on his football career.
Substitute: Calum Davenport
- Coventry appearances: 83
Calum Davenport was another Coventry academy graduate getting some minutes towards the end of the season. In fact, the 45 minutes he played in the final game of the 2000-01 season were his only in the Premier League that year. But he did make a return to the top flight later in his career. Davenport did stay at Coventry until 2004, sticking with the Sky Blues in the second tier and getting regular playing time across the 2002-03 and 2003-04 campaigns.
Davenport left Coventry in 2004-05 to joining Tottenham Hotspur, but he spent the first 18 months on loan at West Ham United, Southampton and Norwich City. He still only made 20 appearances for Tottenham, eventually leaving the club for West Ham in 2007. But he never really settled at a club. His career was haltered slightly after being stabbed in 2009.
Substitute: Jay Bothroyd
- Coventry appearances: 81
Jay Bothroyd was at the start of his career when Coventry went down, joining from Arsenal’s academy before the 2000-01 season. He only had a few appearances in the 2000-01 campaign but became a regular after their relegation. Bothroyd hit good form in the second tier, earning a move to Italian side Perugia. But he was unable to settle in Italy, and returned to England first with a loan move to Blackburn and then a permanent stay at Charlton Athletic.
Bothroyd moved around the English league system for a few years, with spells at Wolves, Stoke, Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers — staying in the Welsh capital for three seasons. But he then made the move to Asia, joining Thai side Muangthong United. Bothroyd ended his career in Japan, after spells with Jubilo Iwata and Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. He now makes regular appearances as a pundit.
Substitute: Robert Betts
- Coventry appearances: 17
Robert Betts was one of the younger names in Coventry’s squad and only got two minutes on the final day of the 2000-01 season. He spent five years at the Sky Blues in total, but didn’t crack 20 appearances, spending time on loan. After leaving the club in 2003, Betts spent a lot of time in non-league football before retiring.