Three straight wins in the space of a week have catapulted Salernitana to within three points of safety with a game in hand, bringing back memories of Nicola's first famous escape act with another unfashionable southern club five years ago. With 29 matches played of the 2016/17 season, Nicola's Crotone had picked up just 14 points but an incredible run in their final nine, of which they won six and lost just one, allowed them to climb out of the drop zone on the final day of the campaign.

Nicola had promised he would cycle the length of Italy to his hometown of Turin should his team stay up and he was as good as his word, making the 1,300 kilometre (808 mile) trip from the deep southern region of Calabria to Piedmont in the far north-west.