Luton Town 1-1 Coventry City

Sky Blues denied by late equaliser



A late defensive lapse cost the Sky Blues a pre-season victory after they had taken the lead with a rare moment of quality in a low-key encounter at Kenilworth Road.

And it didn’t tell Tony Mowbray much that he didn’t already know – principally that his team have plenty of creative players but are clearly short of an attacking spearhead.

It was 19 minutes before the first goal attempt worthy of the name, Doyle blazing high and wide from 20 yards, and immediately afterwards Luton were forced to shuffle their attack –Benson ushered off with a gashed head after a touchline collision with Johnson.

McQuoid, who spent the first half of last season on loan with the Sky Blues, filled the gap for the Hatters who again had a sight at goal as Lawless smacked a half-volley yards over from just outside the area.

Coventry conjured up a fluent move ten minutes before the interval, O’Brien providing the right-wing cross and left-back Haynes getting in a half-hit shot that Justham tipped over with no real conviction. And The Hatters responded with their best break on the cusp of a generally flat first half, Green’s daisy-cutter from 20-odd yards proving no problem for Charles-Cook.

Kicking towards their knot of supporters, The Sky Blues launched the second period in much more impressive style as Maddison and Swanson combined cleverly down the left and O’Brien swivelled to fire in a fierce shot that Justham turned round the post at full stretch.

And a minute later City had the lead – Swanson again heavily involved as he swapped passes with Lameiras and twisted inside O’Donnell to get in a shot that Justham could only fend to Maddison for a point-blank finish.

McQuoid threatened an equaliser when he slid in at the far post but couldn’t quite stretch to a clean connection with Mackail-Smith’s driven cross before Luton sent on half-a-dozen substitutes for the final half-hour – a move that enabled the Sky Blues to take control of the game without producing much in the way of a cutting edge.

But with just four minutes to go the defence momentarily dozed off and Marriott slipped through a gap to trundle a shot into the bottom corner – and he almost won it at the death as Dion Kelly’s misdirected pass deep in the home half enabled him to gallop upfield but this time he pulled his shot wide of the far post.