Fans of Coventry City can look forward to a first appearance at Wembley Stadium in thirty years as the Sky Blues booked their place in the EFL Trophy Final to be played on 2nd April with a 2-1 win over Wycombe. However, League One's basement side could be set to join a select group of teams that reached a domestic cup final and got relegated in the same season - we take a look at some other sides to suffer the highs of a cup run and the despair of the drop...
Wigan Athletic - 2012/13
Wigan famously won the first major trophy of their 81-year existence in 2013 as they stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup finale. The Latics would go on to set an unwanted record by becoming the first club to ever win the cup and get relegated in the same season though as a 4-1 league defeat at Arsenal condemned them to the Championship.
Birmingham City - 2010/11
Birmingham City caused an almighty upset in 2011 as Obafemi Martins scored an 89th minute winner to seal a 2-1 win over Arsenal in the League Cup final and it was a result that secured the Blues their first major trophy since 1963. However, Alex McLeish's side would go on to be relegated and they haven't been seen in the Premier League since.
Portsmouth - 2009/2010
Portsmouth's rapid decline to their current position in League Two can be traced back to 2010 when they finished bottom of the Premier League thanks to a ten-point penalty for going into administration. Despite their league woes, Pompey actually reached the FA Cup final under the stewardship of Avram Grant, who saw his team lose 2-0 to his old employers, Chelsea, at Wembley.
Atletico Madrid - 1999/00
Claudio Ranieri oversaw much of a dreadful 1999/2000 campaign with Atletico Madrid and he duly resigned after losing 12 of 26 league matches. The club would go on to be relegated from La Liga but they did reach the Copa del Rey final for a second year running, only to lose to Espanyol.
Middlesbrough - 1996/97
Middlesbrough were very much the cup specialists during the 1996/97 season but they ultimately ended with two cup finals, one relegation and no silverware. A team consisting of the continental talents of Juninho and Fabrizio Ravanelli were docked three points for postponing a match with Blackburn Rovers and the deduction would cost them dearly as they finished in nineteenth place in the Premier League, two points adrift of safety.
To add salt to the wounds, Boro reached the League Cup final that very same season but they were undone by an extra-time goal from Steve Claridge in the replay against Leicester City and they would go on to lose the FA Cup final to Chelsea.
Norwich AND Sunderland - 1984/85
Norwich beat Sunderland 1-0 in the 1985 League Cup final but it would be a season to forget for the pair as far as the league was concerned as they were both relegated from the First Division, with Norwich finishing 20th and Sunderland 21st.
Brighton - 1982/83
Brighton beat the likes of Newcastle, Manchester City, Liverpool, Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday en route to the FA Cup final in 1983 but they would ultimately come up short as they took Manchester United to extra-time at Wembley before they were them thumped 4-0 in a replay.
It was the Seagulls' only ever appearance in an FA Cup final and it was a season that they wouldn't forget in a hurry as they ended up finishing bottom of the First Division. Brighton have never appeared in the top-flight since.
Leicester City - 1969/70
Leicester City have reached four FA Cup finals and never won the tournament but the 1969 defeat was particularly painful as they lost 1-0 to Manchester City at Wembley. They still had five games of the league season remaining following the cup final but they were relegated by a 3-2 defeat to Manchester United on the final day of the campaign.
