Coventry's Promotion Hopes Put on Hold After Goalless Draw with Sheffield Wednesday

Championship leaders Coventry City were denied the chance to move within a point of promotion to the Premier League after being held to a 0-0 draw by already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday. A win for Frank Lampard's side, combined with a failure by Middlesbrough to beat Portsmouth, would have seen Coventry promoted, but they were unable to break down a resilient Wednesday defense. The result marked only the third point of 2026 for Sheffield Wednesday, who had previously set an unwanted record of 37 games without a win in all competitions. The hosts started brightly, with Milan van Ewijk and Liam Kitching both going close, but they were unable to find a way past the Wednesday defense. The visitors, meanwhile, were putting up a much stronger fight than they had in the reverse fixture, which Coventry had won 5-0 in October. Coventry had several chances to take the lead, including a close-range effort from Jack Rudoni and a header from Josh Eccles that went narrowly wide, but they were unable to find a way past the Wednesday goalkeeper. The result means that Coventry will have to wait until their next game to try and secure promotion, while Sheffield Wednesday can take heart from a spirited performance. Coventry manager Frank Lampard said: 'I think there's understandable elements to the game, there's a bit of tension to do that and a lot of the players are probably living this situation for the first time. When are you going to do it, the expectancy to do it, and maybe there was a small effect on the game.' Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen said: 'We knew to take something here today, it should be a top, top plus performance. But we also spoke about that we are coming here not just to be a part of the game, we go here with the belief that we can do it.'