Frank Lampard and Luke Woolfenden react to Coventry City s win against Bristol City

Frank, congratulations. A lot to unpack in that game. What was your overall view on what you saw today? Brilliant performance. Circumstances of the game were challenging. Difficult start. I think they had a few opportunities. We knew that the transition and balls behind would be a thing of theirs and they gave us some problems with that because they picked two strikers with pace and power and we were not completely at it, but it was a challenging game. We get our goal, which I'm really pleased with. Jay again with a cross, Tats getting in as he does. He can spring and it's a really good goal for us. And then we've got control and then we lose a man. And so we have to make a change straight away and more at half-time. But in between that, the second goal was crucial to the game. It's crucial to our mindset. It's crucial to give us something to hang on to and a feeling. And then the way the lads dealt with the second half was outstanding from all of them on the pitch and the players that came into the game. Great character, great spirit. So we showed another side, which we have to show, right? We know that. We know, we know. If we want to get to where we want to get to, you can have days like this. Things are thrown up in front of you when you deal with them. And I thought the group were great. And that's what I was going to say. So you found lots of different ways to win games this season. That was another one today, wasn't it? Yeah, and that's football, right? It's 46 games in this league and it's brutal. You know, it's a tough league and we've had enough games that we've gone and put teams away, played great football, scored goals. We still see great elements of our game today in moments. But you have to have a bit about you. You have to have a strong backbone. You have to have players like Jay Bidwell, who hasn't played for a long time. That trains like a demon every day. Stays out extra. He's an amazing teammate for his teammates and a leader in the group. And he comes in and gets in and goes, no worries, I'll head out of my box. I'll do that. I'll direct people around me. So we're made up of different characters who have grown a bit this year and we need another 10 games of that. Definitely. And obviously, there was a problem. We don't know exactly what was going on in the crowd, but that was something else different for the players to have to deal with and mentally stay on it, wasn't it? Yeah, and it broke the game. Obviously, every thought then is to make sure that that's dealt with. I think it took the referee a moment to realise what was going on and I had no detail on it, but I'm hopeful that it got dealt with and that it's a good story at the end. But of course, there was a moment which the players dealt with and they had to break and then they continued doing what they had been doing. Yeah, exactly. It's one game closer to the ultimate dream and it's a case now of just taking, as you've done all season, to be fair, one 90 minutes in isolation at a time. Well, we have to, right? Because there's 10 games to go, which is 30 points. It's a load of points. It's a lot. And we know what this league's like. We know every game's a challenge. The last thing I want is everyone to go, that's great, we won on the road, two games at the CBS, that'll be easy. They're not easy. The games are how you make them and how you approach them. The boys approached the last five games brilliantly. So hopefully they've learnt that thing where we had to dip. We worked into Middlesbrough great. The lads performed brilliantly with work ethic and organisation because of how they're training at the moment. The lads are training really, really well. And that's to continue. Everyone, starters, non-starters, ones that come into the team, subs that come into the team, ones that don't even come on. If we can continue in this short period of time, we've got an opportunity here and they need to continue. And let's pick out Luke Walford if we can, because it's been tricky for him. He's not been in the squad for a couple of games. He comes in and puts his head and his foot on pretty much everything that comes his way today. It's because of how he's training. He's a good player. That's why he's at the club and he's been promoted from this league and he's played games in the Premier League. But the way Walfie, this week specifically, he wasn't in the squad last week. The way he's reacted in training made me put him in the team. And then he played like that. And I'm not trying to patronise Walfie, make one thing about him, because this is the message for everybody. Because some people might get despondent if they're out of the team. I get that. That's human nature. I get it. But if you keep training, if you keep doing the right thing, your opportunity will come when you deal with it in the way Walfie did today. It's a massive sign. Again, he's an experienced player, Walfie, and a good player. And I'm really pleased that people have seen him play to that level. And we need him. We need him. So it's really good. And kits to come back in. Kits to come back in and play. Not easy coming in. Came in like a man. Dealt with everything in front of him. And we need that. Bobby's out now for a few games. Joel's going to miss games. I'm not sure how many right now. And that's why you need a squad. OK, what's the issue with Bobby Thomas and Jack Radoni, if I can ask you? They've both got calf issues and they'll both be probably the other side of international break, with a bit of luck, maybe the game before Swansea. OK, and that's a setback. But as we've discussed, everybody's kind of stepped up and played their part in this win, haven't they, today? Two big players for you, yet other players have come in and taken an opportunity. Yes, players, that's my point on training, and this is my point on we needed this squad for that in the second half of the season, because we saw at Christmas that we were stretched over that busy period. And now we're players who go, OK, well, now your opportunity comes. And we need to be fit, right? We need to play. We need to be able to bang out games with high intensity and a lot of work ethic, like you're seeing from the players, which means you have to train, which means you're exposing players, which means you may get injuries, muscle injuries and bits, things that you can't even imagine. And then the next one comes in. So we need to continue with that. And, you know, people like Josh Eccles coming in today, Victor Tauk coming in today. If I miss anybody, you know, whatever, they all did well. So we've got to stay humble. We're all trying to fight for the same thing. So we've got to keep going. And just a final thought on Preston now. On Wednesday, again, the fans will be there in big numbers, hopefully another three points and make it six on the try. Yes, but don't go overconfident. That's my message to everybody. We can smile, right? We can smile because where we are in the league at this point in the season, we all know what we would have dreamed of in the summer at the start of this season. You know, what would we have imagined? I don't know. You can ask everyone else. But where we're at now, it's about keeping our feet on the ground, understanding what's given us five wins and taken us to this point where we are and continue it. And it's not being sloppy. It's not an expectancy of Preston will turn up. They lost yesterday. So obviously they'll come to it. No, no, we've got to be back bang on it. And that's my message to the players and everybody. Well, Luke, well done. That was a clean sheet in a strange old game, wasn't it? Yes, it was a game that probably changed every ten minutes, you know. I think they had two powerful lads up front and were looking to stretch in behind. And, you know, I think on the whole, we dealt with that well, dealt with the cross as well. And obviously sending off in both half probably changes the flow of the game and it's difficult to get back into a ribbon after that. Yes, you lost Joel, obviously, your centre-back partner, just before half-time. And then that kind of evened things up with their sending off early in the second half. But by that stage, you were two to look, you know, two terrific goals as well. Yes, I think with the boys we've got up front, even when we're down to ten men, you know, we've got a lot of pace and power up front. And, you know, even coming off the bench, Ellis and Brandon stretched the game for us well. And Milan was riding all game. So even though we were ten, we still posed a threat and we defended well. And yes, I think, like you said, they were two good goals and we were well worthy of the three points. And then you managed the game really well in the second half as a group, kind of kept them at arm's length. Rushy made a few decent saves, but nothing you necessarily wouldn't expect him to now? To be fair, for Rushy, I think they're just their little cherry ones. He stands there and just rolls them back. No, I think mentality-wise, I think, you know, seeing at the Tottenham the other day, you go down to ten men. The next five minutes is so important, you know, to not concede, see it through to half-time and regroup. You know, we didn't just do that. We didn't just hang on for the next five minutes. We posed a threat on the count. You know, Hadji had a good chance save just before his goal, you know. So it was a great reaction to the red card. You know, it's easy to just kind of sit back and sink into it. But we didn't do that. We still posed a threat and that's where our goal came from. And for you personally, you've had to bide your time and wait for this opportunity again, haven't you? Yes, I don't think it's about me. It's about getting the club to where it should be. You know, like I said, it's probably been a different season to what I expected. It's been difficult for me, you know, lack of game time and whatnot. But like I said, it's not about me. It's about the club and just being ready to take that chance, you know, and clean sheet today. So, no, I'm happy with my performance. The fans are enjoying themselves. We can hear them by the bus over there, but you'd expect them to. I mean, they come in numbers every single week. And it's a fantastic, you know, that bond that you've got as players, as staff, with the fans is great, Luke, isn't it? Yes, listen, that can take you a long way, especially when you're in difficult moments, which if we were, not longer. And like I said, it's about them, you know. Over the last however many years, it's not been that many good times. The last three years have had very good spells that have ended, you know, in heartbreak. So, this season for them, it's massively about them and getting that final push going and doing it correctly. Down to the last 10 games now. And it is a case, I suppose, of trying to tick them off one by one, just take literally one game at a time, to use the old cliche, isn't it? Yes, I think that's what you've got to do throughout the whole season. It's easier at the start of the season to look ahead to important games. But, you know, especially at this stage of the season, you've just got to take every game as it comes. Because you know what this league's like, you know, there's people, there's teams that are fighting for their lives that, you know, you can turn up at places and people think, oh, it's an easy three points today. But, you know, you've got to go into every game as if it's do or die. And every game, three points at this stage of the season is massively important. The next one of those to tick off is Preston, obviously, on Wednesday coming up now. Yes, you know, another good team that are going for trying to get into the play-offs. And, you know, at CBS, it's going to be a good game for us to go and attack.