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As I write this Coventry City are on the brink of promotion to the Premier League and it might well have been confirmed last night at Blackburn. The Sky Blues have dominated the division all season and except for seven days in February have topped the table since October 4^th. It is a fantastic achievement bearing in mind the parachute payments available to the three relegated clubs as well as Sheffield United. With Ipswich losing to Portsmouth in midweek the title may not be far away either and could happen this weekend or in midweek. 

Last Saturday's game with bottom club Sheffield Wednesday was a lack lustre affair and I thought the nerves of the occasion got to both players and fans in the CBS Arena. The club managed to squeeze in enough fans to break the record attendance at the stadium for the second time this season with 31,647 fans crammed in. It was the 14^th time in this momentous season that the attendance has been over 30,000 and six of the all-time top ten gates have occurred this campaign.

The average home attendance for the season is now 30,214 and with the final two home games sold out the final average is certain to be greater than this figure. That will be the fourth highest seasonal average in the club's history and the best ever average outside the top flight. The highest averages are as follows:

1. 1967-68 Division 1 34,705

2. 1968-69 Division 1 33,223

3. 1969-70 Division 1 32,405

4. 2025-26 Championship 30,214*

5. 1966-67 Division 2 28,269

6. 2024-25 Championship 27,817

The Good Friday victory over Derby County was a bit of a nail-biter but the Sky Blues got the victory thanks to a brilliant performance from substitute Jack Rudoni. Jack hasn't had the best of seasons with injuries – he missed two months in the autumn then on his return he struggled for form. Finally, in March, we saw the best of him with three goals in three games before another injury blow. There were no signs of rustiness when he entered the field as a substitute against Derby and within five minutes he had conjured up a magical goal out of nothing and followed it up twelve minutes later with a striker's finish to win the game. He is only the ninth Coventry player to score two goals off the bench and he joins an impressive group started by Bobby Gould back in 1967 at Nottingham Forest – he was substitute for George Curtis after the Iron Man was carried off with a broken leg.

The full list is:

Bobby Gould Nottingham Forest (a) 1967-68 (3-3 draw)

Jay Bothroyd Rushden & D (LC) (h) 2002-03 (8-0 win)

Patrick Suffo Torquay United (LC) (h) 2004-05 (4-1 win)

Chris Maguire MK Dons (a) 2013-14 (3-2 win)

Ryan Haynes Wycombe (EFLT) (a) 2016-17 (4-2 win)

Max Biamou Yeovil (h) 2017-18 (2-6 loss)

Amadou Bakayoko Charlton (a) 2018-19 (2-1 win)

Matt Godden Oxford U (FAC) (h) 2023-24 (6-2 win)

Jack Rudoni Derby (h) 2025-26 (3-2 win)

The Derby victory was the club's 25^th win of the season and sets a new club record surpassing the 24 wins of 1935-36 and 1958-59. Both those seasons were promotion campaigns and relied heavily on strong home form. In 1935-36 City won 19 out of 21 home games and only five on the road. In 1958-59 there were 18 out of 23 home wins and only six away wins. This season the away form has been better than those two seasons with 10 wins so far and the potential for two more.

Attendance records smashed & City's 10 goal marksmen

Two home wins in four days have put the Sky Blues firmly back on the rails in the Championship promotion race. With closest rivals Middlesbrough and Ipswich both winning twice in the last week it was vital that maximum points were gained. Going into this weekend’s games City have a six point lead at the top over ‘Boro and eight point lead over the Tractor Boys. City now cannot be knocked off top spot until Tuesday 3 February, at which point they will have been top for 122 days when Ipswich play their third game in 10 days, their rearranged away game at Portsmouth. Three wins for them and defeats at Norwich and QPR for the Sky Blues would see the men from East Anglia overtake City. As I’ve said before being the hunted rather than the hunter is a new experience for Coventry and the next few weeks is going to be a nail biting time for the fans. 

Attendances at the CBS this season have been incredible and Saturday’s gate of 31,410 for the visit of Leicester was the second highest ever at the ground, just 42 short of the record set last season for the game with Middlesbrough. That took the average for the season to just over 30,000 - the first time City’s crowds have been at that level since 1969-70 season when the club finished sixth in the old First Division and qualified for Europe. The overall average that season was 32,043 and has never been topped. The average dipped slightly with the smaller than average crowd against Millwall on Tuesday but I expect several more ‘full houses’ between now and the end of the season to take the final average over the 30,000 mark. If that is the case it will be the first time in the club’s history that the club have averaged over 30,000 when not in the top flight. The top averages for seasons in the lower divisions are:

1966-67. Division 2. 28,269

2024-25 Championship. 27,817

1950-51 Division 2. 26,694

1964-65 Division 2. 26,621

1963-64 Division 3. 26,017

1937-38. Division 2. 25,825

2023-24. Championship. 25,468

1965-66. Division 2. 25,370

Thankfully Haji Wright is back scoring goals with two goals in two games this last week taking his total for the season to ten league goals. It was also his fourth goal against Millwall this season when you include his penalty at the New Den in the League Cup. Wright joins Brandon Thomas-Asante and Ellis Simms on 10 league goals. This is the first time that three Coventry players have hit double figures in league games since 2013-14 when Leon Clarke (15), Callum Wilson (21) and Franck Moussa (11) were on fire. In addition that season Carl Baker scored 10 goals in all competitions. The club record is for five players to score double figures which happened in 1963-64. The famous five then were:

George Hudson 28

Ken Hale 17

Ronnie Rees 15

Ronnie Farmer 11

Willie Humphries 11

Victor Torp is currently on seven goals and Ephron Mason-Clark on six. It’s not impossible that we might have five in double figures come the end of the season and challenge that 62-year-old record.