Latest news with #MattGrimes
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Swansea's play-off chances? Slim to say the least
Swansea City will take on Millwall this weekend knowing victory may give them a very slim play-off chance heading into the final day of the season – but only if Coventry City lose to Luton Town in their early kick-off on Sheehan's side are in sparkling form, having won five successive games to move to within six points of the top must keep that winning run going against Millwall and Oxford United seven days later to have any hope of finishing in the play-offs – but even then they would be relying on a number of results going their way plus a major goal difference unlikely play-off talk will be over if sixth-placed Coventry get anything from their trip to Kenilworth Road (12:30 BST).Should a Coventry side featuring ex-Swans skipper Matt Grimes (below, alongside Frank Lampard) lose, Sheehan's men – who are currently 11th - would move to within three points of sixth with a win over the Lions, who are Swansea would also need seventh-placed Middlesbrough to be beaten at home by out-of-form Norwich City. Should all those results happen, Swansea could sneak into sixth place on the final day if they beat Oxford and Middlesbrough win at Coventry – but only if, in the process, the Swans somehow turnaround Boro's advantage in the goal difference it stands, Swansea are on minus four while Michael Carrick's team have a goal difference of plus top of all that, the Swans would need ninth-placed Blackburn Rovers to lose at least one of their games – Rovers host Watford before going to Sheffield United – and West Bromwich Albion, who are 10th, to drop points in one of their fixtures – at Cardiff City and at home to Luton – to be absolutely sure of finishing above those two in all, therefore, there will surely be nobody tipping Swansea to reach the it says something about the run the Swans have been on that they are even in the conversation, having been glancing nervously towards the other end of the table not so long ago.
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Draw 'disappointing' but still a point
Coventry City midfielder Matt Grimes says Monday night's 1-1 draw with Hull City was "disappointing" but keeps them on track to reach the Championship 29-year-old put the Sky Blues ahead just after half-time with a deflected effort for his first goal for the club since joining from Swansea City in Abu Kamara squeezed in a late equaliser for the Tigers to deny Coventry from moving five points clear of seventh-placed West Bromwich Albion."Obviously it's a tough place to come with them fighting for what they're fighting for at this stage of the season," Grimes told BBC CWR."But [I'm] disappointed in the end to draw the game. I thought we had enough chances at 1-0 to get the second and then disappointed to concede a soft goal like that."But it's a point in the right direction, so we move on."Grimes says he is "hopeful" Coventry can finish in a top-six spot but is wary that "everyone at this stage of the season is playing for something"."I think we play two teams fighting for the top six and two trying to avoid relegation, so every game is so tough," he Lampard's side welcome the Baggies on Good Friday for a vital game in the play-off race with Albion three points behind before travelling to Plymouth and Luton."Every game is a big game," Grimes added. "I don't think it's going to hinge on one game. We just need to keep being consistent and keep doing what we're doing." Listen to Matt Grimes' full interview on BBC Sounds.
BBC News
07-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'No disgrace in losing to the top three'
Matt Grimes says there is no "disgrace" in losing to the top three teams as Coventry City have suffered two successive defeats in the Championship.A 2-1 loss to Burnley on the weekend leaves the Sky Blues just outside the play-off places, having also experienced defeat to Sheffield United in their previous does not think the lost points are the result of pressure building on the Sky Blues after a club record run of nine wins in 10 games had thrust them back into the play-off equation."I think there's massive pressure on every game, not just the two defeats that we've had," Grimes told BBC Radio CWR."We've lost four in the last 14 games I think, and three of those have been against the top three. I don't think there's any disgrace in that."We've give everyone a good game and like any game that we lose, we'll be looking to bounce back."Jaidon Anthony scored twice for the Clarets to take the win at the CBS Arena - but Grimes isn't looking to rue on any defensive frailties that might have supplied the forward his time to winner was something of a gift as miscommunication between goalkeeper Bradley Collins and defender Liam Kitching on the edge of the area in attempting to clear the ball, presented the Burnley forward with an unguarded net."Between now and then end of the season, we'll most likely concede another freak goal like that," Grimes said."You get on with it, you stick your chest out and crack on. It's part of the parcel of being a footballer. Another day, it could go either way."Listen to the full interview and more on The Sky Blues Fancast podcast.
BBC News
08-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Lampard hopes to have Coventry's missing men back soon
Coventry City boss Frank Lampard is looking to the return of certain key players to give his side much-needed impetus after the jolt of successive home being beaten 2-0 by Championship leaders Leeds United on Wednesday night, City found a largely second-string Ipswich Town side too strong for them, winning 4-1 to end any interest in the FA Cup for last season's beaten felt the final scoreline was harsh on Coventry, who had more shots at goal. But he knows his side will benefit from the return of cup-tied new signing Matt Grimes at home to QPR this Tuesday will also have Milan van Ewijk back and possibly fellow full-back Jack Bidwell, but believes it is too soon for Haji Wright, Ephron Mason-Clark and Ben Sheaf."The squad is a bit stretched," he told BBC CWR. "Haji, Ephron and Ben are coming back soon but not yet. "Jake was still feeling his adductor, a problem he felt in the Leeds game. And Milan plays every game and pretty much every minute. He just felt a bit of fatigue and we need him fresh for QPR."We've been on a good run but this was always going to be a tough couple of games against Leeds, who are top of the Championship, and a Premier League side in Ipswich. And it was great to have 30,000 here watching it. The crowd were great."Ipswich have strengthened since they went up. They were fantastic last year. Then they recruit to compete in the Premier League, which is a gap. "They have the squad to make those changes. And they didn't have midweek games either side of this game like we have."But we showed character to come back from that early penalty to level. They just took their chances. Sometimes things happen to influence games. They took advantage and we didn't. And we have to eradicate our errors."It was a competitive game. The scoreline doesn't really reflect the game. What I saw was not a team that wilted to a Premier League team."
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Ambition' key to Coventry move - ex-Swans skipper Grimes
Matt Grimes says Coventry City's "ambition" was what convinced him to leave Swansea City for the Sky made his Coventry debut as a 62nd-minute substitute as Frank Lampard's team were beaten 2-0 by Leeds on midfielder joined Coventry last week having made it clear to Swansea that he wanted to move on after a decade at the Welsh have indicated they could not compete with the financial package on offer to Grimes at the CBS when asked by the BBC's Sky Blues Fancast why he had made the move, Grimes said: "The ambition of the club to be honest. That's what I was sold on."Obviously I was at Swansea for 10 years, a very long time."I had conversations with Dean [Austin, Coventry's head of recruitment], the manager and the chairman. They really sold the project to me and it's something I felt like I had to be part with."Coventry had won four successive league games before losing to Championship leaders leaves Lampard's side 11th in the table, three points outside the play-off said it was "very early to say" what his new club could achieve."I have been in the building only a matter of days," he added."But I am excited to be part of this project and the club is really ambitious, so we'll see what happens."The lads are brilliant, the manager's top, so I am really looking forward to seeing what the future holds."
