Coventry City are back on home soil tonight (kick-off 8pm), looking for only their second win of the new Championship campaign. The new-look Sky Blues have struggled to get their season going with just one victory, four draws and two defeats to date.
Mark Robins' men have not bagged the full three points in the last five attempts - their last win coming in a 3-0 CBS Arena success over Middlesbrough on August 12. Back at the stadium and in front of the Sky Sports TV cameras, City will be hoping to kick-start their fortunes ahead of Saturday's trip to QPR.
The bad news is that Coventry will be without injured midfielder Ben Sheaf and wing-back Milan van Ewijk for tonight's challenge against the Terriers, who have a new manager in charge following Neil Warnock's departure last week. Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore has been appointed and will oversee his first match this evening.
Town go into the game on the back of reasonable form, having taken seven points from their last three games. Moore said: “There isn’t a lot of time to work with them but confidence should be good and I think they should be in a good place, having been a player myself. They’ve had a good few results together, so as much as me helping them they’ll be helping me in terms of the feeling around the group.”
Stay tuned for City's team news, which will be published an hour before kick-off at 7pm, and you can follow all the action as it happens right here with Sky Blues reporter Andy Turner.
Key Events
Player ratings
Coventry City threw away the full three points when they conceded deep in stoppage time against Huddersfield Town at the CBS Arena.
The Sky Blues got themselves in front in a dominant first half when Ellis Simms intercepted the ball in between two centre-backs before hitting a thunderous shot that was tipped onto the crossbar by Lee Nicholls, with Yasin Ayari on hand to bundle in the rebound amid appeals for off-side and handball. However, replays showed that the teenager was on-side when Simms released his shot and the ball hit him in the groin, not a hand, to help it over the line.
The Terriers attempted a fight-back after the break, testing goalkeeper Ben Wilson for the first real time on the hour as Coventry headed and blocked their way out of danger amid mounting pressure from the visitors. However, the double substitution of Haji Wright and Jamie Allen helped take the sting out of Town as City started to ask questions at the other end again, albeit hanging on to their slender lead.
And that proved to be the case when centre-back Michel Helik scored from six-yards out amid Town's last attack of the game in the 95th minute to spoil what should have been a good night.
Disaster strikes as Town equalise 1-1
City fail to defend properly and the ball is hooked back to centre-back Helik who scores from six yards out to spoil the party.
Ooooh!
Great build-up play sees Eccles send in a superb cross which Thomas gets on the end of but is denied by a brilliant reaction save.
Can City see it out?
City are now pushig for the all important second goal with Wright and Allen having helped break Town's fight-back flow. Failing that, they need to keep things tight and hang on to what is a slender lead.
Hudd sub
Sorba Thomas replaces Headley ahead of some scaring moments in and around the six yard box as City are forced to defend with their lives, throwing their bodies at blocks and headers to deny an equaliser.
Another save
Wilson had to work this time, dropping to his left to deny Delano Burgzorg from the edge of the box.
First save
Ben Wilson gets down low to make a comfortable stop and his first save of the night after Rudoni hits a low effort on target, albeit lacking any real power to trouble the keeper.
Terriers attempting fight-back
The visitors are trying to take the game by the scruff of the neck and with far more possession at the start of the second half, Jack Rudoni has just tried his luck from distance but his shot sailed high over the bar.
Second half underway
No changes for either side as the game resumes at the CBS Arena. can City find a second goal to secure the three points?
Replay clears up goal controversy
There were appeals by Huddersfield for off-side and handball when Ayari scored but replays have shown that the teenager was on-side when Simms hit his shot and the ball came off his groin and not a hand before going over the line.
Half-time: City 1 Huddersfield 0
City are worth their lead at the CBS where they have dominated much of the play and looked decent going forward and organised at the back.
Stat attack
City have enjoyed 71 percent of the possession so far, had seven attempts on goal and one on target. Huddersfield have had oen attempt but none on target.
Yellow card
Jay Dasilva is booked for a professional foul on Koroma, having cut him down as he threatened to get away from him down the right flank.
Yasin scores 1-0
Ellis Simms brilliantly intercepts the ball in between two centre-backs and pulls wide on the edge of the box, sells one a dummy and then shifts it onto his right foot and hits a thunderbolt of a shot that hits the crossbar and bounces back out where Ayari is on hand to bundle home.
Crucial block from he skipper
Kelly gets back to cover after Huddersfield cut through City with a sweeping move that feeds Josh Koroma who looks favourite to score iside the box. However, Kelly makes a brilliant block to deny the striker a goal.
Terriers' corner and counter
City successfully defend the visitors' first flag kick and Liam Kelly leads the charge upfield and feeds Simms out wide as the Sky Blues hit the oppisition with a decent counter attack which, unfortunatley, is eventually snuffed out.
Set-piece pressure
City enjoy three corners in quick succession but the final one sees Ayari his a low shot wide of the target. It's been a noisy start from the home fans, though, which will hopefully spur the players on.
"Your support is...." sing the Sky Blues fans to the away supporters
Here we go
The boys are out #pusb #skyblues pic.twitter.com/RGGbcSN1Qf
— Andy Turner (@AndyTurnerccfc) September 25, 2023
Japan internationals go head-to-head
There's an intriguing battle in prospect out there this afternoon with Coventry right wing-back Tatsuhiro Sakamoto likely to come up against Yuta Nakayama, who starts on the left of Town's back three this evening. Both players have full honours for Japan - though as far as I can tell they've never played together.
Robins reveals striker 'knock'
Mark Robins has told Sky Sports in his pre-match interview that Haji Wright took a knock at Cardiff but the striker is clearly fit enough to take his place on the bench as Ellis Simms replaces him in the starting line-up.
Team news - four changes
Mark Robins has made four changes to his Coventry City side to face Huddersfield Town at the CBS Arena tonight.
In comes Bobby Thomas, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Ellis Simms and Yasin Ayari on a night when Ben Sheaf, Milan van Ewijk and Kasey Palmer are out injured and Joel Latineaudiere and Haji Wright drop to the bench to be rested as the Sky Blues go in search of only their second Championship win of the season so far.
Ben Wilson continues in goal with a back three of Thomas on the right, Luis Binks on the left and Kyle McFadzean in the centre. Sakamoto appears to be the one to replace Van Ewijk at right wing-back while Jay Dasilva continues on the left and Josh Eccles and Liam Kelly again operate in the central midfield positions in an expected 3-4-1-2 formation.
That leaves Ayari to come in for Palmer in the No.10 role behind a front two of Matty Godden and Ellis Simms, the latter of whom comes in as a straight swap for USA international Wright who provides back-up from a fresh-faced bench that includes three youngsters – Marco Rus, Bradley Stretton and Justin Obikwu.
City starting line-up: Ben Wilson; Bobby Thomas, Kyle McFadzean, Luis Binks; Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Josh Eccles, Liam Kelly, Jay Dasilva; Yasin Ayari; Matty Godden, Ellis Simms.
Subs: Brad Collins (GK), Liam Kitching, Joel Latibeaudiere, Jake Bidwell, Haji Wright, Jamie Allen, Marcus Rus, Bradley Stretton, Justin Obikwu.
Robins' rethink on Lati
Mark Robins appears to have had a change of heart regarding the possibility of playing Coventry City centre-half Joel Latibeaudiere further up the pitch to help solve his midfield problems. The summer signing from Swansea has played every Championship game for the Sky Blues so far this season, deployed in his natural position in the back three.
However, the 23-year-old plays as a holding midfielder for his country, Jamaica. Asked a couple of weeks ago about he possibility of the defender being utilised in midfield, Robins dismissed the idea, insisting that he’d like the player to establish himself at the back. Since then, however, Ben Sheaf has been ruled out for a minimum of six weeks with an adductor strain, resulting in Liam Kelly being handed a chance in the side in the last two games when City have lacked penetration to the forwards.
Robins now has an additional problem with the news that right wing-back Milan van Ewijk is out injured for an unspecified period of time due to a “significant” tear to his quad. That could result in Josh Eccles being required to switch across to cover if the manager doesn’t trust Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s defensive discipline which, in turn, would leave a hole to be filled in midfield.
Doug King's 'conversation' with Robins
Mark Robins has received the backing of Doug King amid Coventry City’s sluggish start to the new Championship campaign, during which the Sky Blues have managed just one win in the first seven games to leave them 17th in the table and four points off the bottom three.
The Sky Blues owner has previously stated his ambitions for the club, insisting he wants the team to be pushing for the play-offs in three of the next five seasons as he looks to return City to the Premier League. With that comes obvious pressure to succeed while expectations have naturally risen among many fans following last term’s achievement of getting to the play-off final at Wembley and narrowly missing out on promotion in a penalty shootout.
Bruising progress report on O'Hare
Coventry City star Callum O’Hare has overcome his first major psychological hurdle after being “whacked” in training as he looks to return to full fitness in the first team. The Sky Blues midfielder returned to full contact sessions with the rest of Mark Robins’ squad following the international break and already has the bruises to show for it.
O’Hare has been sidelined since Boxing Day last year when he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament that required surgery. Now, nine months on, the 25-year-old is stepping up his fitness work and eyeing his comeback to full-time action. Team-mate Jamie Allen featured in his first senior game on Tuesday night at Cardiff since his summer heart scare, going on as a second half substitute despite not having played any match minutes with the Under-21s.
Robins plans to re-integrate him to the first team with minutes from the bench in the coming fixture schedule. So what’s the plan for O’Hare?
