Coventry City

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Frank Lampard is to Coventry City midfielder Jack Rudoni what Jose Mourinho once was to him.

In 2004, Mourinho walked into the dressing room and told Lampard he was "the best player in the world", adding: "The only difference between Zidane and you is trophies."

Fast forward 22 years and Lampard is telling Rudoni he is "Champions League level" after the midfielder scored twice to see off Derby County a fortnight ago. Now the pair have sealed promotion to the Premier League after drawing 1-1 at Blackburn Rovers on Friday night.

Asked about Lampard's comments, Rudoni said: "For him to say that means a lot. I completely believe that I can play at these levels, but obviously I've not played them yet. Hearing the gaffer say something like that about me fills me with even more confidence."

Like Lampard at a similar age, Rudoni has developed into a goalscoring midfielder, capable of crashing the box. He has seven goals and five assists in 29 league matches this season, after recording 10 goals and 13 assists in the previous campaign.

"He's always helping me with little bits and pieces – the timing of runs, the areas to get into, even shooting techniques," Rudoni added. "We've spoken about all of that. I think he's the best goalscoring midfielder there's ever been, so who better to learn from?"

Alongside Lampard, Rudoni repeatedly highlights the influence of assistant coach Joe Edwards, who shows him clips of the areas he needs to arrive in to score – including footage of how Lampard himself mastered the role.

Coventry's number five should also be lauded for his resilience on the road to the Premier League. Released by Crystal Palace as a child, Rudoni went on loan at non-league Corinthian-Casuals and Tonbridge Angels before earning regular minutes at League One side AFC Wimbledon.

"I've always had self-belief," he said. "From where I've come from, you have to.

"My family will be really proud when we get this over the line, because they know how much playing in the Premier League has meant to me growing up. When it's done and we've been promoted, that's when it will really hit them emotionally."

How are you feeling Sky Blues fans?

It's been quite a journey for your club, not just the past 25 years, but even this season, with a 12-point lead in the promotion race wiped out by a winter wobble.

Was Bobby Thomas' late equaliser worth the wait? Who do you most want to thank for being in this position? Can you finish the job and seal the title in the coming days?

And looking ahead... what are your hopes for next season? Do you think this squad can compete in the Premier League or will you need to upgrade in certain areas? Who are your untouchables?

We want to know it all, so click here to let us know.

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Coventry manager Frank Lampard has refused to talk about the Premier League, despite being just one point away from a top flight return.

The Sky Blues head to Blackburn on Friday sitting top of the Championship table by 10 points with just four games left to play.

A draw would send Coventry back to the Premier League for the first time since 2001.

When asked what promotion would mean to the club, Lampard said: "Let's just talk about it when we're officially there."

He added: "I think the Championship is a great league to to work in and to watch, especially with its unpredictability.

"The support bases, the sizes of the teams that are in it, and the different styles of play are great."

Speaking about Blackburn, who were beaten 3-0 by in-form Southampton on Tuesday, Lampard said: "They are a team who are fighting.

"You can see they have good players and a good energy about them, and so it will be a tough game."

When asked about the challenges faced by the club over the last 25 years, Lampard said: "There have been tough times I can't even describe because I wasn't here.

"But that will make everything even more special for us as a football club.

"The fans are the first ones that should enjoy it, and I know they will in the stadium or outside of the stadium.

"But we need to focus on our job on the pitch because we will enjoy it even more if we do our job right."

Coventry head to Ewood Park on Friday (20:00 BST) knowing a point will seal their place back in the top flight after 25 years away.

The Sky Blues head into the game on the back of successive draws after a stalemate against Sheffield Wednesday last time out.

Blackburn's five-match unbeaten run came to a halt with a 3-0 defeat at Southampton on Tuesday.

Michael O'Neill's side have a four-point cushion above the relegation zone in 20th and will be well aware they are not out of danger yet.

• Blackburn are winless in their past 10 league games against Coventry (D5 L5), since a 4-0 away victory in October 2020.

• Coventry have kept a clean sheet in their past five league games against Blackburn – they have never gone six without conceding against an opponent, while only against Chelsea have Rovers had a longer goalless run (seven between 2006 and 2009).

• Each of Blackburn's past three home league games have ended level, with the last two ending goalless. They last drew four consecutive home league matches in May 1988 (4).

• Accounting for three points per win all-time, Coventry's 85 points this season is already their most in a single league campaign in the club's history. The Sky Blues will be promoted to the Premier League if they avoid defeat in this match, last featuring in the top-flight in 2001.

• Haji Wright has scored 16 goals in the Championship this season, his joint-most in a single campaign for the club (also 16 in 2023-24). Only Viktor Gyokeres has netted more than 16 times in a Championship season for the Sky Blues (21 in 2022-23, 17 in 2021-22).

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard spoke to BBC CWR after the 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

"We created enough to score but we're not quite at our sharpest at the top of the pitch," he said.

"It's normal to feel frustrated but we have to temper that with where we are and the bigger picture.

"We lacked zip around the top end of the pitch. The counter-pressing and speed of our reactions was slightly down.

"The players are learning and living with the expectancy over when you can get promoted for a club that hasn't been there for a long time. I get that and you can't discount them.

"We've got four games to go, we know what we've got to do. It's in our hands and we have to do it."

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The EFL has announced the fixtures for the 2026-27 season will be published at midday on Thursday, 25 June.

The first-round draws for the Carabao Cup and the Vertu Trophy will be made on the same day.

The new season will kick off on the weekend of August 7-9 with the first round of the Carabao Cup, and the opening fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two will follow a week later on 14-16 August.

The first round of the Vertu Trophy will be played in the week commencing 21 September.

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has urged the club's supporters to only worry about their game when they host relegated Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Should Millwall fail to win at West Bromwich Albion on Friday (20:00 BST) then Coventry will know a win would mean Middlesbrough must beat Portsmouth at the Riverside at 15:00 BST to prevent the Sky Blues celebrating automatic promotion this weekend.

"Just worry about us," Lampard told BBC CWR when asked for a message for the supporters.

"I know they won't, but we know what we need to do, and thankfully we're in that position [rather than,] if it was nip and tuck and the last day of the season. We're not, so just worry about us.

"The message for our fans, for our players, and for me to understand is this game is not going to be all our way just because of their league position, but if we can do our thing, then we can make the game feel like we want it to."

Wednesday became the first team in the history of the EFL to be relegated as early as February, and have won only one league game in a season dogged by financial and ownership issues, and Lampard empathised with their situation.

"I felt it in our game there earlier in the season, when they were right in the middle of their problems as such, and they are ongoing. But you could feel it in the stadium, and their fans were good on the day.

"I grew up when Sheffield Wednesday were a top team in Division One and the Premier League, so it's not nice to see the situation they are in, but I think the fans, players and staff have come out of it with credit. And they will be back, because it's a big club, so I obviously feel for them on that."

Listen to more Coventry City interviews and content on BBC Sounds.

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Southampton's Tonda Eckert has been named the Championship's manager of the month for March.

The Saints went unbeaten in the league last month, winning three and drawing one of their four games including a victory at the leaders Coventry.

The Sky Blues' Frank Lampard, Matt Bloomfield of Oxford United and West Brom interim boss James Morrison were also nominated.

Eckert also won the award in February when Southampton were again unbeaten and have continued their good form into April, moving into the play-off places as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

They meet Derby at home on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Coventry City have not yet sealed their promotion to the Premier League but former Sky Blues goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic has already moved his sights towards the Championship title.

The Sky Blues could be promoted this weekend with a win over basement side Sheffield Wednesday if Millwall and Middlesbrough drop points.

"You don't want to get ahead of yourself but they've been so good this season, so consistent, so resilient, that you can't imagine there will be any slip-ups now," Ogrizovic told BBC Radio CWR.

"They are absolutely certain of promotion, what they need to do now is to try and win the league as well because they've been at the top of the league for so long, they deserve to do it.

"There's been so many great performances. That would just be the end of a perfect season."

Listen to Ogrizovic's full thoughts on BBC Sounds

Listen to more Coventry City content on BBC Sounds

Coventry City need only four points from their remaining five games to secure promotion to the Premier League and will fancy their chances of getting three of those at home to relegated Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (12:30 BST).

The Sky Blues have the best home record in the Championship with 48 points from their 20 matches so far while Wednesday's only victory of their league campaign came at Portsmouth in September.

• Coventry have won five of their past six league games against Sheffield Wednesday, though the exception did come in this exact fixture last season (2-1 defeat).

• Sheffield Wednesday won 2-1 at Coventry last season but have never won consecutive league visits to the Sky Blues before.

• Without their points deduction, Sheffield Wednesday have earned 13 points in the Championship this season, while Coventry have 84. This gap going into the game of 71 points is the second-biggest for a match in Football League history, behind the 74 points separating Liverpool and Huddersfield in April 2019; the Reds won 5-0.

• A failure to win in this game for Sheffield Wednesday would see them have the record for the longest winless run in all competitions by a Football League club. It would be a 37th game without victory, breaking Derby's 36-game record between September 2007 and August 2008. In just the league, it would equal the longest winless run at 36 games, set by Derby and also Macclesfield in October 2018.

• Coventry have won 25 league games this season, their most in a single season. Their 15 home wins are also their most in a season since 1966-67 (17).

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Oxford United's Matt Bloomfield, Tonda Eckert of Southampton, West Brom interim boss James Morrison and Coventry's Frank Lampard have all been nominated for the March Championship manager of the month award.

Bloomfield led Oxford to seven points from their four games last month to give them hope of avoiding relegation from the Championship, while Eckert's Southampton went unbeaten in March - and won at leaders Coventry.

Morrison was handed the task of lifting West Brom clear of the bottom three and took eight points from an unbeaten four-game run.

Coventry have continued their charge towards the Premier League, with Lampard overseeing three wins and just that one blemish in the defeat by Southampton.

Southampton goalkeeper Daniel Peretz and West Brom defender George Campbell are nominated for the player of the month award along with Millwall striker Josh Coburn and Derby defender Matt Clarke.

The winners of both awards will be announced on Friday morning.