Coventry City Manager Mark Robins is 50 today!
To celebrate the landmark, we're taking a pictorial look back through his career in football.
Born on the 22nd December 1969, in Ashton under Lyne, he started his professional career at Manchester United. As a youngster, he won 6 England Under 21 caps, scoring 7 times.
He would be amongst the honours at Old Trafford, winning the FA Cup and sharing the Charity Shield in 1990, and winning the European Cup Winners Cup and European Super Cup in 1991.
On the run to the 1990 FA Cup triumph he scored what some label as the goal which saved Alex Ferguson's job at Man United, when they beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the Third Round, and scored the winner in the Semi-Final replay win against Oldham Athletic.
He moved to Norwich in 1992, and in his first game his two goals helped Norwich defeat Arsenal 4–2 at Highbury on the opening day of the first ever Premier League season. Norwich qualified for the UEFA Cup at the end of the 1992-93 campaign.
Robins then moved to Leicester City in 1995. Relegated in that season, he helped them bounce back with promotion back to the Premier League in 1995-96, and the Foxes would go on to win the League Cup in 1996-97 with Robins.
Mark would enjoy spells at FC Copenhagen, Reading, Ourense, Panionios, Manchester City, Walsall, Rotherham United, Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday, before hanging up his boots at Burton Albion in 2004.
He was assistant manager at Rotherham from 2005, before moved to the Manager's hotseat in 2007. In 2009 he joined Barnsley as boss, leaving in 2011.
On 19th September 2012, Mark was appointed as Coventry City Manager. There was a marked up lift in fortunes, turning the Sky Blues from a team at the wrong end of the table to a side looking at the play-off places, and he took the side to the Area Final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. That form attracted interest from elsewhere, and in February 2013 Robins was appointed Manager at Huddersfield Town.
He stayed there until August 2014, and from October 2014 to January 2016 was in charge at Scunthorpe United.
On 6th March 2017, Robins was re-appointed Sky Blues boss. It was too late for the side to avoid relegation to League Two, but in April 2017 Robins led the Sky Blues to their first silverware since 1987 when they beat Oxford United 2-1 in the Checkatrade Trophy at Wembley, in front of over 45,000 City fans.
Robins set about re-building the squad, and those efforts resulted in instant promotion back to League One - after a 3-1 Play-Off Final win over Exeter City. That season also saw a giant-killing of then Premier League Stoke in the FA Cup and numerous records broken - first top six finish in 48 years, first promotion in 51 years and most points in a season for Coventry City.
Back in League One, the Sky Blues finished 8th last season and are again in the upper reaches of the division under the guidance of Robins currently sitting 5th in the table after Saturday's win over Lincoln City.
Happy Birthday Gaffer!