‘Don’t let it drag you down now’: How Coventry won back their soul on tortured journey to the Premier League

SportFootballChampionship‘Don’t let it drag you down now’: How Coventry won back their soul on tortured journey to the Premier LeagueFor years the CBS Arena was a monument to Coventry’s miserable plight, writes Lawrence Ostlere. Now it is their true home as they near a remarkable return to the top flight after 25 years awayMonday 13 April 2026 09:18 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2956388","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/coventry-city-championship-lampard-b2956388.html","title":"How Coventry won back their soul on tortured journey to the Premier League"},"popoverPlacementOverride":"bottom"}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-3823","index":0}Frank Lampard has steered Coventry to the brink of the Premier League (Getty)Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and get behind-the-scenes access and unrivalled insightJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Football_CDP","regTitle":"Miguel Delaney: Inside Football","subscriptionGroup":"readingTheGame","subscriptionGroupId":"d6776bff-0bec-4d53-a0ce-bd38db6811e5","type":"football","pathPrefix":["/sport/football","/topic/fantasy-football"],"associatedAuthors":["Miguel Delaney","Richard Jolly"],"title":"Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and get behind-the-scenes access and unrivalled insight","mobileTitle":"Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/miguelDelaney1_1.png","new...