Gyokeres on the mark again as Sky Blues come from behindCoventry City had to come from behind to secure a point despite dominating the play with another entertaining and attacking display at the CBS Arena.
The Sky Blues conceded when former City striker Gary Madine struck home from a 24th minute counter attack before Viktor Gyokeres equalised with a route-one reply just before half-time.
But despite their best efforts, Mark Robins’s men just couldn’t find the quality required to score the winner in an enjoyable but ultimately frustrating game on home soil.
City came flying out of the traps, getting straight at the visitors in the first minute when they put in two threatening crosses into the box before Gus Hamer hit a first time volley that struck Jordan Shipley and deflected over and wide.
Hamer unleashed another beautifully hit shot in the fifth minute that dipped over the bar at the last second as Coventry looked threatening every time they broke forward.
Ben Sheaf drove into the box where he was blocked off and went to ground appealing for a penalty, only for referee Andre Marriner to show him the yellow card for diving.
And minutes later City were denied by the linesman’s flag when O’Hare was played through on goal and tucked the ball past the keeper.
Blackpool, meanwhile, went close when Owen Dale hit a hard and low effort just wide of the post and had a couple more early efforts that went wide, ensuring City had to be on their toes at the back, particularly from counter attacks.
And in the 24th minute a sweeping move from right to left caught Coventry cold, with Dale cutting into the box past Dom Hyam and putting the ball into the six-yard box for former Sky Blues striker Gary Madine to thump home from close range completely against the run of play as the home side dominated with 69 per cent of the possession.
Coventry felt aggrieved again just after the half hour mark when Jordan Shipley had a shot in the box that hit the arm of a defender, with several players racing to the referee and appealing for handball, but Marriner – who came in for plenty of stick from the fans for his failure to award Coventry free-kicks – was having none of it.
City had a second goal disallowed for off-side in the 38th minute when Gyokeres turned the ball in from a corner, but the big Swede found the back of the net four minutes from the break to restore parity.
Blackpool had a corner but Simon Moore collected it high in the air and quickly released it with a big kick upfield to release the striker who shrugged past former City defender Dujon Sterling, who lose his footing and went to ground, leaving Gyokeres to drive forward and slot coolly past goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw to equalise.
Robins’s men came out all guns blazing in the second half when they once again dominated the ball and created several chances from some terrific football attacking the away end.
Hamer forced the keeper to push wide at his right-hand post from a thunderous 30-yard free-kick while Michael Rose couldn’t get any power or direction on a header from a corner.
Coventry, however, still looked vulnerable to the counter attack while Moore was called upon just after the hour, forced to tip over the bar from a Jordan Thorniley header from a corner.
Robins made a couple of changes, switching to two up top with the introduction of Martyn Waghorn, while the fresh legs of Jake Bidwell helped tighten things up in an increasingly end to end and thoroughly entertaining Championship contest in which City had to settle for a point.
ATTENDANCE: 15,752 (814 away).