Coventry City

Will Oelrich
BBC CWR reporter

Image source, Shutterstock

Coventry City fans have waited a generation for nights like this.

It has been 25 long years since the Sky Blues last graced the top flight, and now with promotion sealed, it's all eyes on the Championship title.

All that separates them from glory is one final hurdle - Portsmouth.

And they get to face it at a near sold out CBS Arena - a stadium which has become a fortress under Frank Lampard.

Lampard's home record has been incredible. The Sky Blue Army will pack every corner of the ground, ready to push their team over the line.

But this won't be a coronation stroll. Portsmouth arrive in the Midlands with fire in their boots and survival on their minds.

Their last eight days have been nothing short of season‑defining. Victories over promotion chasers Ipswich and Middlesbrough, followed by a statement win against Leicester.

A five‑game unbeaten run at the business end of the season is the kind of form that drags teams out of trouble and they know one more scalp would secure their safety.

Still, this is Lampard's moment. The newly crowned Championship Manager of the Year will be desperate to finish the job on Tuesday, to turn a remarkable season into an unforgettable one.

Win the title here, in front of their own fans, and Coventry City's players could walk out next Sunday (12:00 BST) to a guard of honour from Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham.

A quarter‑century of waiting. Ninety minutes of football. A chance to write themselves into the Sky Blue history books.

Image source, Opta

After securing their first promotion to the top-flight in 59 years, Coventry City will aim to seal the Championship title by beating Portsmouth at the CBS Arena on Tuesday night (19:45 BST).

Despite drawing their past three games, the Sky Blues are 10 points clear of second-placed Ipswich following Sunday's 2-2 draw between Town and Middlesbrough, with the Tractor Boys having four games remaining.

Pompey head north on the back of three straight wins, and clean sheets, against Boro, Ipswich and Leicester, which have lifted them seven points clear of the relegation zone with three games to play.

John Mousinho's side would be safe, even with a defeat, should Oxford United lose at home to Wrexham, also on Tuesday night.

• Coventry have won three of their past four league games against Portsmouth (L1), and are looking to complete the double over them for the first time since 2010-11.

• Portsmouth have failed to score in six of their past nine away league games against Coventry, though they've avoided defeat each time they've scored in that run (W2 D1).

• Coventry failed to score in their last home league game against Sheffield Wednesday (0-0); not since November 2023 have the Sky Blues gone successive league matches on home soil without a goal.

• Portsmouth have recorded four wins across their past 10 away league games (D3 L3), as many as in their previous 34 away league games since the start of last season (D9 L21).

• Coventry's Brandon Thomas-Asante has scored in six of his past seven home league starts (6 goals), only netting more home goals for a single club in an English league season in 2023-24 (8 with West Brom).

In the midst of Coventry's promotion celebrations on Friday night we asked what you made of the end of the Sky Blues' 25-year stint outside the Premier League and who you'd like to thank for this moment.

Birmingham, Northampton, Wembley, financial turmoil, the club has lived so many chapters over the 9,101 days since their last Premier League game.

Here's a brief selection of the many, many messages we received - thank you for them all.

Karter: I want to thank Doug King for giving us this opportunity and putting all his effort and money into the club. He is a true Sky Blue and I want to pay tribute to Mark Robins as we wouldn't be in this position without his hard work and passion. And of course to super Frankie Lampard, he deserves a statue. Promoted. Passionate. Proud.

Steven: An emotional wreck! That Villa game 25 years ago was my first game as a four-year-old so it didn't quite hit me like it did everyone else but boy oh boy, I've seen some of the worst times I wouldn't wish on any football club, so now after eight years, from the depths of League Two all the way back to the Premier League, it's just unbelievable. Words can't describe how immensely proud I am of this team.

John: This is the fourth high in a lengthy history, but the present sits the most important. Promotion to the top flight (1967), finishing sixth and qualifying for Europe (1970) and winning the FA Cup (1987). This is now. This is the future.

Chris: Just the best day of my life. I was there when we went down, and I always kept the faith, but around 10 years ago I was resigned to the fact we would never be back. Thank you Mark Robins, thank you Doug King, thank you Frank Lampard, and thank you to all the players over the last decade who never knew when to die. We are Coventry City and we are Premier League.

Luke: Incredible achievement without spending as much as a lot of clubs on the wage bill. Doug King runs the club brilliantly and has done for some time now, Magic Frank has done an incredible job with his phenomenal entourage, and the effort and performances of the players have been pretty much outstanding all season. It's really hard to pick out a single player who won promotion for us, but for me Carl Rushworth's performances cannot go without specific mention. His goalkeeping has given us more than a few extra points on the board.

Archie: After everything we have been through, an hour away from going bust, the council selling our stadium, playing in different cities that are not our home. Mark Robins, Matty Godden, Michael Doyle, Max Biamou and Liam Kelly this promotion is yours as much as the boys celebrating.

John G: I have been a season ticket holder for 52 years, since the age of six, and been part of the highs and lows of this wonderful, family-centred club. But to come back from the depths of not having our own ground, nearly going out of business, and relegation after relegation, is an incredible story. Frank Lampard has been superb, but huge credit must go to Mark Robins, who will always be in the hearts of all Sky Blue fans. This achievement is down to all of his years of hard work, and building the foundations for what has just happened.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Image source, Getty Images

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."

Image source, Getty Images

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.