Wrexham's Rob McElhenney fires Coventry City cheeky message | OneFootball

Wrexham owner Rob McElhenney has fired a cheeky message to Coventry City ahead of facing them at the CBS Arena on Sunday...

It was an excellent night for both Coventry City and Wrexham on Tuesday, with the pair securing victories ahead of their Championship clash on Sunday.

Frank Lampard's Coventry City side secured the Championship title with a 5-1 thumping of Portsmouth at the CBS Arena, having drawn with Blackburn Rovers on Friday to ensure their return to the Premier League.

Despite having won three consecutive promotions, Wrexham could yet join the Sky Blues. Phil Parkinson's men beat Oxford United 1-0 to put themselves into the play-off places with just two games to go.

Norwich City's win kept them in the race but Derby County losing and Hull City drawing opened the door for Wrexham. However, they have the hardest remaining fixtures, given that they travel to Coventry before hosting Middlesbrough.

Rob McElhenney's message to Coventry City ahead of Wrexham clash

After winning the title, Coventry can still aim to get up to 95 points. For many connected with Cov, that is incentive enough to continue to perform at their maximum capacity. That said, there could be one or two sore heads this week after promotion and securing the title;

Motivation may well drop ahead of Wrexham and Watford to finish off their season. How hard Lampard drives standards is not yet clear. The historic promotion deserves celebrating, having last played in the Premier League back in 2001.

However, he added cheekily that they should continue their celebrations throughout this week, saying: "My friend @VancityReynolds (Ryan) and I would like to offer you a first class trip to @Vegas. Please be ready in the am and be back in time for kickoff on Sunday. A little late is okay too. 🥂"

Coventry City join two illustrious lists after Championship promotion

Coventry join an illustrious list since the rebranding of the Championship in 2004/05. The title winners are as follows: Sunderland (2004/05 and 2006/07), Reading (2005/06 and 2011/12), West Bromwich Albion (2007/08), Wolverhampton Wanderers (2008/09 and 2017/18), Newcastle United (2009/10 and 2016/17), Queens Park Rangers (2010/11), and Cardiff City (2012/13).

There are also: Leicester City (2013/14 and 2023/24), Bournemouth (2014/15), Burnley (2015/16 and 2022/23), Norwich City (2018/19 and 2020/21), Leeds United (2019/20 and 2024/25), and Fulham (2021/22). They will not want to be back for a while, but many clubs who have come down have managed to win the league again shortly after.

Wrexham could yet join them but the importance of promotion to the Premier League cannot be said enough. It is transformative for clubs without parachute payments. Of course, the initial uplift in broadcasting and commercial revenue allows for squad investment and infrastructure growth.

However, crucially, even if relegation follows, clubs then receive these parachute payments themselves. It provides a safety net that stabilises finances but it also allows them into the cycle where it strengthens future promotion pushes. Joining that list of clubs is also absolutely vital.