ROBINS WANTS TO GET CITY SHOW ON THE ROAD!
BOSS DEMANDS RUTHLESS ATTITUDE TO END AGONY AWAY FROM HOME
AFTER back-to-back stalemates in the FA Cup and league, Coventry City head to Portman Road tonight hoping to finally come out on top against Ipswich Town at the third time of asking in the space of ten days.
A place in the third round of the season’s most prestigious cup competition is at stake before the Sky Blues switch their attention back to their division duties and head to Shrewsbury Town, and another opportunity to record their first League One win on the road.
Remarkably, City’s only triumph on their travels this term has been at Colchester United in the FA Cup as they continue to be the only side in League One not to pick up three points on the road.
They’ve come agonisingly close on a number of occasions – Bolton, Oxford and Peterborough spring to mind – in a campaign which has only seen them lose once away from home, having chalked up seven draws. The solution seems obvious.
“I just want us to be more ruthless and finish teams off because we can do it,” said manager Mark Robins, reflecting on Saturday’s 1-1 draw with the Tractor Boys at St Andrew’s, during which City had more than enough opportunities to win the game. “If we’d have taken our chances it could have been a 4-1 win but it is what it is at the minute.”
That was a ‘home’ game, of course, but the same could be said of the games at Sunderland, MK Dons and the aforementioned away days which have seen a lot of points dropped. Saturday’s trip to face the Shrews will be another difficult test with Sam Ricketts’ side impressive at the Greenhous Meadow this season, where they have only lost twice in the league, having recorded impressive victories over Portsmouth, Sunderland and Peterborough.
The fact that Max Biamou is scoring regularly, Matty Godden is back, Jamie Allen is finally getting going and Callum O’Hare is enjoying decent form from the start bodes well. But City clearly need to start finding a way to win on the road to start turning the draws into wins and take them from play-off hopefuls to automatic promotion contenders.