year wait to return to Premier League

Frank Lampard was emotional about the "special night" after Coventry secured Premier League promotion with a 1-1 draw at battling Blackburn.

The Sky Blues knew one point would be enough to end their 25-year exile from the top flight but Rovers drew first blood in the 54th minute when Ryoya Morishita notched his third of the campaign with a deflected strike.

But Bobby Thomas had the last word when his towering header in the 84th minute confirmed promotion.

For Lampard, it is Championship promotion at the second time of asking with Coventry but he was quick to praise everyone involved with their rise from League Two back to the Premier League, with a special mention for his predecessor Mark Robins.

He said: "I was happy with that one (the equaliser). This is a special night for the football club, which is bigger than all of us.

"It can bever be more clear when you see the fans at the end of the game. A club that's suffered for 25 years in terms of since they’ve been in the Premier League and that journey going down to League Two.

"Credit to everyone involved in those tough years. Mark Robins, of course, he has to have a shout out. But it’s a massive, massive achievement from everyone involved and it’s really special.

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"I wanted to do it away from home a little bit. I know what it’s like to do it this way, it’s the fans that come all the time, away from home. They’re really dedicated fans and they’re having the night of their lives. It’s what we do this job for."

Blackburn took another vital point in their survival battle, moving five clear of danger after one defeat in seven.

Michael O’Neill praised a "fantastic" performance but felt they could have been more "clinical".

He said: "They’ve given me everything since I came through the door. I didn’t expect anything less.

"It’s obviously gutting to lose a goal so late having led. The performance was fantastic. That was the only disappointment.

"You can only ask the players to give you what they gave us. We talked about that before the game, focus on what we can bring to the game, which is our physical output, quality play, ability to make it difficult for the opposition which we did but ultimately at the end, the free-kick, it was a great delivery. Probably a free-kick we didn’t need to concede but unfortunately we couldn’t hang on for the three points.

"First half we were excellent, we were the better team, played some good football as well. We just should have been a little bit more clinical. Overall the way we set the team up, we got what we needed out of the game."

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