When Coventry were relegated from the Premier League in 2001, it brought to an end one of football's biggest ‘Houdini’ stories.
In a 34-year stay in the top flight, the Sky Blues became masters of the late escape – securing survival on the final day of the season 10 times.
But on 5 May 2001, they could not save themselves, losing to Midlands rivals Aston Villa to drop to what was then known as Division One.
On Sunday, they will be presented with the Championship trophy following their match against Wrexham after securing their return to the Premier League as champions.
BBC Sport spoke to three people who were pictured at Villa Park as teenagers on the day Coventry were relegated to reflect on an emotional afternoon – and tumultuous 25 years since.
'We went into that day quietly confident'
Rick Cushen and Graeme Nason went to many games together as schoolkids and remember arriving at Villa Park almost expecting another great escape.
"It never felt like we were going to get relegated," Rick told BBC Sport.
"Maybe that was just my age and the naivety of youth, but we had turned a bit of a corner in our form so we went into that day quietly confident."
"We thought we'd beat Villa and that we could do it," said Graeme. "I remember thinking it's what Coventry do – they survive."
That looked the likeliest outcome when Mustapha Hadji gave Coventry a two-goal lead, but Villa rallied to win 3-2 and results elsewhere went against the Sky Blues.
Rick and Graeme were caught on camera trying to process the reality of what was happening in front of them.
They both remember wanting to avoid eye contact with the photographer – Graeme looked away while Rick looked down while "holding it back".
"There were tears in my eyes and I was very upset," he said. "It was the days before social media too, so it was all genuine emotion and no-one was posing."
Despite relegation, Graeme said there was positivity in the hours that followed.
"Loads of fans went out that night and were all singing 'we're going to win the league' because we thought it would be a one-season thing," he said.
"If you told me then it would be 25 years, I'd have said: 'No chance.' But we've been through a lot since then."
'Being unsinkable took on a whole new meaning'
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 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."
Robins had first managed Coventry in 2012-13. He returned in March 2017 and though he could not save them from relegation to League Two, he did lead them to promotion at the first attempt.
By then, home games were being played at Birmingham City, and it was there they were crowned League One champions in 2020.
Their aim in that first season back in the Championship was "just to stay up" according to former striker Matt Godden, but since achieving that "the club has kept going from there".
"They are a huge football club," said Godden, who now plays for Charlton.
Coventry have been close to returning to the Premier League in recent years.
They were beaten by Luton Town on penalties in the 2023 play-off final and, after Robins was sacked in November 2024 following a poor run of results, Frank Lampard picked up the baton.
The former England midfielder guided Coventry to the play-off semi-finals last season, but that heartbreak was eclipsed when they were crowned champions with two games to spare.
"Pound-for-pound we have overachieved this season," said Graeme, who praised owner Doug King for "changing the feel of the club" since he bought out Sisu in 2023.
"I'm excited to return to where we belong," said Kim. "It means so much because we have been through so much. This time, it's tears of joy."
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