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Frank Lampard has consigned Millwall to a piece of unwanted history. In his second match in charge of Coventry City, Lampard led his side to a 1-0 victory over Millwall at The Den. The defeat consigned Millwall to a fourth-straight league defeat to Coventry for the first time ever from 82 games played. The two teams first faced off against each other back in 1908 in a Southern League First Division contest. Millwall have won 32 of the 82 times the teams have faced off, with Coventry taking the spoils in 35 contests. The last time Millwall was on the brink of a four-game losing skid to Coventry was in 1964, but a 0-0 draw in the third division ensured that never transpired. As a former player for arch-rivals Chelsea and West Ham, the fact it was Lampard will add extra salt into the wounds for Millwall fans. It also marked the first win of Lampard's tenure at Coventry, having drawn 2-2 against Cardiff City in his opening game in charge of the Sky Blues. Coventry winger Ephron Mason-Clark's 63rd-minute strike did the business for the visitors when he smashed home from close range. Lampard's side could have had a second late in the second half when Bobby Thomas' thumping header smashed against the post. Speaking after the contest, Lampard was delighted with how his side came flying out of the traps in the second half. "The first half was a bit slow from us, it's not easy to come here and the conditions were obviously very difficult, " Lampard told BBC Radio CWR. "But there were things we could have done which we didn't do which made it difficult in the first half, it was a bit passive from us. "But we got some messages across at half time and I'm really, really proud of them - we played quicker, created chances and probably should have been two up before that last five to 10 minutes when we had to suffer a bit. "But really pleased with the character, really pleased with the personality of the team and it's a nice win. "It's a small step forward because there's a lot to do, but we're very happy. " Lampard was also serenaded by the travelling Coventry supports after the contest, as they bellowed out 'Super Frankie Lampard' at The Den. It was also a resolute defensive performance from Coventry as Millwall failed to record a single shot on target. The defeat was also Millwall's first since a 1-0 loss to Cardiff on October 1. Coventry's win lifted them to 14th on the table with 21 points, while Millwall sit 11th on 25 points. Lampard will no doubt be eyeing up a further surge up the table after he was appointed as Mark Robins' successor on November 28. It marked the 46-year-old's first job since he departed his interim role at Chelsea in May 2023. Lampard's appointment came after the club made the controversial decision to sack Robins, who was the longest-serving manager in the EFL before his sudden exit. © 2024 talk SPORT Limited
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