Frank Lampard rues Coventry’s profligacy in front of goal after Hull draw

Coventry boss Frank Lampard rued his side’s profligacy in front of goal as the Sky Bet Championship play-off chasers were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Hull.

The Sky Blues largely dominated and went ahead in the 46th minute through Matt Grimes’ deflected effort but Hull goalkeeper Ivor Pandur made a string of stunning saves to keep the deficit to a single goal.

Hull then levelled after 82 minutes when substitute Abu Kamara’s strike from a narrow angle ricocheted off Jay Dasilva and wrong-footed Coventry shot-stopper Bradley Collins before trickling into the net.

“That last, last bit – balls flashing across goal, we’ve got to be ready to bundle it in, get good finishes but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way,” the former Chelsea and England midfielder said.

“It’s frustrating but I never criticise the players because I’ve been there. Unfortunately in football, nights can pan out this way and it feels disappointing but I was pleased with the performance.”

Coventry stay sixth in the standings, boasting a three-point cushion over seventh-placed West Brom, a far cry from when Lampard took over in November, when they lay 17th and two points above the drop zone.

“It’s a good position for us, particularly because of where we’ve come from and that feels great,” Lampard said. “It’s exciting and we want to be in this position and the club is excited.

“We know we’re in a race for (the play-offs), that’s a great feeling, we have to own that. That’s why we’re so disappointed about the points we felt we might have got here.”

Lampard served a one-match touchline ban at the MKM Stadium following his red card after full-time in this month’s loss to Burnley for an outburst at referee James Bell, which also saw him fined £2,000.

“Tactically it’s a great view and you can see the big picture really well,” Lampard said after watching the match from the stands. “But I missed being close to the players.

“It was difficult in a sense for me but I had no worries with the staff. We do our prep through the week, this one I’ll just take on the chin for what it was.”

Hull also remain where they are in 20th but are now three points clear of the relegation zone with just four matches left in the regular season, largely thanks to the heroics of Croatian goalkeeper Pandur.

But Hull also spurned the best chance of the first half as Grimes twice blocked on the line from ex-Coventry midfielder Kasey Palmer, who did not get enough power on his shots with the goal gaping.

“That feels like a huge point,” Tigers head coach Ruben Selles said.

“To be able to come back and get the point, I think the game was going in that direction – they had some chances, so did we. We’ll take it.”