There was no shortage of gallows humour ahead of this one: if we could hold them out for more than three minutes we were doing better than against Stoke, if we could keep it below five in the first half we would be doing better than against Southampton. I couldn’t think of the last time we went into a league game as such underdogs (a fellow Addick suggested any game against Millwall). But that nagging feeling, hope, at the back of our minds. This is football and football is daft; this is the Championship and any team can beat any other on the day.
That nagging feeling was given hope when we went ahead. But it was progressively beaten down after that. Bell going off injured disrupted the back line once again, Coventry took advantage to get well on top in the closing stages of the first half, equalised, then as we were desperate for half-time scored again, direct from a corner. They rather sat back in the second, perhaps thinking it was job done, and we did have the chance to get level but Carey shot well over from a good position. But although playing within themselves Coventry carried the greater threat, were far more dangerous than us going forward, and although their third to end the contest had more than an element of good fortune about it, it came as no real surprise.
They deserved their win, we could take heart from a better showing after two drubbings, against obviously a very strong team, but were left to reflect on the facts that we’d conceded another three goals – making it 11 in three games - and have a fresh injury to contend with. So a mixed bag. Taking solace in defeat is never easy but we have to build on this one quickly as the games in December are now even more important.
The team saw the welcome return of Bell, in the left wing-back position, with no sign yet of new signing Roussillon. In midfield Jones opted to leave out skipper Docherty and bring in Knibbs, to play in front of/alongside Coventry and Carey, with Berry back on the bench, while up front Olaofe replaced Leaburn to partner Campbell. With Hernandez also back in the squad there was no place among the subs for Gough, which meant we went into the game with no recognised replacement centre-back, which looked like an unnecessary risk.
Early in the game we were ticking off the minutes, and in truth, although Coventry (ie them, not ours) saw plenty of the ball, we kept a good shape and didn’t look unduly troubled. And then a decent start became something much better as we took the lead. On 12 minutes a free kick into their box wasn’t really dealt with and ended up with Campbell. He tried a shot which was blocked, but it dropped nicely for Knibbs to be first to it to poke the ball home. It wasn’t a goal to send us into raptures as we were all aware that there was a very long way to go – and that Coventry were not likely to panic at going behind, their approach being to outscore the opposition. Nevertheless, it felt good.
As if to underline Coventry’s approach, we had a truly mad spell when either side could easily have scored. On 17 minutes a Coventry corner was met by their guy at the far post and his powerful header from close range was excellently turned over the bar by Kaminski. But then we broke from the corner to win one of our own and from that a goalbound header was cleared off the line, only for Coventry to then break and a tussle between their guy and Bell ended with the former going to ground but the ref deciding there hadn’t been enough contact to merit a penalty. For good measure, while the Coventry fans were expressing their discontent, we went up the other end and Olaofe got the ball in space on the left side but took a heavy touch, the result being a rather scuffed shot saved by their keeper’s legs. And on 22 minutes Campbell was free down the left, went outside and hit a cross-come-shot which was wide of the goal and too strong for Olaofe to get on the end of it at the far post.
Coventry fans might be used to this sort of action, we certainly are not. In any event the next meaningful action was to chance the game. Bell went down off the ball and was clearly in trouble and needed to come off. Returned too soon? Who knows. Our problem was that there was no replacement and it took Jones and his staff a while to work out the best solution. This involved going to a back four with Ramsay switching over to left-back and Leaburn coming on, with Olaofe coming a little deeper.
No doubt Coventry would have come at us hard in the remainder of the first half if Bell had been on the pitch, but we felt his absence, not least as forwards were finding themselves having to fend off very accomplished attackers. We looked increasingly pressurised and on 39 minutes it was no surprise that Coventry levelled. Their guy cut across Olaofe on their left and as he moved into the box Coventry (ours) had to come across and leave his man to try to cover. The ball was played square inside the box and their guy had the time to place his shot beyond Kaminski into the far corner.
Now it was vital that we got to the break still level – and we didn’t manage that. On 43 minutes a Coventry corner cleared the near post and Simms rose to flick it on into the far corner. It was the sort of goal that asks the question what went wrong. Nobody was in command at the near post and Jones couldn’t get across to get to the ball before Simms. Truly deflating.
At the break the stats showed they had enjoyed 79% possession and had 12 efforts on goal, four on target, against six and three for us. You felt that we had to stay in the game, not concede another, and hopefully nick something at the other end. It felt like a tall ask.
Jones made one change at the break, bringing on Docherty for Knibbs. The result was we went into a back five again, with Campbell the left side wing-back. And rather surprisingly we had all the play early in the second half, Coventry appearing to be content with what they had done, probably feeling they’d get another sooner or later. They nearly paid the penalty on 56 minutes as Leaburn won a tussle for the ball just outside the box and laid it on a plate for Carey. You wouldn’t have wanted it to fall to anyone else, but this time his shot went well over the bar. And in truth that was to be the closest we came to getting something out of the game.
We were still in it until 76 minutes, when something dropped their way. Their guy on the left cut inside and passed square. The shot was deflected off Coventry and Kaminski, diving to his right, adjusted to keep it out with his feet. But it dropped kindly for Simms to tap in his second of the day.
Just before they scored we were preparing a double substitution, but by the time it came it was game over. Fullah and Hernandez replaced Olaofe and Carey. They hit the post with a curled shot, we huffed and puffed to little effect, Apter came on for Bree with a few minutes left, but that was academic.
Our season isn’t going to be defined by a defeat at Coventry. It may be shaped by how well we deal with the December games. There has to be an attitude now of drawing a line under a run of four consecutive defeats. We have to hope that Bell isn’t facing another lengthy spell on the sidelines, that Burke, Godden and/or Kelman become available again, that Roussillon gets quickly up to speed. Primarily we have to look at becoming defensively sounds once more, with players available to cover when one or two need a break, with competition for places. If we don’t manage that, come the end of the year we might be in a relegation scrap. We have the opportunity to draw the line, with the emotional Return to The Valley game next Saturday against Portsmouth. Everybody has to be up for that one.
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