Frank Lampard described leading Coventry City back to the Premier League after 25 years as an 'incredible moment' following a nervy 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers. The Sky Blues secured automatic promotion with three games to spare, sparking emotional celebrations among the 7,000 travelling fans at Ewood Park.
Bobby Thomas's late header from Victor Torp's free-kick cancelled out Ryoya Morishita's opener, ensuring Coventry's return to the top flight for the first time since 2001. 'Because of how the game had gone, you were worried,' said Lampard. 'We knew we were very nearly there, but to get it over the line like this for this club after 25 years, wow.'
The promotion marks a remarkable turnaround for a club that hit financial rock bottom and dropped to League Two as recently as 2017-18. Lampard paid tribute to predecessor Mark Robins, who laid the foundations, but took pride in his own role. 'To do this with this club in the circumstances that we've done it, for me, overachieving,' he said.
Coventry's return to the Premier League ends a quarter-century absence that included stadium changes, ownership turmoil, and a climb back from the fourth tier. Midfielder Jack Rudoni said: 'I can't describe it. We could have got it done quicker. But with the fans here we couldn't leave without doing it today.'
The celebrations are set to continue, with Coventry hosting Portsmouth on Tuesday night. Lampard, who won Champions League and Premier League titles as a player, rated this promotion among his greatest achievements. 'I'm very proud to be the manager of that,' he added.
