Coventry City head coach Frank Lampard has revealed his surprise at reaching the Championship play-offs.
The Sky Blues made the unpopular decision to part company with long standing boss Mark Robins in November following a 2-1 defeat against Derby County. It was a result which left the club 17th in the table and facing a potential relegation scrap.
If Robins’ departure caused a shock, the appointment of Lampard was perhaps even bigger. The former England international’s reputation in the dugout had taken a big hit in recent years following dreadful spells at Everton and Chelsea.
It proved to be a masterstroke. By early March, Coventry were in the play-off spots, a position they largely kept until the end of the season. A top six finish was confirmed on the final day when they secured a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough to set up a semi final showdown with Sunderland.
Lampard Delighted But Urges Caution
The West Midlands-based side host the Black Cats in the first leg tomorrow night hoping to take one step towards the Premier League. It’s a position in which Lampard has claimed has come as a surprise, mainly due to the position the club were in when he took the role. Speaking to BBC CWR, the 46-year-old said:
“This club’s had some great success in recent years – moving up the leagues, play-off final, FA Cup semi-final.
“If I’d have expected to make the play-offs when I came in that would have been the wrong position – we needed to take it step by step, we were 17th for a reason.
“We were in a relegation fight and I’d didn’t expect it at all. When I came in it was a case of how many steps can we take?
“It doesn’t mean anything at the moment – it’s what we do from now.”
Writer’s View
Nobody gave Lampard a chance when he took over at Coventry last year. However, what he has achieved at the CBS Arena in such a short space of time is phenomenal. Although they finished lower than Sunderland in the league, they are perhaps viewed as the favourites due to the Black Cats woeful recent record. A positive result tomorrow would give them something to defend when they head to the Stadium of Light next week and give them every possible opportunity of setting up a third visit to Wembley in as many years.
