Coventry City

Coventry boss Frank Lampard was delighted with the discipline of his team as they won at Swansea to take another big step towards promotion to the Premier League.

"You can't get more professional, you can't get more tactically on point from the players - they [Swansea] are a good team, high pressing, rotations, the want to move ball and play through you," he told BBC CWR.

"We dealt with every aspect of the game from start to finish, we went a bit more direct early on to miss out the press, but as as soon as we could get the ball down, we did - and we were clinical in front of goal, defended our box.

"The tactical discipline was brilliant, it was a good day and a great performance by the lads."

The three goals came in the space of 11 minutes before half-time, and they were able to play out the second half to earn a clean sheet.

"It gives you a great feeling in the game, that you can start to play and the handling of the second half for me was outstanding as well," said Lampard.

Matt Grimes was one of Coventry's scorers against his former club and kept his celebrations low key.

"I've had it myself, when you come back to your old club you try to make it a positive pressure but it's not easy - and he played here for 10 years," Lampard added.

"I'm delighted he got his goal, he fully deserved it."

Coventry have a nine-point lead with seven games remaining - the next at home to Derby County on Friday 3 April, following the international break.

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard is happy with the options he has up front in the absence of top scorer Haji Wright.

The 27-year-old suffered a groin injury in last weekend's defeat by Southampton and has not travelled for international duty with the USA.

Ellis Simms or Brandon Thomas-Asante is expected to take Wright's place leading Coventry's attack at Swansea on Saturday (17:15 GMT).

"It's an opportunity for Ellis, and Brandon potentially as he's played that role as well," Lampard told BBC CWR.

"All those players have given us a lot this year in their own way. It's one of the reasons why our goals record is what it is, so it's credit to them when an injury to Haji comes along."

Coventry are the EFL's leading scorers with 78 goals so far this season and they head the Championship table by seven points with eight games remaining.

"It's one of the reasons why you need two and a half or three players for the number nine role because if you only have two and one is injured you're really worried about the other one which, is why Brandon is so useful with his versatility," he added.

"Ellis has trained really well this season - his attitude and approach and his development and how he's playing, I see it every day on the training ground so if he gets a chance now we're happy with that."

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After their promotion rivals slog it out earlier in the day, Coventry have the chance to tighten their grip on top spot as they head to Swansea on Saturday evening (17:15 GMT).

The Sky Blues go into the weekend with a seven-point lead in the Championship title race and a nine-point cushion in the quest for automatic promotion, with eight games to play.

They will seek to bounce back from last Saturday's home defeat to Southampton on the road at Swansea, who just about remain on the fringes of the play-off race.

The Swans went down 2-0 at Wrexham last Friday, their third defeat in four on the road, but their home form is in stark contrast and, depending on results elsewhere, a fifth win in six in front of their own fans could haul them within five points of the top-six.

• Swansea have lost their past two league games against Coventry – they last lost three in a row against them in a run of five between 1938 and 1947.

• After a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture this season, Coventry can do the league double over Swansea for the first time since 1946-47, also in the second tier.

• Since the start of December 2025, no team have won more points in Championship home games than Swansea (26 – level with Ipswich), going unbeaten in all 10 in this period (W8 D2).

• Coventry lost at home to Southampton last time out, while they have only suffered back-to-back defeats in the Championship once across their past 38 matches (January this year, v Norwich and QPR).

• Zan Vipotnik has been directly involved in 19 goals in the Championship this season (17 goals, 2 assists), with Joel Piroe in 2022-23 (21) the last Swansea player to reach 20+ in a league campaign.

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There have been plenty of contentious decisions in the 2025-26 Championship season so far.

Offside goals given, perfectly good goals ruled out, red card offences missed, penalties not given, dubious spot-kicks awarded. You name it.

With the video assistant referee (VAR) only used for the play-off final, the outcome of every second-tier game in the regular season can hinge on how on-field officials see incidents in real time.

• Would you want VAR introduced for every league game in the Championship?

• If so, why?

• And if not, let us know your reasons.

You can share your thoughts on VAR here or comment below, and we will publish a follow-up article soon with a selection of your responses.

Coventry manager Frank Lampard spoke to BBC Radio CWR.

"On a statistical basis we shouldn't lose the game because we created enough big chances to score three or four goals - we had five big chances in the game," he said.

"In the first half I think they wanted to slow the game down from the start and we bought into that a little bit. We normally have more energy in our game.

"We're not happy with the goals we conceded. You can't get that wrong because you won't win games of football, and we weren't clinical at the top end.

"By our own standards, were we as good as we want to be? No, but that's football at this stage of the season, you just want to try to get a result. We gave everything and we have to go again."

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Coventry City owner Doug King has said the club tried to buy on-loan goalkeeper Carl Rushworth but a deal could not be agreed with Brighton at the time.

The 24-year-old has has kept 13 clean sheets in an outstanding spell with the Sky Blues that has helped them surge eight points clear at the top of the Championship, and into pole position to win the title and Premier League promotion, with nine games remaining.

"We did try to buy him but that wasn't able to be done at the time," King told BBC CWR.

"He's shown himself to be a high quality goalkeeper and when we lost Olvier Dovin [to a knee injury] we recognised we needed a goalkeeper that adds that assuredness.

"It pervades out through the team and defence if you're very sure of someone behind you and we've all seen him grow into a fantastic goalkeeper."

King did not say whether the club would try again to sign him but Rushworth may well have given them hope by telling BBC Sport he is "happy to weigh up the option" of leaving the Seagulls if necessary.

Rushworth's loan at Coventry is the sixth of his career and King says the move has benefited everyone.

"We've given him that platform and given it to Brighton as well to showcase their goalkeeper in the Championship and they should be pretty pleased with the way it's gone for us and them," King said.

"He's done great and hopefully he'll continue to do great over the next nine games."

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC CWR, King also said if Coventry do end their 25-year wait to return to the top flight, they would approach the task of staying there "the Cov way".

"Burnley have been up and down a couple of times. Sunderland have changed the whole 11 which was quite radical," he said.

"We'll do it the Cov way - the way we think is the right way to achieve what we want to.

"You definitely would like to try to stay there - certainly for one year - that allows you to bed in a little but it's not straightforward.

"We're looking at lots of different things."

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth admits he may need to leave Brighton to fulfil his ambitions.

The 24-year-old, on loan at Championship leaders Coventry, has been at the Seagulls for seven years.

He is yet to make a senior appearance for the club and his loan at the Sky Blues is the sixth of his career.

Rushworth has England ambitions and, as he eyes helping Coventry back to the top flight for the first time in 25 years, is considering his long-term future.

"I understand football is never easy and simple. Sometimes you've got to be selfish, see all the opportunities on the table," the former England Under-21 goalkeeper told BBC Sport.

"If that's here [Coventry], perfect, if it's at Brighton so be it. But if it's away from Brighton I'm happy to weigh up the option.

"I've been speaking to my agent and GG [Gordon Greer, Brighton's pathway's manager]. I'm trying to focus on the here and now but it's definitely a conversation to have.

"I want to be a Premier League goalkeeper, I want to have an established career and I want to get there as quick as I can.

"I do think I'm ready and I just need the opportunity and I want to take it."

Rushworth joined as a 17-year-old having been released by Huddersfield and has had loan spells at Worthing, Walsall, Lincoln, Swansea and Hull.

He has played 37 times for Coventry, keeping 13 clean sheets and is leading the race for the Championship's Golden Glove award.

The Sky Blues are eight points clear at the top with nine games left ahead of Saturday's visit of Southampton.

"This has been the best loan I've had, the most enjoyable, there have been so many positives to it," added Rushworth. "It'll be good to see how the season finishes and to keep striving about where we want to get to."

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Southampton's Tonda Eckert and Millwall's Femi Azeez have won the Championship's manager and player of the month awards for February.

Saints took 13 points from a possible 15 as they went unbeaten last month, finishing with successive wins over QPR and Sheffield Wednesday to move into play-off contention.

Eckert was appointed Southampton's permanent head coach in December having been in interim charge when Will Still was sacked at the start of November.

He has won 12 of his 23 league games, taking the south coast club from 21st place to the race for a top-six finish.

Coventry City's Frank Lampard, Philippe Clement of Norwich City and Millwall boss Alex Neil were also nominated for the manager of the month award.

Though the Lions did win through winger Femi Azeez, who took home the player award after helping the side to win four of their five games in February.

The 24-year-old made five goal contributions, striking a superb volley to open the scoring against Birmingham in their 3-0 win at the Den.

Saints midfielder Leo Scienza was also up for the player award, alongside Sheffield United midfielder Sydie Peck and Sky Blues striker Haji Wright.

Southampton could be in with a chance at the top six on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 GMT) but will need to beat in-form league leaders Coventry City.

If Wrexham fail to take any points against Swansea on Friday, the door will open for the Saints to leapfrog into sixth spot with three points thanks to a superior goal difference.

However, hosts Coventry are on a six-match winning streak and running away with the Championship title as things stand with an eight point lead at the top.

• Coventry City are winless in their last six league games against Southampton (D3 L3) since a 4-1 win in October 2008.

• Southampton have one win in their last seven league visits to Coventry (D4 L2), a 4-2 win under Nigel Adkins in the 2011-12 season.

• Coventry manager Frank Lampard has never won a home game against Southampton in all competitions as a manager (D2 L2), with his teams conceding at least twice in all four games.

• Southampton have lost eight of their last 10 league games against teams who have 70+ points in the table before the game (W1 D1), with their one win coming away at 90-point Leeds on the final day of the 2023-24 season (2-1).

• Coventry are unbeaten in 12:30pm Championship kick-offs this season (W7 D3), while Southampton have only lost one of six 12:30pm games (W3 D2).

Coventry City striker Brandon Thomas-Asante says the Championship leaders have "nine finals" left on their path to Premier League promotion.

The Sky Blues continued their irresistible form on Wednesday with a 3-0 win over Preston North End to notch a sixth straight victory.

Coupled with second-placed Middlesbrough's defeat by Charlton, the result eased Frank Lampard's side eight points clear at the top with nine games remaining.

Their three goals - the second scored by Thomas-Asante - took Coventry's league tally so far this season to 77, the highest in England's top four divisions and 13 more than the Championship's next most prolific side, Ipswich Town.

"It's good to hear," Thomas-Asante told BBC CWR.

"We came out of the blocks [at the start of the season], but obviously we've been through tough parts of the season as well so we know there's only one way to get the results you need and it's to step into every game knowing you have to earn it."

After their Wembley play-off final defeat on penalties in 2022-23 and last season's heartache in the semi-finals, Coventry are edging closer to finally returning to the top flight after 25 years away.

But Thomas-Asante, whose goal against Preston was his 11th of the season but first since November, knows the run-in will be a real challenge.

"No one's going to give it to you in this league," he said.

"There's quality teams all over, all up and down the league so it's going to be nine finals and we have to really treat it as such.

"[We need to] make sure that we're prepared. I think the mentality through the group is really top.

"It's good to get back on the scoresheet and hopefully I can end the season as strong as I started it."

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Norwich City boss Philippe Clement, Southampton's Tonda Eckert, Frank Lampard of Coventry City and Millwall head coach Alex Neil have been nominated for the Championship's manager of the month award for February.

The Canaries won four of their five league games last month to move comfortably clear of the relegation zone.

Southampton have climbed to within three points of the play-off places after 13 points from an unbeaten February which included coming from 3-0 down to beat Leicester City 4-3.

Coventry City lost the leadership of the Championship when they opened the month with a draw against Oxford United, but four consecutive wins, followed by back-to-back victories in March, means they are now eight points clear at the top.

Millwall also collected four wins from their five games, including victories at play-off rivals Wrexham and Preston.

The winner of the February award will be revealed on Friday, 13 March.

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard urged focus on the run in after his side's 3-0 win over Preston North End left them eight points clear at the top of the Championship.

Goals from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Matt Grimes put away a dispirited Preston side, while defeat for Middlesbrough allowed the Sky Blues to open up a greater gap at the summit.

Speaking to BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, Lampard said: "We dominated the game by the way the lads approached it - the overall performance, the focus, the quality of the play, the creation of chances, the goals and the comfort that we felt.

"They worked brilliantly from minute one to the end against what was a tricky opposition on paper. This is not a bad team at all, Preston.

"We've still got work to do but the points and the goals is great recognition to this point and we need to continue for another nine games."

Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's visit to league leaders Coventry City (20:00 GMT).

Here are the main talking points:

• Callum Lang has strained his hamstring whilst recovering from a knock and is unlikely to feature until after the international break. Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire that due to "his history, it would be too risky" for him to return sooner.

• Lewis Gibson has torn a shoulder muscle making him "a doubt" for the matchday squad. Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen returned to training fully this week. He is "fit and available" so could travel to Coventry.

• The Championship "is a hard league, an unforgiving league" which is why Heckingbottom says North End have slipped down to 13th in the table after dropping too many points in a five-game winless run.

• He cites "conceding too many goals" as the key reason Preston have fallen away from the play-off spots.

• Their next opponents Coventry City are "a dangerous team", he says. "They've got firepower, they're never out of it. They win games when they're not playing well because they have that firepower."

• Heckingbottom's message to fans is "to stay with the team". "We are up against it and we have to battle and fight," he adds. "We need everyone to do that, we need the fans to do that as well.

Listen to the full interview with Paul Heckingbottom and more North End on BBC Sounds.

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Coventry will seek to at least maintain their advantage at the top of the Championship when they host Preston on Wednesday night (20:00 GMT).

Despite going eight-points clear of Middlesbrough courtesy of a 2-0 win at Bristol City on Saturday, the Sky Blues' fifth straight win, Boro did pull within five points with a big win at QPR on Sunday, and will host Charlton, also on Wednesday evening.

Preston went down 3-1 at home to lowly Oxford United on Friday and have slipped into the bottom half for the first time this season after a run of five games without a win.

• Coventry have won just one of their past 24 league games against Preston (D9 L14), though it was in this exact fixture last season (2-1).

• Preston have only failed to score in one of their past 20 away league games against Coventry, while they've kept a clean sheet on four of their last six visits.

• Coventry have lost just three of their 32 home league games under Frank Lampard (W24 D5). These losses came against Leeds, Burnley (both of whom were promoted last season) and current promotion chasers Ipswich.

• Having lost just two of their first 11 away league games this season (W4 D5), Preston have now lost three of their past six on the road (W1 D2).

• Haji Wright has scored six goals in five home league games in 2026, with these accounting for 67% of Coventry's home goals this calendar year (6/9).

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Frank Lampard cited Haji Wright's goal on the stroke of half-time as 'crucial' to the success at Bristol City that took Coventry eight points clear at the top of the table.

The Sky Blues were down to 10 men at the time, following Joel Latibeaudiere's red card just minutes after Tatsuhiro Sakamoto had headed the visitors in front.

But Wright's sixth goal in his last five games gave Lampard's men some breathing space and the manager told BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire: "The second goal was crucial to the game, crucial to our mindset, crucial to give us something to hang on to.

"It was a difficult start – they had a few opportunities and we knew they would give us some problems. They picked two strikers with pace and power and we were not completely at it.

"We got our goal which I was really pleased with, Tats getting in as he does and he can spring, then we've got control – then we lose a man and we had to make a change straight away.

"But the way the lads dealt with the second half was outstanding from all of them on the pitch, with great character and great spirit. We showed another side, which we have to show if we're going to get to where we want to."

Coventry City's on-loan midfielder Frank Onyeka has brought valuable top-flight experience to the team as they chase promotion to the Premier League, says boss Frank Lampard.

The 28-year-old Nigeria international joined the Sky Blues from Brentford on transfer deadline day in February and has been part of a winning side in all four of his appearances so far for the Championship leaders.

"When we recruited him the playing profile was different as we are quite light on Premier League experience," Lampard told BBC CWR.

"Not many of our players have been exposed to the Premier League, some other Championship teams have lots of exposure to the Premier League.

"So there's an experience about it, a knowhow in his game but he's been a big impact on and off the pitch for us. His professionalism is really good and he's clearly come in and helped our upturn in recent weeks."

Onyeka was substituted with 'a knock' in last weekend's win over Stoke City but Lampard says he is in contention to face Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

"He hasn't trained much but he'll train today (Friday) and we'll see how he is."

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