At a time when Coventry City are struggling to find a settled defence, it's ironic that Saturday's opponents Stoke are enjoying solidity and success at the back with two former Sky Blues.

Luke McNally and Michael Rose were pitched in together for the first time in the Potters side on the return from the last international break and the pair haven't looked back, building a burgeoning central defensive partnership that's kept three clean sheets in a four game unbeaten run that's seen Alex Neil's side win three games and draw one to drag them up the Championship table.

Following defeat to Leicester before the fixture pause, Stoke were in 21st place just above the relegation zone on ten points from their opening 11 games. Four games later and they've leapfrogged Coventry up to 12th spot on 20 points.

Rose, as we know, left as a free agent when his contract ran out in the summer despite once being described as the club's "best defender" by Mark Robins. The Scot, however, slipped down the pecking order last January upon the arrival of McNally on loan from Burnley when the 24-year-old displayed outstanding form and quickly made the right-sided central defensive berth in the back three his own.

City desperately attempted to buy McNally in the transfer window but switched attention to fellow Claret Bobby Thomas - who'd had an impressive season-long loan at League One Barnsley - as things dragged on over the summer, with Burnley reluctant to sell. Thomas was one of four central defenders recruited, joining Joel Latibeaudiere, Liam Kitching and Luis Binks at the CBS Arena but Robins is yet to see his strongest combination emerge, primarily in a three with two of the above deployed either side of Kyle McFadzean. On Saturday at Preston we saw the manager switch to a back four at the break, with last season's central defensive pairing at Barnsley - Thomas and Kitching - partnered for the first time.

Stoke City reporter Pete Smith, who covers the Potters for our sister title StokeOnTrentLive explained how the club's latest partnership came about and why it's proving so successful.

"McNally has been playing on the right and Rose on the left, and it's quite interesting because they've been given the freedom to attack the ball and Rose has the responsibility for marking the main striker," he said. "Most Championship teams tend to play with one up front or a main striker, and Rose has done well on man marking duties.

"They came in since the last international break when Ben Wilmott, who was the automatic pick, suffered a bad knee injury and is out until Christmas, so Alex Neil had no other choice but to throw them in together and I think everyone was thinking that because they are quite similar that it wouldn't really work. But they have found their own roles within the partnership and done all right over the last fortnight.

"McNally needed a bit of time to find his feet when he first joined the club. He had a full pre-season at Burnley but didn't particularly look at home in a back five, which I know he played at Coventry, and he's been a lot better in a back four but that's maybe because the team as a whole looks better suited to that system."

Speaking recently about the partnership, Rose said: "We actually didn't start any games together at Coventry at all. We were laughing about it the other day actually, the last few games is actually the first time we've actually played properly with each other. But we get on really well, we got on well at Coventry.

"Naturally when you come to a new club you're closer with ones that you've known before so me and Luke have been like that. I think it helps if you have a connection off the pitch. I think that helps your relationship on the pitch too, so it's been good.

"It's all about partnerships all over the pitch and centre-back is probably one of the biggest ones because you both need to help each other through the game. I think naturally we've developed it because we get on well off the pitch. We just need to keep it going."

With the Sky Blues desperate to halt a four-match losing run, all eyes will be on the familiar faces in the opposition back line to see how they fare, no doubt fired up more than usual to show that they've moved onwards and upwards with Rose, in particular, out to prove a point.