successful as it was initially expected, and Treviso found themselves in the bottom part of the table, escaping relegation in the final weeks of the season. In July 2008 Treviso announced to have agreed a mutual consent leave with Pillon. The season 2008–09 On 16 December 2008 Pillon was announced as new head coach of Serie A relegation strugglers Reggina Calcio, being appointed as replacement for Nevio Orlandi, dismissed because of poor results with the amaranto. His tenure with Reggina however lasted just a month, being dismissed on 29 January 2009 due to poor results. Back to Ascoli in the season 2009–10 In November 2009 he was appointed head coach of Ascoli, a team he already coached from 2001 to 2003, replacing Alessandro Pane. Pillon gained nationwide news after he was protagonist of a highly unusual fair play action during a Serie B league game versus Reggina: after his side questionably scored a goal while a Reggina player was lying injured on the pitch, he requested his players to allow the opponent team to score; the game then ended in a 3–1 home loss for Ascoli, and such choice was heatedly criticized by the local fans. The game events and his reactions, with Pillon defending his actions and declaring himself critical of the belligerent atmosphere in Italian football, were then cited as the reason for him being awarded the 2009 International Fair Play prize. Livorno In June 2010 Pillon was announced as new head coach of recently relegated Serie B club Livorno. Following an unimpressive first half of season, Pillon was relieved of his managerial duties on 14 February 2011 following a 0–1 loss to minnows Portogruaro. Empoli On 3 October 2011, Pillon became the new coach of Empoli in Serie B, in place of the sacked Alfredo Aglietti. On 20 November 2011 he has been sacked and replaced by Guido Carboni. Pescara On 4 April 2018, he was appointed manager of Serie B club Pescara. He left Pescara at the end of the 2018–19 season. Cosenza On 11 February 2020, Pillon returned into management, being hired at the helm of relegation-threatened Serie B club Cosenza. His stint as Cosenza coach did not however last long, as he submitted his resignations a month later due to personal reasons in the midst of the football activities halt caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Triestina On 2 December 2020 he was