Table of Content
Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City have enjoyed positive starts to the Premier League season after securing promotion. Together, the three clubs have collected 31 points from their opening nine games.
Coventry City bounce back from tough start
Frank Lampard’s Coventry side began their first top-flight campaign since 2001 with four consecutive defeats, conceding 10 goals without reply, including a 5-0 loss to Brighton. However, the Sky Blues recovered by winning three of their next five matches, culminating in a 3-1 victory over Sunderland that lifted them to 15th in the table with nine points.
During the summer, Coventry invested over £140m on 12 permanent signings, including club-record addition Caleb Yirenkyi, Carl Rushworth, Sidiki Cherif, Loum Tchaouna and Taiwo Awoniyi. Midfielder Jack Rudoni told BBC Sport that the squad always maintained belief in their quality despite the bruising opening fixtures.
“We always had that belief,” Rudoni said. “We have a really good squad here, where the morale is good and we get behind each other, which is what we will continue to do all season.”
Ipswich Town show resilience under Gary O’Neil
Ipswich Town have also made an encouraging start following their immediate return to the top flight, accumulating 11 points from their first nine matches. The club invested significantly in the summer, headlined by the permanent return of Julio Enciso, who has been instrumental with goals and assists.
After a 2-2 draw with Hull City, manager Gary O’Neil praised his team’s spirit to BBC Match of the Day after they fought back from a deficit for the second consecutive match.
“Our lads have some character and we just need to keep it up,” O’Neil stated. “Hull are a very good side and I’m really pleased with how we did against them.”
Hull City maintain momentum despite recent tests
Hull City also sit on 11 points after stunning Manchester United 2-0 on the opening weekend. Managed by Sergej Jakirovic, the Tigers followed up that victory by beating Coventry and earning draws against Aston Villa and Chelsea.
Although they have collected just three points from their subsequent four matches following their first defeat, upcoming fixtures against Arsenal and Brighton await the Tigers as they look to add to their tally.
Across the league, historical data shows that since the 2010-11 season, all 18 promoted teams that reached at least 11 points from their opening nine games successfully avoided relegation.
