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Coventry City worked tremendously hard to get here, but they will need an even bigger effort to remain here.

After winning the Championship title comfortably, Coventry City are back in the Premier League for the first time in 25 years.

Frank Lampard drew much of the attention, with the former England midfielder guiding his side to an instant response after defeat in the 2024-25 play-offs.

Although his first full campaign in charge was not always straightforward, the good ship Cov was never out of troubled waters for long. Coventry are a club riding a wave, backed by a packed stadium that truly feels like home – because at last, it is.

Even so, they will need to look like a different side this season. The team that earned promotion did not possess the depth of quality required to keep them in the top flight.

Much as many City supporters may dislike admitting it, Sunderland showed the route to a future beyond a relegation fight, but there is no argument over Lampard's first objective in 2026-27.

That does not mean the club lack long-term ambition. It has been a difficult 25 years for the fans, who lived through exile, when Coventry had to stage home matches in Northampton and Birmingham, and were watching the club in League Two less than 10 years ago.

Plenty of the credit also belongs to Lampard's predecessor, Mark Robins, for a revival that has taken a long time for those who lived every step of it. The Sky Blues still have plenty to do. But after all they have endured, they will face it with the grit and humour that helped rebuild a city.

Replacing Robins with Frank Lampard in November 2024 shocked Coventry supporters and outsiders alike, but chairman Doug King never lost faith. By getting his head down and eventually winning promotion, Lampard has built an unlikely yet powerful connection with the Sky Blues fanbase.

At 25, Jack Rudoni has both the star quality and the age profile to develop into a Premier League player, even if he was not the standout figure in last season's collective effort, which featured several top performers. The attacking midfielder, in the Lampard mould, has the talent, concentration and ambition to shine at this level.

CHAMPIONSHIP: Winners

FA CUP: Third Round

LEAGUE CUP: Second Round

Haji Wright scored 18 goals in all competitions for Coventry City last season on the way to their Championship triumph.

Remember that form is temporary, class is permanent. Coventry finished as dominant champions, but they did wobble in the middle of the season.

Yet just when they slipped from the top of the Championship table, they pulled themselves back up and clear once more.

That resilient inner belief could make all the difference between adapting to the Premier League and finding it difficult to cope with.

Let their manager be linked with every vacant job. This will be Lampard's fourth spell managing in the Premier League, but the composed way he led the Sky Blues into it has certainly made other clubs sit up and take notice. Do not be surprised if he chooses to stay where he is this time.

Lose their identity. Over several years, Coventry battled their way back into the Premier League through a hard-edged unity, both on and off the pitch. The day they abandon that is the day there is no blast of The Enemy's We'll Live and Die in These Towns before a home game.

Last season was pretty strange. The way we tore through the league up to November was mesmerising. Without completely reshaping the squad, Frank Lampard completed the work Mark Robins had begun, but with a carefree swagger.

This season will be different because every small moment of avoiding defeat will need to be cherished. Will the fans who suddenly rediscovered their interest in the club still turn up when we have got eight points in January and Sean Dyche is in charge?

Our key player will be Jack Rudoni. He has climbed his way through the divisions and could now be the difference between 18th and 17th. Glamorous.

The active player I'd love to have back is Sheffield United's Gustavo Hamer. He is an old-school maverick who piles on the pounds until the serious business returns. I would welcome him back with open arms, if they could stretch that far around him.

Fans think our owner is at the end of his redemption arc.

Our biggest grudge match will be against Aston Villa. We have not played them since they sent us down in 2001. We hate them; they probably do not even remember us.

The ground I'm least looking forward to visiting is one of the silly little ones, such as Ipswich or Bournemouth, where getting a ticket is impossible.

The fans' opinion of the gaffer is that he is a great PR man – and, crucially, not a stubborn ideologue.

We'll finish 7th. If a pub side like Sunderland can…

AUGUST

21 Arsenal (A)

29 Hull City (H)

SEPTEMBER

5 Man City (A)

12 Brighton (H)

19 Nott'm Forest (A)

OCTOBER

10 Newcastle (H)

17 Tottenham (A)

24 Fulham (H)

31 Sunderland (H)

NOVEMBER

7 Everton (A)

21 Crystal Palace (H)

28 Leeds (A)

DECEMBER

2 Ipswich (H)

5 Man United (A)

12 Aston Villa (H)

19 Bournemouth (A)

26 Chelsea (H)

30 Brentford (H)

JANUARY

2 Liverpool (A)

6 Ipswich (A)

16 Everton (H)

23 Sunderland (A)

30 Leeds (H)

FEBRUARY

6 Crystal Palace (A)

10 Liverpool (H)

20 Brentford (A)

27 Bournemouth (H)

MARCH

3 Chelsea (A)

13 Man City (H)

20 Brighton (A)

APRIL

10 Arsenal (H)

17 Hull City (A)

24 Aston Villa (A)

MAY

1 Man United (H)

8 Newcastle (A)

15 Tottenham (H)

23 Fulham (A)

30 Nott'm Forest (H)

Coventry City to win the Premier League title odds: 500/1

FourFourTwo verdict: Coventry City to finish 16th.

Tactically adaptable and capable of scoring in all sorts of ways, from set-pieces to having five players reach double figures last season, Cov are well placed to survive – or perhaps do even better, if they can sign or replace loan star Carl Rushworth.

This feature was written in June as part of FourFourTwo magazine's legendary Season Preview issue.