Frank Lampard on the brink of major career landmark as Coventry near Premier League

Coventry City are five points clear at the top of the Championship table, with Frank Lampard's side huge favourites to lift the trophy and end a 25-year wait with promotion

For such a successful player, it is perhaps surprising that Frank Lampard says he doesn't enjoy being in the limelight. But like it or not, he will have to take the acclaim if he gets Coventry City over the line and back into the Premier League.

It's been 25 long years since the Sky Blues were last in the Premier League. They've been down to League Two, spent time playing at 'home' in unfamiliar stadiums, and now they stand on the brink of achieving something which felt impossible not long ago.

Coventry are five points clear at the top of the Championship ahead of this weekend's fixtures. After a dramatic post-Christmas wobble, which brought four of their six league defeats inside a seven-game spell, Lampard has steadied the ship.

A crucial 3-1 win over promotion rivals Middlesbrough has been followed by three more to leave bookies almost sure of Coventry's promotion. Victory at Bristol City on Saturday will pile pressure onto Boro, who don't play until Sunday at QPR and have just one win from their last four in the league.

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It is a great position to be in with 11 league games remaining. And one which completely justifies owner Doug King's decision to sack club legend Mark Robins in November 2024 and hire Lampard.

Now, after the heartbreak in the play-offs against Sunderland last year, Coventry want to go up automatically by winning the Championship title. Gary McAllister spent six years at Coventry over two spells and has been delighted by their progress under Lampard.

"I think that’s got to be the target. Not just being happy with getting promotion, which obviously they would be, but their target will be maintaining that lead and going up as champions," he told Mirror Football on behalf of Grosvenor Casino. "That’s a big push for everybody concerned, right from the top right to the bottom of the club. It would be a great achievement."

Lampard often looks like a reluctant participant when beckoned forward to cheer victories with the fans post-match. If his punches of the air appear slightly awkward, it may be because the Chelsea legend is happier in the background.

"Adulation was more important to me in my 20s than it is in my 40s," he told BBC Sport after being appointed at Coventry. "It's always an amazing feeling hearing people sing your name but, as you get older, you realise it's more a case of 'this is my job'."

It was his passion for coaching that saw Lampard drop down to a potential relegation battle in the Championship - with the Sky Blues 17th when he took over - after stints in the Premier League in charge of Chelsea and Everton.

Coventry has proven to be the perfect fit for the ex-midfielder, who has brought in an easy-on-the-eye attacking style, which saw his side plunder goals at a ridiculous rate in the first half of the campaign. His success is testament to his mentality, according to McAllister, who like Lampard went into coaching after a career at the top level as a midfielder.

"When you’ve got a love and a passion for being on the grass, being a manager, being a coach, you can see that," he said. "You see it with Steven Gerrard too, even when these guys have little setbacks, and they take knocks, and there’s criticism, their love for the game comes through at the other end.

"Lampard’s obviously got a hunger and a passion to be involved in the game, and recognising that at times it might be beneficial to take a step back to go again.

"The achievement of getting Coventry back to the top division, and they’ve been outside it for a long, long time, that would be a fantastic achievement.

"It is Coventry’s to lose. They’ve had little bumps in the road already this season, but I think they’ve calmed the place down now, and I think they’ll be fine. I think Coventry is a Premier League club. That’s biased because I’ve spent time there, but there’s something about Coventry that I admire."

Lifting the Championship trophy would be the culmination of some fantastic work at Coventry and would be the biggest achievement of Lampard's coaching career, having twice fallen in the play-offs with Derby and the Sky Blues.

If he manages it then his awkward punching of the air will be forgiven.

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