Chris Stokes: Coventry complete deal for ex-Forest Green left-back
Last updated on .From the section Football
Coventry City have completed the signing of defender Chris Stokes on a 12-month deal, with a further year's option in the League One club's favour.
The 24-year-old left-back was initially signed by the Sky Blues on loan from Conference side Forest Green in February, just three days before the sacking of then boss Steven Pressley.
But he impressed in 16 appearances over the final three months of the season.
Stokes even scored on his home debut to earn a 2-1 win over promoted MK Dons.
| Too close for comfort for Coventry City |
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| Tony Mowbray's Coventry City ended last season five points clear of trouble after coming from behind to win at Crawley on the final day of the season - but they went into that dramatic last afternoon knowing that they could have plunged into the fourth tier of English football for the first time since 1959. |
He came to Coventry on the say-so of his old Forest Green boss Dave Hockaday, who was brought in at the Ricoh Arena in February as professional development coach until the end of the season.
And although Pressley and Hockaday have now moved on, Stokes has flourished under new Sky Blues boss Tony Mowbray.
Having officially been released by Forest Green at the end of last season, he had to wait for the reopening of the transfer window on 1 July to complete his move - and become the Sky Blues' first summer signing.
"Chris is a player I've enjoyed working with since I joined the club," said Mowbray. "You can tell he is eager to learn and improve. You need to be able to listen and learn as footballer and Chris has those attributes."