Luke Thomas levels in poor showing from Sky BluesCoventry City had to come from behind and could only manage a point against bottom of the league AFC Wimbledon on a frustrating afternoon at the Ricoh Arena.
The Sky Blues trailed after just a minute and 13 seconds when they failed to defend the first corner of the game, allowing Jake Jervis to poke home from close range.
Mark Robins’s men went on to dominate the next hour and finally managed to break down a resilient Wombles when Luke Thomas pulled level through a crowd of players.
But City couldn’t find the winner they were looking for, with Jordy Hiwula passing up a golden opportunity late on before Liam Kelly thumped the crossbar with the last kick of the game.
Coventry suffered an early blow when they conceded from a second minute corner and promptly failed to clear their lines. With the ball bobbling about in the six yard box, Jake Jervis pounced to put City on the back foot inside two minutes.
City suddenly woke up after conceding the early setback with a sustained spell of pressure in and around the Wimbledon box in what panned out to be an extremely frustrating first half during which City dominated their opponents but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Despite some neat interplay with Luke Thomas at the heart of most moves, City’s final ball was poor, often over hit, while Jordy Hiwula and Tom Bayliss both had close range shots blocked at the last second by a Dons’ side who defended their slender lead in numbers.
Liam Kelly was also denied by a brilliant tip over by keeper Aaron Ramsdale amid City’s determined effort to get back on level terms.
The home side, however, almost found themselves two goals down in the 14th minute when Mitchell Pinnock thumped the crossbar as the Wombles looked a threat on the odd occasion they managed to launch a counter attack.
Ramsdale came to the rescue for the visitors again on the half hour when new loan signing Bright Enobakhare, who was slow to get going on his first start for the club, slipped the ball to Hiwula who saw his angled shot blocked at the near post as Robins’s men kept chipping away at their opponents.
Dujon Sterling was a constant threat down the right but City were guilty of hitting poor final balls time and time again in the opening half.
Coventry continued to boss the second half when they finally got the goal they’d ben threatening when Thomas hit a low shot from just outside the box that somehow sneaked through a crowd of players and inside the far post.
Robins’s immediately responded by adding more fire power up front with Jonson Clarke-Harris replacing Enobakhare in a bid to go for the win.
But the visitors pushed forward more to take the pressure off themselves, serving to frustrate City further as they desperately tried to find a second goal.
That should have come three minutes from time when Bayliss and Hiwula combined on the counter attack but the striker dragged his shot wide when he had the chance to snatch glory.
And when Kelly hit the crossbar after four minutes of stoppage time it summed up City’s luck on a day when they dominated but just didn’t have the cutting edge to finish their opponents off.
Attendance: 10,420 (667 away)