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Coventry City 0 - 0 Bristol Rovers

Sun Apr 07, 2019 1:58 pm

Re: Coventry City 0 - 0 Bristol Rovers

Sun Apr 07, 2019 5:49 pm

Sky Blues suffer play-offs setback

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Coventry’s play-off ambitions suffered another frustrating setback when they failed to produce the finishing touch to a bright attacking display against Rovers’ relegation candidates.

The visitors looked delighted with the point which nudges them three points clear of the drop zone but the Sky Blues are now eight points behind sixth-placed Doncaster – effectively nine because of goal difference – with only five games to play.

City controlled a first half which was bookended by two what-might-have-been headers from Tom Bayliss free-kicks – Dominic Hyam too high with the first and Tom Davies wide with the second.

A superb left-flank combination between Brandon Mason and Jordy Hiwula almost fashioned a 13th-minute breakthrough but Bright Enobakhare couldn’t get a decisive connection in front of the gaping goal.

And seconds later, with the Bristol defence still at panic stations, Luke Thomas fired over an excellent cross from the right but although Hiwula’s volley was cleanly struck it skimmed marginally wide.

Lee Burge had an untroubled 45 minutes in the home goal, Davies bravely blocking Stuart Sinclair’s fierce volley while Gas skipper Tom Lockyer headed wide from Upson’s free-kick.

City began the second half superbly, Mason swapping swapping passes with Enobakhare to cross to the far post where Thomas’s tight-angled header was clawed away by Bonham.

Mark Robins was forced to reorganise on the hour when Bayliss was led off with a broken wrist following a collision with Sinclair – and replacement David Meyler lasted just ten minutes before he came off worse in a 50-50 clash with Abu Ogogo.

In between the two substitutions Thomas’s low 20-yarder curling just past the post but Rovers produced a rare threat in the 75th minute when Dujon Sterling charged down Liam Sercombe’s thumping shot.

The visitors enjoyed a miraculous escape in the 79th minute when Bonham parried Davies’s header from a corner and Hyam – slap in the middle of goal and barely three yards out – somehow scuffed the rebound wide.

City were swarming round the Rovers area but almost fell to a breakaway sucker punch five minutes from time when Burge sprawled to hold Upson’s low shot.

He had to make his second save of the match in similar circumstances, this time blocking a rising drive from substitute Tom Nicholls, as the clock ticked into eight minutes overtime.

And even that wasn’t enough to break the deadlock, Bonham pulling off another sharp save after good work by Thomas had teed up substitute Connor Chaplin.

Attendance: 12,664 (2,187 away)

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