2015–16 Coventry City F.C. season

8 players were released on 1 July 2015 with Al Bangura, Adam Barton, Frank Nouble, Shaun Miller, Simeon Jackson, Andy Webster, Danny Pugh and Blair Turgott all leaving the club.[2] Five players from the academy signed professional contracts on 1 July 2015 as Cian Harries, Devon Kelly-Evans, Dion Kelly-Evans, Ben Stevenson and George Thomas all signing contracts alongside Chris Stokes, who signed a one-year contract on a free transfer from Forest Green Rovers. On 6 July 2015, Sam Ricketts joined Coventry City on a free transfer signing a one-year deal with the club.[3] Romain Vincelot signed for the Sky Blues on 8 July 2015.[4] On the same date, Coventry City owners Sisu earned the right to appeal against a Court's decision, which ruled that Coventry City Council's £14.4million loan to the Ricoh Arena operators ACL in 2012 was not state aid with the two-day appeal hearing taking place in February 2016.[5][6] Réda Johnson extended his time at Coventry City on 10 July 2015, signing a new one-year deal.[7] On 24 July 2015, Rúben Lameiras signed a contract at the club after a successful trial.[8] Adam Armstrong signed a 6-month loan deal from Newcastle United on 28 July 2015.[9] On 31 July 2015, the club announced that assistant manager Neil MacFarlane left the club by mutual agreement.[10]

On 1 August 2015, Coventry City ended their pre-season campaign with a 0–0 draw against Oxford United. They played a total of five games, failing to win a single game after three draws and two losses. A Coventry City XI side also drew 0–0 with Leamington during pre-season. Sam Ricketts was named as captain for the season on 3 August 2015.[11] Bryn Morris was signed on season-long youth loan deal from Middlesbrough on 6 August 2015.[12] Norwich City's Jacob Murphy was signed on loan on 15 August 2015 in a deal which will last till the end of the season.[13] On 18 August, Ivor Lawton was loaned out to Nuneaton Town for one month.[14] The club finished the month in fifth place after winning their first three league games but were defeated by Walsall 2–1 and drew at home to Southend United. Coventry were also knocked out the League Cup when they lost on penalties to Rochdale away from home in the first round. Adam Armstrong was awarded with League One's Player of the month award for August.[15]

Transfer deadline day saw Danny Swanson and Kyle Spence leave the club with just one player coming the other way as Lateef Elford-Alliyu signed a four-month contract with the Sky Blues. Marc-Antoine Fortuné signed for Coventry City on a free transfer, signing on 4 September. Ryan Kent became Coventry's fourth loan signing of the season on 10 September, arriving from Liverpool. Adam Jackson signed on loan for the club on 14 September from Middlesbrough.[16] The Sky Blues finished the month in fourth place after two wins and two defeats, beating Burton Albion and Chesterfield but losing to Scunthorpe United and Bury.

Former England-International midfielder Joe Cole was signed by Tony Mowbray on 16 October, signing for 35 days with the club. George Thomas was loaned out to Yeovil Town on 24 October until 21 November.[17] On 24 October, Reice Charles-Cook broke a post-war club record as he went 578 minutes without conceding a goal overtaking Steve Ogrizovic's 572 minutes without conceding. Coventry City were in fourth place by the end of the month without losing a game in the league winning three of the six fixtures. However, they were knocked out the Football League Trophy in the second round by League Two side Yeovil Town on penalties after drawing the game 0–0.

Steve Waggott left his position at the club as chief executive on 5 November.[18] This was followed by the appointment of Chris Anderson as executive vice-chairman and managing director on the next day. Ryan Kent was temporarily recalled back to Liverpool after a change in managers saw Jürgen Klopp take charge and on 18 November, Klopp revealed he was happy for Kent to resume his loan spell after believing he was at the right place.[19] A further two loan signings was made with Newcastle United midfielder Gaël Bigirimana and Cardiff City defender Ben Turner returning to the club until 3 January 2016 after signing on 16 November and 18 November.[20][21] It was announced on 19 November that Joe Cole will be staying at the Ricoh Arena until 3 January after a loan extension.[22] Yeovil Town extended their loan deal for George Thomas, meaning he will remain at the club till January.[23] On 22 November, Jacob Murphy became only the second-ever player to score a hat-tick at the Ricoh Arena. Coventry had another undefeated month in the league meaning the Sky Blues were unbeaten in their last eleven matches, the best run at the club since 1967. This meant that the club ended the month in first place with three wins and two draws in November. However, Coventry City were defeated when they were knocked out the FA Cup in the first round after a home defeat to Northampton Town on 7 November.

On 7 May 2015, Coventry City announced their first pre-season friendly away to Luton Town on 25 July 2015.[24] On 18 May 2015, Coventry City announced a pre-season friendly against Oxford United on 1 August 2015.[25] On 21 May 2015, Coventry City announced their third pre-season friendly against Cambridge United.[26] On 1 June 2015, a friendly against Nuneaton Town was confirmed for 11 July 2015.[27] On 3 July 2015, it was revealed that Coventry City's fixture against Oxford United will be played at Liberty Way as Oxford United want to make sure that their pitch is at the highest quality for the start of the season.[28] A fixture against Portsmouth was announced on 11 July 2015, which will take place at Havant and Waterlooville's West Leigh Park.[29] On 22 July 2015, the Sky Blues announced a XI side will face Leamington on 29 July 2015.[30]

Portsmouth v Coventry City

21 July 2015 (2015-07-21) Friendly	Portsmouth	2–1	Coventry City	Havant
19:30 BST	Chaplin 4' Evans 45'	Report	G. Thomas 53'	Stadium: West Leigh Park

Luton Town v Coventry City

25 July 2015 (2015-07-25) Friendly	Luton Town	1–1	Coventry City	Luton
15:00 BST	Marriott 87'	Report	Maddison 48'	Stadium: Kenilworth Road Attendance: 2,436 (278 Sky Blue Army)

Cambridge United v Coventry City

28 July 2015 (2015-07-28) Friendly	Cambridge United	1–0	Coventry City	Cambridge
19:45 BST	Legge 36'	Report		Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 1,934 (140 Sky Blue Army) Referee: Fred Graham

On 17 June 2015, the fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced.[31][32]

Coventry City will begin their FA Cup campaign in the first round with ties being played on 6 November 2015 to 9 November 2015.[33]

Coventry City v Northampton Town

7 November 2015 (2015-11-07) First round	Coventry City	1–2	Northampton Town	Coventry
15:00 BST	Murphy 10'	Report	Diamond 5' Richards 18'	Stadium: Ricoh Arena Attendance: 9,124 Referee: Darren Handley

On 16 June 2015, the first round draw was made, Coventry City were drawn away against Rochdale.[34] On 11 August 2015, the fixture was played at Spotland with Coventry City exiting the competition on penalties.

Rochdale v Coventry City

11 August 2015 (2015-08-11) First round	Rochdale	1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–3 p)	Coventry City	Rochdale
19:45 BST	McDermott 45'	Report	Tudgay 84'	Stadium: Spotland Attendance: 1,986 Referee: Eddie Ilderton
	Penalties
	Rose Henderson Kennedy Rafferty Andrew		Tudgay Morris Maddison Lameiras

Coventry City will play in Southern Section of the competition. Their first match of the Football League Trophy will be during the week commencing 5 October after receiving a bye, which means they automatically qualify for the second round, where they will play away at Yeovil Town.[35][36]

Yeovil Town v Coventry City

6 October 2015 Second round	Yeovil Town	0–0 (4–3 p)	Coventry City	Yeovil
19:45 BST		Report		Stadium: Huish Park Attendance: 1,605 Referee: Kevin Johnson
	Penalties
	Dickson Bird Howells Laird		Tudgay Elford-Alliyu Murphy G. Thomas Ricketts

On the Birmingham FA website the first round details of the Birmingham Senior Cup were announced, with Coventry City to face Stratford Town.[37]

Stratford Town v Coventry City

21 October 2015 First round	Stratford Town	2–1	Coventry City	Stratford-upon-Avon
19.45 BST	Ahenkorah 2' McGrath 83'	[38]	G. Thomas 15' (pen.)	Stadium: The DCS Stadium Attendance: 261 Referee: Grant Taylor

No.	Name	Position	Nationality	Place of Birth	Date of Birth (Age) *	Club apps *	Club goals *	Signed from	Date signed	Fee	Contract End
Goalkeepers
1	Lee Burge	GK		Hereford	(1993-01-09)9 January 1993 (aged 22)	22	0	Academy	1 June 2010	Trainee	30 June 2017
23	Reice Charles-Cook	GK		Lewisham	(1994-04-08)8 April 1994 (aged 21)	0	0	Bury	18 July 2014	Free	30 June 2018
43	Corey Addai	GK		London	(1997-10-10)10 October 1997 (aged 17)	0	0	Academy	1 June 2014	Trainee	30 June 2016
Defenders
2	Jordan Willis	RB		Coventry	(1994-08-24)24 August 1994 (aged 20)	77	0	Academy	1 June 2011	Trainee	30 June 2018
3	Chris Stokes	LB		Frome	(1991-04-08)8 April 1991 (aged 24)	16	1	Forest Green Rovers	21 February 2015	Free	30 June 2016
5	Réda Johnson	CB		Marseille	(1988-03-21)21 March 1988 (aged 27)	22	6	Sheffield Wednesday	4 July 2014	Free	30 June 2016
12	Martin Lorentzson	RB		Östertälje	(1984-07-21)21 July 1984 (aged 30)	0	0	Åtvidabergs FF	7 December 2015	Free	30 June 2016
15	Jack Stephens	CB		Torpoint	(1994-01-27)27 January 1994 (aged 21)	0	0	Southampton	1 February 2016	Loan	30 June 2016
17	Aaron Phillips	RB		Warwick	(1993-11-20)20 November 1993 (aged 21)	35	3	Academy	1 June 2011	Trainee	30 June 2016
18	Sam Ricketts	CB		Aylesbury	(1981-10-11)11 October 1981 (aged 33)	0	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	6 July 2015	Free	30 June 2016
21	Aaron Martin	CB		Newport	(1989-09-29)29 September 1989 (aged 25)	40	0	Yeovil Town	9 January 2015	Free	30 June 2016
22	Peter Ramage	CB		Ashington	(1983-11-22)22 November 1983 (aged 31)	0	0	Kerala Blasters	7 January 2016	Free	30 June 2016
26	Ryan Haynes	LB		Northampton	(1995-09-27)27 September 1995 (aged 19)	34	1	Academy	27 March 2013	Trainee	30 June 2017
29	Cian Harries	CB		Solihull	(1997-04-01)1 April 1997 (aged 18)	0	0	Academy	1 June 2014	Trainee	30 June 2018
30	Dion Kelly-Evans	RB		Coventry	(1996-09-21)21 September 1996 (aged 18)	0	0	Academy	1 June 2014	Trainee	30 June 2016
Midfielders
4	Romain Vincelot	CM		Poitiers	(1985-10-29)29 October 1985 (aged 29)	0	0	Leyton Orient	8 July 2015	£25,000	30 June 2017
6	Conor Thomas	CM		Coventry	(1993-10-29)29 October 1993 (aged 21)	111	1	Academy	1 June 2010	Trainee	30 June 2016
7	John Fleck	AM		Glasgow	(1991-08-24)24 August 1991 (aged 23)	139	4	Rangers	4 July 2012	Free	30 June 2016
8	Rúben Lameiras	LM		Lisbon	(1994-12-22)22 December 1994 (aged 20)	0	0	Tottenham Hotspur	24 July 2015	Free	30 June 2017
10	James Maddison	LM		Coventry	(1996-11-23)23 November 1996 (aged 18)	18	2	Norwich City	1 February 2016	Loan	30 June 2016
11	Jim O'Brien	AM		Alexandria	(1987-09-28)28 September 1987 (aged 27)	48	6	Barnsley	4 July 2014	Free	30 June 2016
13	Vladimir Gadzhev	CM		Pazardzhik	(1987-07-18)18 July 1987 (aged 27)	0	0	Levski Sofia	24 March 2016	Free	30 June 2017
14	Joe Cole	AM		Paddington	(1981-11-08)8 November 1981 (aged 33)	0	0	Aston Villa	16 October 2015	Free	30 June 2016
16	Andy Rose	CM		Melbourne	(1990-02-13)13 February 1990 (aged 25)	0	0	Seattle Sounders	2 January 2016	Free	30 June 2017
19	Gaël Bigirimana	CM		Bujumbura	(1993-10-22)22 October 1993 (aged 21)	28	0	Newcastle United	16 November 2015	Loan	30 June 2016
24	Ivor Lawton	CM		Coventry	(1995-09-05)5 September 1995 (aged 19)	0	0	Academy	26 November 2013	Trainee	30 June 2016
31	Ben Stevenson	CM		Leicester	(1997-03-23)23 March 1997 (aged 18)	0	0	Academy	16 March 2015	Trainee	30 June 2017
42	Stephen Hunt	RM		Waterford	(1981-08-01)1 August 1981 (aged 33)	0	0	Ipswich Town	8 January 2016	Free	30 June 2016
45	Jodi Jones	AM		Bow	(1997-10-22)22 October 1997 (aged 17)	0	0	Dagenham & Redbridge	18 March 2016	Loan	30 June 2016
–	Jack Finch	CM		Fenny Compton	(1996-08-06)6 August 1996 (aged 18)	21	0	Academy	1 April 2014	Trainee	30 June 2016
–	Devon Kelly-Evans	LM		Coventry	(1996-09-21)21 September 1996 (aged 18)	0	0	Academy	1 June 2014	Trainee	30 June 2016
–	Bilal Sayoud	AM		London	(1997-05-05)5 May 1997 (aged 18)	0	0	Nike Academy	24 March 2016	Free	30 June 2018
–	Kyle Spence	LM		Croydon	(1997-01-14)14 January 1997 (aged 18)	1	0	Unattached	15 February 2016	Free	30 June 2016
Forwards
9	Adam Armstrong	CF		West Denton	(1997-02-10)10 February 1997 (aged 18)	0	0	Newcastle United	28 July 2015	Loan	30 June 2016
20	Marcus Tudgay	CF		Shoreham-by-Sea	(1983-02-03)3 February 1983 (aged 32)	23	4	Nottingham Forest	29 July 2014	Free	30 June 2016
25	Jacob Murphy	CF		Wembley	(1995-02-24)24 February 1995 (aged 20)	0	0	Norwich City	14 August 2015	Loan	30 June 2016
27	George Thomas	CF		Leicester	(1997-03-24)24 March 1997 (aged 18)	8	0	Academy	25 October 2013	Free	30 June 2016
32	Marc-Antoine Fortuné	CF		Cayenne	(1981-07-02)2 July 1981 (aged 33)	0	0	Wigan Athletic	4 September 2015	Free	30 June 2016
34	Bassala Sambou	CF		Germany	(1997-10-15)15 October 1997 (aged 17)	0	0	Academy	13 May 2014	Trainee	30 June 2016
44	Darius Henderson	CF		Sutton	(1981-09-07)7 September 1981 (aged 33)	0	0	Scunthorpe United	5 February 2016	Free	30 June 2016
Left before the end of the season
12	Bryn Morris	CM		Hartlepool	(1996-04-25)25 April 1996 (aged 19)	0	0	Middlesbrough	6 August 2015	Loan	30 June 2016
14	Danny Swanson	AM		Edinburgh	(1986-12-28)28 December 1986 (aged 28)	18	0	Peterborough United	3 July 2014	Free	30 June 2016
15	Adam Jackson	CB		Darlington	(1994-05-18)18 May 1994 (aged 21)	0	0	Middlesbrough	14 September 2015	Loan	12 October 2015
15	Ben Turner	CB		Birmingham	(1988-01-21)21 January 1988 (aged 27)	84	4	Cardiff City	18 November 2015	Loan	22 December 2015
16	Lateef Elford-Alliyu	CF		Ibadan	(1992-06-01)1 June 1992 (aged 23)	0	0	Valletta	1 September 2015	Free	31 December 2015
38	Baily Cargill	CB		Winchester	(1995-07-05)5 July 1995 (aged 19)	0	0	Bournemouth	1 February 2016	Loan	12 March 2016
40	Ryan Kent	LM		Oldham	(1996-11-11)11 November 1996 (aged 18)	0	0	Liverpool	10 September 2015	Loan	3 January 2016

* Player age and appearances/goals for the club as of beginning of 2015–16 season.

Correct as of match played on 8 May 2016

No. Nat. Player Pos. League One FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total 1 Lee Burge GK 9 1 10 2 Jordan Willis DF 4 4 3 Chris Stokes DF 36 1 1 38 4 Romain Vincelot MF 45 1 46 5 Réda Johnson DF 12 12 6 Conor Thomas MF 0+3 1 1 5 7 John Fleck MF 40 1 1 1 43 8 Rúben Lameiras MF 18+11 1 1 1 32 9 Adam Armstrong FW 38+2 40 10 James Maddison MF 14+9 0+1 24 11 Jim O'Brien MF 20+6 1 1 1 29 12 Martin Lorentzson DF 5+2 7 13 Vladimir Gadzhev MF 0+2 2 14 Joe Cole MF 18+4 22 15 Jack Stephens DF 16 16 16 Andy Rose MF 7+5 12 17 Aaron Phillips DF 17+6 1 1 1 26 18 Sam Ricketts DF 43 1 1 1 46 19 Gaël Bigirimana MF 9+4 13 20 Marcus Tudgay FW 6+19 1 1 27 21 Aaron Martin DF 29 1 1 1 32 22 Peter Ramage DF 3+1 4 23 Reice Charles-Cook GK 37 1 1 39 24 Ivor Lawton MF 0+1 1 25 Jacob Murphy FW 29+11 1 1 42 26 Ryan Haynes DF 4+5 0+1 1 11 27 George Thomas FW 2+5 0+1 0+1 9 29 Cian Harries DF 1 1 30 Dion Kelly-Evans DF 0+1 1 31 Ben Stevenson MF 32 Marc-Antoine Fortuné FW 14+11 1 26 34 Bassala Sambou FW 0+1 1 42 Stephen Hunt MF 5 5 43 Corey Addai GK 44 Darius Henderson FW 0+5 5 45 Jodi Jones MF 4+2 6 – Jack Finch MF – Devon Kelly-Evans MF – Kyle Spence MF – Bilal Sayoud MF Left before the end of the season 12 Bryn Morris MF 1+5 1 7 14 Danny Swanson MF 15 Adam Jackson DF 15 Ben Turner DF 5 5 16 Lateef Elford-Alliyu FW 0+1 0+1 2 38 Baily Cargill DF 5 5 40 Ryan Kent MF 10+7 17

Charles-Cook Ricketts Martin Phillips Stokes Vincelot Fleck Lameiras O'Brien Murphy Armstrong

Correct as of match played on 8 May 2016

No.	Nat.	Player	Pos.	League One	FA Cup	League Cup	FL Trophy	Total
9		Adam Armstrong	FW	20	0	0	0	20
25		Jacob Murphy	FW	9	1	0	0	10
20		Marcus Tudgay	FW	4	0	1	0	5
4		Romain Vincelot	MF	4	0	0	0	4
7		John Fleck	MF	4	0	0	0	4
32		Marc-Antoine Fortuné	FW	4	0	0	0	4
10		James Maddison	MF	3	0	0	0	3
3		Chris Stokes	DF	2	0	0	0	2
5		Réda Johnson	DF	2	0	0	0	2
8		Rúben Lameiras	MF	2	0	0	0	2
11		Jim O'Brien	MF	2	0	0	0	2
14		Joe Cole	MF	2	0	0	0	2
16		Andy Rose	MF	2	0	0	0	2
21		Aaron Martin	DF	2	0	0	0	2
15		Ben Turner	DF	1	0	0	0	1
18		Sam Ricketts	DF	1	0	0	0	1
38		Baily Cargill	DF	1	0	0	0	1
40		Ryan Kent	MF	1	0	0	0	1
Own Goals				1	0	0	0	1
Totals				67	1	1	0	69

Correct as of match played on 8 May 2016

No.	Nat.	Player	Pos.	League One	FA Cup	League Cup	FL Trophy	Total
25		Jacob Murphy	FW	9	0	0	0	9
14		Joe Cole	MF	7	0	0	0	7
11		Jim O'Brien	MF	6	0	0	0	6
9		Adam Armstrong	FW	4	0	0	0	4
7		John Fleck	MF	3	0	0	0	3
17		Aaron Phillips	DF	3	0	0	0	3
32		Marc-Antoine Fortuné	FW	3	0	0	0	3
3		Chris Stokes	DF	2	0	0	0	2
8		Rúben Lameiras	MF	2	0	0	0	2
10		James Maddison	MF	2	0	0	0	2
6		Conor Thomas	MF	0	1	0	0	1
20		Marcus Tudgay	FW	1	0	0	0	1
21		Aaron Martin	DF	1	0	0	0	1
27		George Thomas	FW	0	0	1	0	1
40		Ryan Kent	MF	1	0	0	0	1
Totals				44	1	1	0	46

Correct as of match played on 8 May 2016

No.	Nat.	Player	Pos.	League One	FA Cup	League Cup	FL Trophy	Total
7		John Fleck	MF	13	0	0	0	13
4		Romain Vincelot	MF	11	0	0	0	11
18		Sam Ricketts	DF	2	1	0	0	3
21		Aaron Martin	DF	3	0	0	0	3
3		Chris Stokes	DF	2	0	0	0	2
9		Adam Armstrong	FW	2	0	0	0	2
11		Jim O'Brien	MF	2	0	0	0	2
15		Jack Stephens	DF	2	0	0	0	2
25		Jacob Murphy	FW	2	0	0	0	2
5		Réda Johnson	DF	1	0	0	0	1
8		Rúben Lameiras	MF	1	0	0	0	1
10		James Maddison	MF	1	0	0	0	1
12		Bryn Morris	MF	0	0	1	0	1
14		Joe Cole	MF	1	0	0	0	1
15		Ben Turner	DF	1	0	0	0	1
16		Andy Rose	MF	1	0	0	0	1
17		Aaron Phillips	DF	1	0	0	0	1
19		Gaël Bigirimana	MF	1	0	0	0	1
20		Marcus Tudgay	FW	0	0	1	0	1
23		Reice Charles-Cook	GK	1	0	0	0	1
44		Darius Henderson	FW	1	0	0	0	1
Totals				49	1	2	0	52

Correct as of match played on 8 May 2016

No.	Nat.	Player	Pos.	League One	FA Cup	League Cup	FL Trophy	Total
4		Romain Vincelot	MF	1	0	0	0	1
18		Sam Ricketts	DF	1	0	0	0	1
Totals				2	0	0	0	2

Correct as of match played on 8 May 2016

No.	Nat.	Player	Pos.	League One	FA Cup	League Cup	FL Trophy	Total
18		Sam Ricketts	DF	43	1	1	1	46
4		Romain Vincelot	MF	3	0	0	0	3
Totals				46	1	1	1	49