Rudoni hails Lampard as 'perfect mentor' as Coventry build on first top-flight win in 25 years

Jack Rudoni has described Frank Lampard as a “perfect mentor” as Coventry City look to capitalise on their first top-flight victory in 25 years, a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest sealed by Jay Dasilva’s strike before the international break.

The 25-year-old midfielder, who joined the Sky Blues from Huddersfield two years ago and has made close to 100 appearances for the club, grew up idolising Lampard as a Chelsea fan. Now working under the former England international in the Premier League, Rudoni says the experience has exceeded expectations.

“As a midfield player and Chelsea fan growing up, there is probably no one better to learn from,” Rudoni said. “He was one of my idols growing up — I’d only ever seen him on the TV before, so it was amazing to meet him for the first time, work with him last season and now in the Premier League. He’s great on the training ground, always teaching me little bits and pieces and things to improve on. He’s a great coach and perfect mentor.”

Rudoni has started four of Coventry’s five league games this season, featuring throughout a difficult opening run that left Lampard’s side without a point or a goal heading into the Forest fixture. The win at the City Ground, sparked by Dasilva’s effort, provided a significant lift.

“Results haven’t been what we wanted but you can see game by game we’ve got better and better,” Rudoni added. “They were hard fixtures and we learned a lot out of those games — we’re positive now leading into the next block.”

Coventry face Newcastle at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Monday night, followed by a trip to bottom-of-the-table Tottenham the following week. Rudoni insists the identity of the opposition matters less to him than the result.

“When I’m out there, it’s just 11 versus 11 and I’m in the moment against the opposition. I don’t really care who it is — I just want to go out there and beat them. But it is good to play against certain players — you learn a lot and we’re learning quick.”

With the Forest result offering a platform, Rudoni believes Lampard’s squad has the quality to climb the table as the season progresses. “I feel like myself and the team can perform under Frank this year, and I can’t wait for the next block of games.”