Coventry City: Frank Lampard’s side are full of confidence, momentum and belief

They say never fall in love with a loan player.

But there is not enough cold water in the Arctic Ocean to douse the flames of affection Coventry fans feel for Carl Rushworth.

In 11 appearances for the Sky Blues, the 24-year-old Brighton goalkeeper has kept six clean sheets, including five in a row.

This sealed his place in the club’s history, as he recorded a record of 613 minutes without conceding a goal. But for Portsmouth’s 90th-minute consolation on Tuesday, that run will remain intact.

However, the efforts of Rushworth and his Fratton Park teammates ensured he surpassed Horace Pearson’s old record of 608 minutes, which had stood since 1934.

For Lampard, Rushworth’s superiority was no surprise.

He told the BBC: “His confidence has increased since he’s been here, but I always knew when we brought him in that he was a very talented goalkeeper, and I’m really happy with that record. He deserves it, it’s a great achievement.”

“More than ever in the modern game, you are defending from the front, but sometimes you have to acknowledge an individual achievement for that, and it is amazing to be at the club for such a short period and to do that.”

Rushworth has a way to go to reach the Premier League record of 29 clean sheets in a single season, set by James Trafford for Burnley last season, but his personal best of 16 during a campaign with Lincoln City in 2022-23 is within range, as is Coventry’s all-time record of 22 set by Ben Wilson, Rushworth’s current replacement, also in a season. 2022-23.