The last time Coventry won at home in the Premier League former Spice Girl Emma Bunton was top of the charts with 'What Took You So Long?' The title could not be more fitting as the Sky Blues ended their 25-year wait for a top-flight goal and victory in front of their own fans. Baby Spice's song may not live long in the memory but Coventry's thumping win over Newcastle will stick with the home supporters. Jack Rudoni's penalty, Sidiki Cherif's first Sky Blues goal and late strikes from Ellis Simms and Stephen Mfuni lifted them out of the relegation zone in style.
Level on points with Manchester United after six games and out of the drop zone following successive wins, Frank Lampard's men have announced themselves in the top flight again. Coventry backed up their victory at Nottingham Forest before the international break, scoring four goals in the top flight for the first time since a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in May 2000. Those around the Sky Blues' training ground at Ryton feel that, if they are competitive over the next seven games, they will have a platform for survival.
A trip to Tottenham and the visit of Fulham - both winless - come next, with games against Sunderland, Everton, Crystal Palace, Leeds and Ipswich to take them into December. "It's big and we have to tap into that in a good way, in a humble way," said Lampard, whose side are now 14th. "We have to be excited and I'm seeing players in my eyes that are developing quite quickly.
"A lot of players had low Premier League minutes, or zero Premier League minutes - Jack Rudoni, [Brandon] Thomas Asante, [Ephron] Mason-Clark, a lot of them. "So is it human nature in the first few games we've had two top teams in the league (Arsenal and Manchester City) and we've had Brighton and we've gone: 'hmm, it's not easy here'. "This [win] gives good confidence, so it's the balance of confidence against overconfidence.
But it's great when you have a template of feeling when you get a result of that level." It can be a defining six weeks for Lampard's men after a resounding, if not perfect, win against Newcastle. Coventry's previous home games had seen them fall to a 1-0 defeat by fellow promoted side Hull before a 5-0 thumping by Brighton. Sandwiched in the middle was a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup, meaning it was imperative they found form at the CBS Arena.
"We're going to be a relative underdog in pretty much every game," added Lampard. "So we have to maximise everything and be on the limit and I thought we were on the limit in loads of ways. "They need to keep their feet on the ground because the next one's tough and the one after that will be tough.
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