COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Sky Blues come from behind three times with mistakes at both ends



Coventry City came from behind three times to take a single point in a game littered with defensive errors from both sides.

Matty Godden passed up the perfect chance to give his side the lead from the penalty spot after a 20th minute handball, which resulted in the striker hitting his spot-kick down the middle at chest height and being denied by the firm hand of goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.

Watford then took the lead against the run of play when Tom Ince drilled the ball in from the right and striker Mileta Rajovic struck home with 35 minutes on the clock. But City were back on level terms six minutes later when Milan van Ewijk hit a stunning 30-yard free-kick that had the power and accuracy to beat the keeper.

The Hornets then restored their lead early in the second half when Matteus Martins ran down the left flank, cut inside and curled a shot round Ben Wilson. But the visitors shot themselves in the foot in the 64th minute when centre-back Wesley Hoedt hit a back-pass to his keeper but left him stretching as the ball rolled inside the near post.

However, there was dreadful defending at the other end 11 minutes from time when Bobby Thomas under hit a backpass to Wilson and Bayo nipped in and played it to Rajovic to slot home into an empty net.

Coventry then got back on level terms for a third time when Wright got to the byline and pulled the ball back for Godden who ran onto it and steered it home past the goalkeeper as the game ended 3-3.

Coventry and Watford draw six-goal thriller



Mileta Rajovic's double on his first Watford start was not enough to clinch victory as Coventry fought back three times to share the points in a thriller at the CBS Arena.

The Danish striker put the Hornets ahead 15 minutes after Daniel Bachmann had saved Matt Godden's penalty at the other end.

Milan van Ewijk levelled before half-time with a superb free-kick, but Udinese loanee Matheus Martins restored the visitors' advantage.

Bachmann's error led to a Wesley Hoedt own goal that made it 2-2, but Rajovic scored his second - only for Godden to equalise again for Coventry three minutes from time.

Watford began well and might have snatched an early lead when Imran Louza capitalised on a slip by goalkeeper Ben Wilson to set up Tom Ince, but his curling effort flew wide.

At the other end, Bachmann maintained parity, flinging himself to his right to push away Godden's spot-kick after Ryan Porteous was adjudged to have handled a Jay Dasilva cross.

It was the visitors who broke the deadlock 10 minutes before the interval, with Ince involved again as he collected Ken Sema's pass and set up Rajovic, recently signed from Swedish club Kalmar, to fire into the roof of the net.

The Hornets' lead lasted only six minutes as Coventry won a free-kick 25 yards out and Van Ewijk stepped up to hammer it emphatically into the bottom left-hand corner.

But they were back in front in the 52nd minute when Martins produced a skilful run on the left and worked his way past two defenders before curling a classy finish beyond Wilson.

The Sky Blues keeper was at full stretch to prevent Louza from making it 3-1 soon afterwards, but Bachmann then went from hero to villain as Hoedt's backpass trickled beyond him to gift the home side their second equaliser.

Watford responded with a raft of substitutions and one of them, Vakoun Bayo, broke to set up Rajovic for his second goal, a close-range finish 11 minutes from time.

It looked as if that would be enough to clinch a first win in four games for Valerien Ismael's side - but the impressive Haji Wright had other ideas, bursting down the right and setting up Godden to slam home and make it 3-3.

Coventry's third consecutive draw leaves them 14th in the table, a point and four places above Watford going into the international break.

Coventry manager Mark Robins told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:

"There were too many decisions we made that were wrong but there were so many decisions that we made right as well.

"I thought we were brave, we went after the game all the time - we just got things wrong on the defensive side.

"Other than that, we created some brilliant chances and we've come back three times. The football was scintillating and the crowd were magnificent.

"There's a bit of confidence lacking in one or two areas but in the final third we looked dangerous, and we looked a threat from set-plays."