FOOTBALL - Coventry City promoted to Premier League after 25-year absence from top flight - The Coventry Observer
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FOOTBALL - Coventry City promoted to Premier League after 25-year absence from top flight

Aaron Sutcliffe 17th Apr, 2026 Updated: 17th Apr, 2026   0

COVENTRY City clinched promotion to the Premier League as a draw against Blackburn Rovers ended the club’s 25-year exile from the top flight.

The Sky Blues needed a point from the fixture to confirm a return to the Premier League after a quarter of a century away.

And Frank Lampard’s side made sure of promotion with a 1-1 draw in front of more than 7,000 travelling Sky Blues supporters at Ewood Park.

A late header from Bobby Thomas cancelled out Ryoya Morishita’s deflected strike and earned the Sky Blues a place in the Premier League next season.

Coventry last played in the Premier League in the 2000/01 season.

However, the Sky Blues dropped all the way down to League Two by the end of the 2016/17 campaign.




Coventry spent a single season in the fourth tier as Mark Robins guided City to promotion at the first attempt.

And Robins then took the club to the brink of the Premier League after first winning the League One title in 2019/20.


The Sky Blues suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat against Luton Town in the 2022/23 Championship play-off final.

Coventry suffered further play-off heartbreak after losing in extra time of the semi-finals against Sunderland last season.

However, Lampard has now guided the Sky Blues to promotion with three matches left to play in his first full season in charge.

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