Coventry City 1 - 1 MK Dons

[dutchman]

Sky Blues' automatic promotion push stutters



Coventry City’s push for automatic promotion stuttered as they could only manage a single point against fourth from bottom MK Dons.

The Sky Blues raced into the lead with just 48 seconds on the clock when Sam McCallum scored from outside the box in a first half short on chances.

And City struggled to find a much-needed second goal against a competitive opposition, eventually denied the full three points by a 76th minute equaliser from substitute Carlton Morris in a hard-fought game at St Andrew’s – the result seeing Mark Robins’s men drop a place to fourth in the table.

City flew out of the blocks, finding the back of the net inside the first minute from a lovely left foot strike from McCallum who controlled a cross with his chest and hit it hard and low from outside the box to beat keeper Lee Nicholls at his left-hand post.

Opportunities, however, were few and far between as the game progressed until the half hour mark when Jordan Shipley was denied by the keeper’s palm, while Liam Walsh hit a powerful first time shot straight at the stopper just before the break following a terrific run by Fankaty Dabo who skinned Dean Lewington down the right before pulling the ball back to set up the midfielder.

Although MK Dons edged possession in the opening 45 minutes, they had nothing to show for it after failing to create a single attempt on goal in a hotly contested match that threatened to spill over when MK centre-back Joe Walsh appeared to stamp on McCallum – an incident that infuriated City’s assistant manager Adi Viveash who remonstrated with the fourth official and then with the player when the whistle went for half-time.

The visitors managed their first attempt on goal three minutes into the second half when lively striker Rhys Healey pulled inside and hit a curling shot inches wide of Marko Marosi’s right-hand post.

Robins livened things up when he made a double substitution on the hour, sending on Max Biamou and Callum O’Hare for Zain Westbrooke and Shipley.

And the change worked well with the lively Aston Villa loan man helping create chances for Matty Godden and Biamou, both of whom were denied by blocks by the keeper.

But City’s slender lead left them vulnerable and MK got the equaliser they had been threatening in the 76th minute when a powerful cross from the right hit Liam Kelly and fell straight to Carlton Morris to pick his spot.

Attendance: 6,666 (897 away)