Haji Wright stuns Middlesbrough - but Frank Lampard delivers Coventry City demand to him | OneFootball

Haji Wright scored all three goals for Coventry City in their 3-1 win over Middlesbrough on Monday night

Frank Lampard has issued a challenge to Haji Wright to continue with the goal scoring form he showed in Coventry City’s 3-1 win over Middlesbrough.

The striker scored a hat-trick against their promotion rivals on Monday night to secure a massive three points for the Sky Blues.

Wright opened the scoring in the 21st minute, before adding his second 10 minutes into the second half.

A 71st minute penalty sealed all three points after Middlesbrough had pulled one back to make it 2-1 through Riley McGree.

The victory led to Coventry leapfrogging Kim Hellberg’s side in the Championship table, and brought the 27-year-old’s tally for the season to 13 goals and one assist.

The goals against Boro were his first since the 2-1 victory against Millwall on 20 January, having shot blanks in his last three appearances.

Frank Lampard issues Haji Wright challenge after Middlesbrough hat-trick

Lampard has claimed that strikers are the first to be criticised when things stop going their way after Wright had such a sensational start to the campaign before the goals started drying up.

He believes that the US international now needs to take the confidence he’s gained from his hat-trick against Middlesbrough and use that to keep up this level of performance over the remainder of the campaign.

“Things haven’t dropped for Haji recently and it happens for a striker, and then they’re the first ones to get critiqued at that point,” said Lampard, via Coventry Live.

“But to be fair to him, he keeps his head down, he’s been working hard and we know what Haji can be like when he’s on that form.

“And if there’s something for Haji to come out of it, it’s continue with that, continue being the problem that he was for their defenders all night; the work ethic of his performance because then it’s about his natural talent to come up against anybody in this league.

“So yeah, great, I’m really pleased for him and he has to take that forward.”

Wright raced into the top of the goal scoring charts in the Championship at the start of the campaign, finding the back of the net eight times from the first nine games.

But he went 13 games without a goal before his strike at home against Leicester CIty on 17 January.

He is now second in the golden boot race, two goals behind Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik, and only one ahead of Hull City’s Oli McBurnie and Ipswich Town’s Jack Clarke.

Next up for league leaders Coventry is a trip to face West Brom on 21 February in a 12.30pm kick-off.

Haji Wright maintaining this form will be key for Coventry City

Wright’s goals at the start of the season were a crucial part of establishing Coventry as a leading promotion contender.

While he struggled for form in the subsequent months with an injury, the Sky Blues will now be hoping that he is back to his best with this hat-trick.

It would be a huge boost for their chances of earning a top two finish if he can maintain this level in front of goal for the rest of the season.

He took both finishes well prior to scoring the penalty, and being able to carve out chances despite Lampard’s side barely having any of the ball is a testament to his ability.