It was only some weeks in the past that it appeared life within the Premier League would possibly show a step too far for newly promoted Coventry Metropolis.
After storming to the Championship title final season to safe their return to the highest flight for the primary time since 2001, Frank Lampard’s facet got little time to settle into their new environment when the marketing campaign started in August.
By the tip of their first month again within the Premier League, Coventry have been rooted to the underside of the desk, having misplaced all 4 of their matches by a mixed rating of 10-0.
The ultimate defeat of that brutal introduction – a 5-0 hammering by the hands of high-flying Brighton – was sufficient to persuade even probably the most optimistic supporters {that a} return to the Championship could possibly be on the playing cards.
However since that humbling defeat on the south coast virtually six weeks in the past, Lampard’s facet have breathed new life into their marketing campaign, profitable three of their subsequent 5 matches.
After back-to-back victories over Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United in September, Saturday’s 3-1 win over Sunderland lifted the Sky Blues to fifteenth within the desk.
Coventry usually are not the one newly promoted facet to have impressed, with former Championship rivals Ipswich City and Hull Metropolis additionally making encouraging begins.
The three groups have collected a mixed 31 factors after 9 video games, the Thirteenth-highest tally by promoted sides at this stage in Premier League historical past.
Hull and Ipswich account for 22 of these factors, with Sergej Jakirovic and Gary O’Neil’s sides each sitting on 11.
Coventry are barely behind their promoted friends, however the Sky Blues’ three victories have nonetheless earned them a good 9 factors.
And there may be additional encouragement for the newcomers – for the reason that 2010-11 season, all 18 promoted groups who’ve collected at the least 11 factors from their opening 9 video games have averted relegation.