Lampard relishing ´great challenge´ after Coventry seal play-off place

Frank Lampard is relishing a “great challenge” arsenic helium aims to usher Coventry City done the Championship play-offs.

Jack Rudoni scored successful some halves astatine the Coventry Building Society Arena, wherever Lampard’s broadside secured 5th spot and a play-off semi-final showdown with Sunderland by beating Middlesbrough 2-0 connected Saturday.

The midfielder headed successful Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s transverse conscionable earlier half-time, portion tucking location from Brandon Thomas-Asante’s quadrate shot with 3 minutes remaining.

It has been a singular turnaround for Coventry, who occupied 17th spot erstwhile Lampard took complaint astatine the extremity of November.

“It’s large for the club, from wherever we’ve travel from,” helium told Sky Sports. “It’s going to beryllium a large challenge. It’s been a agelong week. I’m pleased to instrumentality a enactment aft that.

“You interest erstwhile you don’t score, and you’re connected top, but we got what we deserved successful the end. We person to expect the champion mentation of Sunderland. They are determination due to the fact that they were truthful bully successful the archetypal fractional of the season.

“I speech to Rudoni a lot. He is simply a large kid. Every day, helium wants to get better. I ne'er had that [heading ability]. He beats maine with that. He is changeless energy. He tin beryllium the main antheral of the day.”

PLAY-OFFS CLINCHED!

We volition vie for a spot successful the @PremierLeague successful this season’s @SkyBetChamp Play-Offs.pic.twitter.com/tuifFt2Rma

— Coventry City (@Coventry_City) May 3, 2025

“It’s a large feeling,” Rudoni said. “We person worked hard for this since the gaffer came successful – from 17th to the play-offs.

“I’ve popped a mates [of goals] in, though I was blowing for the second, trying to support up with Brandon. Everyone is buzzing. The sound was amazing. These fans get america through.”

Defeat for Middlesbrough ended their hopes of snatching a spot successful the play-offs, and caput manager Michael Carrick rued a “sickening feeling” astatine missing out.

“I’m gutted for the boys,” helium told BBC Radio Tees. “I deliberation they gave everything today, enactment successful a truly bully show for the astir part, and didn’t get what we wanted from the game. It’s a sickening feeling.

“We didn’t negociate to instrumentality our opportunities and, successful the end, we’re feeling similar we are.

“The information we haven’t got successful the play-offs is hurtful enough. We’ve created our ain expectations, which is the positive. The boys person shown what they tin do, and we consciousness the disappointment we haven’t got that.”