Coventry City eased their early season nerves with a comprehensive and confidence boosting first victory away from home. But the Sky Blues had Ben Wilson and a reasonable slice of luck to thank for what was only their second win of the campaign as three goals in the space of 12 second half minutes put Queens Park Rangers to the sword at Loftus Road.
The City goalkeeper pulled off a remarkable early save to deny Gareth Ainsworth’s men the lead, with the Hoops’ boss fuming that Ellis Simms’ opening goal wasn’t ruled out for off-side before claiming his side should have had a penalty when Wilson slid in on substitute Sinclair Amstrong. The visitors, meanwhile, extended their advantage to 2-0 when Josh Eccles’ well struck shot took a deflection to ensure Asmir Begovic had no chance.
But the home side could have no complaints about Coventry’s third which saw them cut through the defence and Simms make a superb connection to Jamie Allen’s centre to pretty much secure the full three points with 22 minutes left on the clock. Here are some of the big talking points and things we learned from the gam
Ellis Simms made his Coventry City debut with two second-half goals against QPR, in a performance that should have resulted in a hat-trick, if not more, given the opportunities he had. Before scoring his first goal for the club, the bustling frontman made three threatening runs into the box, one raised over the frame of the goal, one cut out by the keeper, and the third saved low. That final opportunity was certainly the best of the three, and the player will be cursing himself for not making Asmir Begovic work harder as he sought to slot it around him. However, he made a perfectly timed move in behind to score his first goal from a set-piece.
Jamie is a midfield fillip.
Jamie Allen began his first game after a heart scare in the summer, and his overall performance appeared to be one of the missing puzzle parts from City’s shaky start to the season. The team has missed his energy as well as his quick and smart thinking on the ball, which is so beneficial in assisting the team to break quickly on the counter attack.
Apart from his superb assist for Simms’ second goal, his total involvement was a huge boost for the Sky Blue Army and those fans back home who had began to wonder whether Coventry would ever get their season going. He, along with the anticipated return of Callum O’Hare and Ben Sheaf in the near future,
Robins responds to QPR complaints
QPR manager Gareth Ainsworth was furious with the referees, believing they made two crucial decisions in the game: the first, that Ellis Simms’ opening goal should have been ruled out for offside, and the second, that a penalty shout was ignored when Ben Wilson slid in on Sinclair Armstrong shortly after the hour, shortly after Coventry had doubled their lead.
When a reporter mentioned to Mark Robins that the Hoops camp was upset with the first decision, he responded, “Not interested! There are numerous games in which we can feel cheated. We could have won every game this season, and we have already won two. It is what it is, and you must accept it.
Ben Wilson once again demonstrated why he is City’s first choice goalkeeper, making two great saves in each half, the first of which denied QPR striker Lyndon Dykes the game’s first goal from a stooping, flicked header that looked destined for the back of the net. If it had come in as early as the 17th minute, it could have changed the direction of the game, giving the Hoops the confidence to break their home record. Wilson afterwards produced another great save to deny Andre Dozzell at his near post, but he came perilously close to ruining his copybook on the day when he slid in on Sinclair Armstrong in what appeared to be a one-on-one.
After dismissing the idea of trying Joel Latibeaudiere in midfield – the position he plays for Jamaica – due to City’s recent midfield issues caused by Ben Sheaf’s injury and the loss of Gus Hamer, it was interesting to see Robins deploy the centre-back at right wing-back at Loftus Road. The 23-year-old is no stranger to the job, having previously played there for Swansea, and was chosen over Tatsuhiro Sakamoto on the day, with the reasoning being that he provided a bit more defensive discipline and security away from home. And, while the defense didn’t do anything terribly wrong, he lacked attacking zeal pushing forward. That’s not to say he doesn’t have it, but Robins will.
City has dropped nine points from winning positions this season, but seeing a second and then third goal come so quickly after the opener provided the team the cushion they’ve struggled to gain thus far. However, Robins was naturally disappointed that they had once again conceded a late goal, albeit a worthless consolation for the opposition. But the point is that late lapses in focus, defensive organization, or discipline – whatever you want to call it – are becoming a bad habit that must be broken. Whether by coincidence or not, the Hoops’ goal was nearly identical to Huddersfield’s late equalizer on Monday night, when the ball was played down the right to the byline and pulled in.
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