Coventry City

  1. A sky blue corner flag with the Coventry City club badge is focused in the foreground of the image. Behind it a football pitch inside the club's home stadium, with rows of seats visible in the background.

  3. Victor Torp, in a sky blue Coventry City shirt and against a back-drop of Coventry City supporters, celebrates a goal with a fist pump

  4. Arsenal players lift the Premier League trophy

  5. Coventry players 'deserve Premier League chance' - Lampard

    Frank Lampard in a dark blue t-shirt kisses the Championship trophyGetty Images

    Coventry have won 45 of their 82 matches under Frank Lampard

    The players who helped Coventry City win promotion to the Premier League deserve their chance to show what they can do in the top flight, according to boss Frank Lampard.

    After being named the League Managers Association's manager of the year, Lampard is planning for the Sky Blues' first season in the top flight for 25 years.

    "We haven't got Premier League minutes in our team. We've got a couple of boys that played, who got 30 appearances or whatever," Lampard said in his acceptance speech on Tuesday night.

    "The reality is that these boys have deserved a chance because of the hard work that they did."

    Coventry finished 11 points clear at the top of the Championship and midfielder Jamie Allen, who made 23 league appearances during the season is the only senior player to have been released since promotion was clinched.

    City will also turn midfielder Frank Onyeka's loan from Brentford into a permanent move on 1 July after he initially joined the club on loan in February.

    "Sometimes I think it's not being humble, it's actually just acknowledging and crediting the players, who want to get to the Premier League," added Lampard

    "So, we go for it, right? You have to understand what they did. The accomplishment has been amazing from the players because they are the ones who go and do it."

    Listen to Coventry City interviews and features on BBC Sounds.

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  6. Coventry striker Wright in USA World Cup squad

    Haji Wright wearing a blue suit jacket and white t-shirt poses with his USA shirt at the event to reveal the USA's World Cup squadGetty Images

    Haji Wright joined Coventry from Turkish side Antalyaspor in 2023

    Coventry City striker Haji Wright has been included in the USA squad for this summer's World Cup which starts on 11 June.

    The 28-year-old scored 20 goals in all competitions for the Sky Blues this season as they won the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League.

    Wright scored on his senior debut for the USA in a 3-0 friendly win over Morocco in June 2022 and has netted a further six goals in his 19 subsequent appearances.

    The USA are the tournament's joint hosts, along with Canada and Mexico, and are in Group D with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey.

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  7. Frank Lampard

  8. Jamie Allen wears a sky blue and white Coventry City kit and applauds supporters at the end of a match

  9. Norman Bartlam is wearing glasses and a dark shirt. He is holding his book up which is call The Sports Argus: The Eye on the Midlands

  10. Jamie Allen holds up a special commemorative Coventry City shirt showing his surname and the number 200 underneath, marking his double century of appearances for the club.

  11. Three bare-chested men wearing swim shorts smiling at a camera held by a woman with blonde hair wearing a yellow bikini smiling

  12. A bald headed man with a long beard wearing an old Coventry City shirt with a Coventry City scarf around his neck sat next to a boy wearing a Coventry City t shirt and scarf around his neck whilst holding up a poster with a black arrow pointing to the word Rushy which is above a dotted line. They are in a BBC studio with a microphone that says BBC CWR and are sitting against a purple background.

  13. A group of men and women in football T-shirts stood around a table with Sky Blues merchandise, a cake and drinks

  14. Leo is holding his sign which reads 'Sign Here Carl and features the player's signature at the bottom. Leo is flanked by his dad Paul, who is wearing a retro Coventry City top and his mum Clare, who has the club's hot coral away kit on. She also has a Coventry City scarf around her neck.

  15. Eckert claims hat-trick of manager of month awards

    Tonda Eckert with fists clenched celebrates a win for SouthamptonGetty Images

    Tonda Eckert has won 24 of his 38 games in charge of Southampton

    Southampton's Tonda Eckert has been named the Championship's manager of the month for April, his third successive award.

    Saints went unbeaten in the Championship last month, taking 14 points from a six-game unbeaten run as well as reaching an FA Cup semi-final where they just lost out to Manchester City.

    Southampton finished fourth in the table to secure a play-off place and will meet Middlesbrough in the semi-finals with the first leg on Teesside on Saturday, 9 May (12:30 BST).

    "It's a real honour to receive this award again, but it's one that belongs to everyone at the football club," Eckert said.

    "The players and staff have been outstanding, and our supporters continue to give us incredible backing every week.

    "To win it three times in a row is something we can be proud of, but our focus remains fully on the games ahead.

    "We've built a strong mentality as a group, and we have to keep pushing to finish the season as strongly as possible."

    Coventry City's Frank Lampard, John Mousinho of Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers boss Michael O'Neill were also nominated for April's award.

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  16. Eckert, Lampard, Mousinho and O'Neill nominated for April award

    Side by side images of Tonda Eckert, Frank Lampard, John Mousinho and Michael O'NeillGetty Images

    Tonda Eckert (left) is up for a third successive manager of the month and is nominated with Frank Lampard, John Mousinho and Michael O'Neill

    Southampton's Tonda Eckert, Frank Lampard of Coventry, Portsmouth boss John Mousinho and Blackburn's Michael O'Neill have been nominated for April's Championship manager of the month award.

    Eckert is hoping to make it a hat-trick of wins after taking the award for both February and March.

    He led Saints to an unbeaten run of six games last month as they finished in fourth place to secure a play-off place.

    Lampard took Coventry to the Championship title and a return to the Premier League after 25 years away. The Sky Blues were also unbeaten in April, taking 12 points from their six matches.

    John Moushino has kept Portsmouth in the Championship for a second successive season with impressive wins over Middlesbrough and Ipswich part of a haul of 14 points from seven outings.

    Pompey forward Adrian Segecic is up for the player of month award after scoring four goals as part of the club's successful battle against relegation.

    Also nominated for the manager's award is Michael O'Neill of Blackburn Rovers after the Northern Ireland boss oversaw nine points from six games in April to guide the club to safety.

    The winners will be announced on Friday, 8 May.

  17. We are going to need the fans - King

    Doug King speaks to BBC CWR

    Coventry City chairman Doug King believes the club's fanbase will be an important asset as they return to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years.

    The Sky Blues celebrated alongside over 50,000 supporters inside War Memorial Park on Monday following an open top bus parade and King hopes that the fans will be ready to bring their voice into their top-flight campaign.

    "I think we are going to need that [sense of togetherness] as we head into our next adventure," King told BBC Radio CWR.

    "It's a fight against some of the premier teams in the whole world, who are going to be competing against us at the CBS Arena next year but I'm excited for the challenge.

    "We've done an amazing thing to get to this moment and that was the hardest. Getting out of this Championship, bringing the city and the stadium together and we've done that."

    The event included performances from The Enemy and Tom Grennan before being closed out to a rendition of kick-off anthem We'll Live and Die in These Towns.

    King also graced the stage in a moment he will never forget.

    "I was stunned, it was my favourite moment - close to - in my life just to see what it meant to everybody," King told BBC Radio CWR.

    "Young, old - everybody just having a party and feeling good."

    Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

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  18. Katriona has collar length blonde hair. She is wearing a green and white striped shirt under a light blue denim jacket

  19. Aerial view of bus parade

  20. A woman with grey hair in a wheelchair with a homemade sky blue bus attached around the outside

  21. Thousands of people crowd around a bus surrounded on all sides by police officers in high-vis jackets. many of the people are carrying flares giving off lots of blue smoke. Many are also carrying light blue Coventry City flags. At the centre is the open top bus with the team at the top. At thr front is a sign, reading: "We are back"

  22. A crowd of people wearing predominately sky blue watch players and staff of Coventry City parade in a sky blue-coloured bus. One player in black holds aloft the Championship trophy.

  23. The trophy in midair as players celebrate

  24. Two police officers in bright yellow reflective clothing and black riding helmets, one on a grey coloured horse and the other on a brown horse with the remains of church windows in the background

  25. Simms hat-trick 'beautiful', says Lampard

    Lampard post Watford win

    Coventry City boss Frank Lampard hailed the all-round performance of Ellis Simms after the striker's hat-trick helped them to a 4-0 win at Watford.

    The Sky Blues signed off the season in style and can now start planning in earnest for their return to the Premier League.

    "I would say I'm so happy that it happened to him but there's so many players in this team that I love, I want it to happen to all of them," Lampard told BBC CWR.

    "Ellis has got better and better, his all-round game today, his hold-up play, his running behind, the quality of his finishes - it was a beautiful hat-trick.

    "I'm really happy for him, he's so humble, and gets on with his life."

    Lampard was delighted that his much-changed side had again shown their winning mentality when they could have easily switched off since clinching promotion.

    "These last three games after (promotion at) Blackburn, 5-1, 3-1, 4-0, they've really shown their quality, they're adaptable, can win games in different ways," he said.

    "They've made themselves into a real machine this season in this league and that's really impressive, goals, clean sheets for Rushy [Carl Rushworth], outstanding season.

    "The way the city's come together and got behind this club - I had a thing on my phone the other day with a local school signing and all dressed in Coventry kit - those things are the biggest deal, when you can affect the community beyond the football pitch."