Coventry City have ended their 25-year wait for a return to the Premier League after a 1-1 draw clinched promotion from the Sky Bet Championship. The Sky Blues were made to work for their promotion party at Ewood Park, but Bobby Thomas' header six minutes from time cancelled out Ryoya Morishita's opener and secured the point they needed to confirm a spot in England's top tier. It has, at times, been a painful quarter of a century, going through administration, dropping as low as League Two only eight years ago and spending periods groundsharing with other EFL teams. Who needs what for promotion and titles? Lampard: 'We've fallen in love' But Frank Lampard has delivered Premier League football back to Sky Blues fans and justified the decision of owner Doug King to appoint the Chelsea and England legend back in November 2024, replacing Mark Robins. "There were a lot of people that questioned that because they knew what Mark had done," King told Sky Sports. "We felt we had to make a bit of a change of direction and we went with Frank. The fans have been amazing. I've always tried to be transparent. "I'm loving this moment because it has been so long in coming. I had a little tear in my eye because I know how hard we have all worked for this moment." Lampard, who displayed an outpouring of emotion at full-time, will feel this is a vindication of his managerial credentials, having taken Derby County to the brink of a top-flight return with defeat in the Play-Offs Final. "I'm proud of myself and the staff," Lampard told Sky Sports. "We came into a bit of an unknown 15 months ago when we arrived in a people carrier. "We've fallen in love and this is right up there with what I have achieved. I'm very proud to be the manager." Coventry's supporters, who endured their own Play-Off heartache at Wembley three years ago, were sent into delerium in the away end at Ewood Park as Thomas etched his name in Sky Blued folklore. "Amazing, amazing," Thomas told Sky Sports. "I couldn't believe it when it went in It's been a hell of a season and it's been a project over the last three seasons and I feel like we deserve it. "We gave them the point we needed. It was a cagey affair tonight. We can't drop our level now. We need to get the points we need to get the title." Coventry need just one more win to guarantee the title, with games against Portsmouth, Wrexham and Watford to see out the season
