Frank Lampard and Jack Rudoni reflect on Coventry City's win against Preston North End 🎙️

First Swansea, now Preston. You're laying a few ghosts to rest. Yeah, I'm happy for that, for the club and for the fans. They're nice ghosts to rest, as you say. It's new for me, that thing, but it's a nice feeling for the fans when you have something like that over you and we put it to rest. The main thing was three points today, obviously, and beating a difficult team. They can be difficult and we dominated them, if I'm honest, for most of the game. So I'm really pleased with that. I'm really Yeah, you did dominate them. You were slightly baffled as to why you had a nervy finish. It happens, doesn't it? It happens when you don't get the third or fourth or fifth, which we maybe could have got another day. You always know that they can get one chance, which they hardly threatened us all afternoon. They get the go on, they have a feeling and we're all nervous in the stadium. It can happen. It's important then that you dig in and see it out, which we did do. So that was a bit uncomfortable, but it didn't need to be and I'm not holding that against the players. You know, sometimes you don't convert those chances in the second half. We had a real patch where we could have put the game completely to bed, but the performance in the first half was outstanding. It was a complete performance. We played the game in their half, counter-pressing, winning the ball back, staying there, using the attacking players that we got on the pitch with the system change. I'm really pleased with that because we worked through the week on it a lot and the players all took on the messages. That system change, was that partly because of Mason Clarke being back? Yeah, a little bit. Sometimes things are personal. We've had to be adaptable in the last eight, nine games because of injuries, injuries to big players at the top end of the pitch. So we've adapted and shown another side to our game and the players took that on board really well and we've got results for it. When we have everybody fit we have different ways that we can go to approach games and today we wanted to be really positive against what we knew would be a back five, pin them back, have a lot of the ball. They don't always make it easy for you Preston, but I think from our manner in the early parts of the game we let them know it was going to be played in their half and we're going to put pressure on them and we did that so I'm really happy. The two goals came from crosses, one from a corner and an assist from Mason Clarke as well? Yeah, yeah, great assist, great cross from Ephron, great header from Rudy, really good header from Rudy to get the direction and power on it. We'd had a chance just before that with Ellis I think to nearly score. We attacked really well today, there was all sharpness in our game. The corner again, I'll give some credit to the set-piece boys because they worked so hard for and against Alad and JD. Their work's amazing and when we score one that is a clear situation that JD had worked on yesterday with Bobby and Grimesy and the team, then it's obviously a real positive for the coaching staff. You mentioned Ellis, he didn't score but he was very involved wasn't he? Yeah, yeah, he's a big threat to them wasn't he? He could have got his goal, two or three chances but yeah, a threat in terms of his power and physicality and he's a threat running behind. Hold up play good, pressing good, Ellis is really on it at the minute for him and we're seeing the benefits of that in his game and what he brings to the team. And Gabriel, just some good things from the bench, Jamie Paterson coming on, that was a popular move? Yeah, yeah, pleased for Jamie because we all know his Coventry background and it's a dream come true for him which I'm happy with and to be fair he hasn't played minutes for a long time he's trained with us so I would imagine he was feeling, being on a proper pitch playing a game, feeling the nerves of playing for his boyhood club but did well, pleased with that. It allowed us to give Efron a little bit of rest from just coming back in and Pato gives us different options and fills the club so it's a real positive for us. And Ben Sheaf, I know he wasn't on for very long, great to see him back? Yeah, yeah same, Jamie Allen comes on, does what Jamie does, whether you start him or he comes on, very diligent and Sheafy comes on and gets himself on the pitch and that's just a good progression for him to come back in and help us and now, in this period where we've got results we've missed some big players so it's good to have them back because we have to have a really positive, competitive spirit in the group now to try and move forward, there's a lot of points to play for so having our captain back in like that and getting on the pitch is a big deal for us. You had hope that Argyle Wright might be involved, was he close? He's close but I knew he wouldn't be if I'm honest because he needs fitness, match, match fitness and because he's been out for a while now, the injury's good, he's looking better, sharp, he's looking, I mean I've not worked with Hedgie so it's all new to me other than things I've seen of him from before but he's going to be a big plus for us when he's back and hopefully he trains this week as a full week towards Oxford. Seven wins out of eight now and 50 points as well so safe from relegation I guess which a while ago you would have been happy with. Yeah maybe when we first came in, I mean we wanted to climb the table, you know you work hard to but it's hard to do it in the space of time probably we have done but that's credit to everyone working together in the right way, particularly with the injury things we've had now we're coming back hopefully with momentum but momentum's a great word and a dangerous word at the same time so it's important that the players feel what's the good stuff, the work ethic of today, the focus of today, the game plan of today, you can feel in the stadium that the fans are really buying into it at the minute, you can feel an uplift because they see what the players are doing so we have to continue in that way. Jack well done, seven wins out of eight in the Championship, that must be a really good feeling. Yeah a really good feeling, I think we're feeling good as a group right now so yeah making most of it and we're playing well and we're getting a win so we're happy right now yeah. You came out pretty positively from the start. Yeah I feel like our first half was really good, we dominated the game, nullified all their threats really and had a lot of the ball, used it pretty well and got our two goals so yeah it was a positive half and then we knew the second half would come out, change a few things, it would be a bit different but we still had chances to finish the game off you know, sometimes they don't always go in for you so we don't want to see it out in the end. Your goal, a header. Yeah and I haven't had one for a while so I'm glad to be back on the score sheet, seem to like a header. But when the ball goes wide to the tats in their front I know quality is going to be put into the box so get myself into the areas, Gaffer literally said to me before I go out get yourself in the box and that's what I've done and I just watched the header back now so it was a nice one. How's it look watching it back? Yeah it's a nice one, just glanced here, far corner so I was happy with it. And good to have it from Mason Clarke back, getting the crosses in. Yeah of course, you know what everyone brings, quality pays power and it's great to have him back out there, me and him have a good connection on and off the pitch so I'm buzzing to have my boy back out there. You mentioned chances, was that an incredible one, which I think started with you intercepting the goalkeeper's misplaced pass where you had four or five chances in quick succession to score. Which one was that? The second half. The team point of view. And then we batted the goal for that, I can't actually remember, is that the one where it came to me and I had to react to it? I think so yeah. Yeah because I don't really remember what happened before that to be fair if I'm honest but I just remember the ball dropping so I tried to react, got it on target with the keeper's done pretty well to get back up and push it away. Like I said stuff goes for you, sometimes it doesn't so I'm glad the header's gone in and we've seen the game out well. They make it 2-1, how concerned were you at that point? I don't know, I'm pretty calm in most moments so I was just trying to make sure the team stays calm and settles and we keep making the right decisions and see the game out. I think it was about, when did they score, about ten minutes with added time or something so it lasts ten minutes. It's about making the right decisions in the right moments and if we can finish it off, we had a couple of chances maybe we could have done and finished it off but it's about seeing it out well and I think we've done that in the end. You seem to have learned how to win haven't you as a team? Yeah, well long may it continue. We work a lot on our structure and defending as a team so it's good to see the wins coming so hopefully they can continue. And I don't know how much you look at the table but you're one point off the top six, one point off fifth in fact. Yeah I don't really look at it too far, I just go game by game, I know everyone really says that but I genuinely don't really look at it. If you win games you're going to end up higher so if we keep winning every game then we're going to end up at where we want to be so yeah, just keep going, keep going game by game. But it's a terrific atmosphere, the fans are clearly believing at the moment. Yeah you can feel that as a player out there, I love playing at the CBS, I don't think many teams would like playing at the CBS either so it's brilliant to have them behind us and they really create a great atmosphere and we can feel it out there so yeah it's brilliant. And Jamie Paterson making his debut off the bench, we'll see how it is. Yeah no, he's quality experience and it's great to see him come back and eventually make his appearance for Coventry, he's a great guy and good players to have around the squad as well. So the key now is to keep it going? Yeah that's it, that's all we can do.