Michael O'Neill has backed his former club Coventry City to complete a fairytale return to the Premier League on Saturday.
O'Neill spent just over two years with the Sky Blues from 1996 to 1998 before the club was relegated three years later ending 34 years of continuous tenure in the top flight.
The last two decades have been a real slog for Coventry as they dropped down into League Two, were exiled from their home and faced the possibility of going out of business due to financial problems.
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Thankfully the club has bounced back and under Mark Robins' leadership they are on the brink of a dramatic return to the Premier League.
Standing in their way on Saturday afternoon are Luton Town, but O'Neill feels the Sky Blues will have enough to see them off at Wembley.
"It's fantastic what they have done especially after seeing the club go as low as they did," said the Northern Ireland boss.
"I was there when they were a Premier League club, then they had the difficult situations of having to play away from the ground, which was a big challenge.
"Mark has done a brilliant job and it shows what can happen if you persevere with the manager.
"They were bottom of the league after a difficult start, but at no point did they think about changing it and they got their reward.
"I do think they will win, I hope they do."
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