Frank Lampard achieved something no Coventry City manager has done in 55 years with win at Oxford United
Frank Lampard achieved something no Coventry City manager has done in 55 years with win at Oxford United
Coventry City continue their assault on the play-off places as their impressive run of form was maintained with a 3-2 win over Oxford United this weekend.
It was a thrilling encounter between the two sides at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with Coventry City having to regain the lead twice on the day.
Struggling Oxford United fought valiantly against one of the Championship’s most in-form teams, but a 71st-minute winner from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto was enough to secure all three points for the Sky Blues.
Experts predicted ‘fine margins’ would decide the game, and they were right. The win lifts Coventry into fifth place in the table, and secured yet another milestone for Frank Lampard.
Coventry City put together best run of form for 55 years
Lampard has already been breaking records at Coventry, with the Sky Blues ending longstanding curses by earning wins against Preston North End and Cardiff City earlier this year.
Now, with the 3-2 win against Oxford, Coventry have recorded their strongest run of form for 55 years, with eight wins in their last nine matches.
The run stretches back to January 18, with wins coming against Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers, Watford, Swansea City, QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, and that first win over Preston since 2007.
In fact, the only defeat Coventry have suffered during this time is a 2-0 loss to league leaders Leeds United, which is nothing to be ashamed of.
Remarkably, Coventry have now won more points (25) than any other team in the Championship in 2025.
The last time Coventry managed to register a run of results like this was way back in the 1969/70 campaign in the old First Division, under the stewardship of Jimmy Hill.
Coventry City have to be considered favourites for play-off finish now
Under Lampard, Coventry have gone from being two points above the drop zone, to now being on the brink of securing a place in the play-offs come the end of the season.
The momentum Coventry have behind them now will be invaluable as we head into the final 11 games of the Championship season.
Aside from Leeds and Burnley, they are the most in-form side in the top half of the table. While it’s unlikely they can close that 12-point gap between fourth-placed Sunderland, there’s no reason why Coventry can’t make fifth place their own in the coming weeks.
It’s crucial now that Coventry make the most of their next two games — against struggling Stoke City and relegation-threatened Derby County. After that, the Sky Blues have a triple-header against promotion candidates Sunderland, Sheffield United, and Burnley, which will be a real test of their mettle.
The play-offs are a strange scenario, with teams that have competed at the top of the league all year often falling apart at the final hurdle, while teams that have picked up speed as the season draws to a close usually find themselves successful.
With this in mind, Coventry City feel like the perfect candidates to go all the way and make a shock return to the top flight this season.
Leave a Reply