Play-off hopes soaring as City tame promotion rival

THE Sky Blues took a huge step in the race for the Championship play-off places after beating 10-man West Brom 2-0 in front of a record-breaking crowd at the CBS Arena.

- By ANDY TURNER

Jack Rudoni and Matt Grimes scored either side of half-time to put Frank Lampard's men three points clear of seventh-placed Middlesbrough, who beat lowly Plymouth 2-1.

West Brom, who saw Callum Styles sent off moments after Grimes had netted the second, dropped to eighth in the table and sit six points behind the sixth-placed Sky Blues with three games to play.

Coventry had to wait 96 minutes for their winner over Portsmouth in their last home outing but were up and running after just six minutes when Rudoni slammed Haji Wright's deflected cross past an unsighted Josh Griffiths.

The Sky Blues caused problems down the left throughout the first half, and Wright forced Griffiths into a save shortly after when he cut inside and fired at goal.