Mark Robins sets out transfer state of play as Coventry City unit make first impressions
The talking points from Coventry City’s defeat at Wimbledon in the EFL Cup on Wednesday nigh
Coventry City were the subject of an EFL Cup shock and the victims of a late, unforeseen comeback staged by AFC Wimbledon – who set up a second round tie with Chelsea – at Plough Lane on Wednesday night.
City, leading into the 86th minute thanks to Matty Godden’s first half penalty, couldn’t have done much more besides offer more ruthlessness and a clinical edge in front of goal – they had 28 shots, 11 of them were on target and yet they failed to net in open play over the course of the event.
Despite it never looking likely prior to Johnnie Jackson rolling the dice late on and introducing substitutes Omar Bugiel and Ryan McLean, both of those players found the net – McLean doing so deep into stoppage time.
Let’s be clear – Wimbledon gave as good as they got, all over the pitch, right from the word go. They could’ve been in front after a matter of minutes and well before the Sky Blues had opened the scoring. They’re a League Two team who are playing a much changed side who operate at two divisions above them, so they’re motivated and have little to lose.
The quality of the Dons’ chances, though, didn’t match up to City’s. While Mark Robins was clearly frustrated by the lack of a cutting edge and, indeed, disappointed in general with his team’s performance, it’s clear that this match should’ve been over as a contest long before Bugiel levelled things up. There was just enough time left for that wave of momentum, generated by the equaliser, to carry Wimbledon home.
It was bittersweet that the man of the match, announced over the tannoy in stoppage time, was awarded to Dons keeper Nik Tzanev, who wasn’t for beating – even despite Ellis Simms’ last gasp shot on goal, which was expertly tipped over.
Cutting edge
Robins knows it’ll come. Wright could’ve had a hat-trick on another night. So too could Godden, in the first half alone. Even Simms missed a couple of opportunities, one of them glaring from close range after Tzanev had only parried Kasey Palmer’s shot from range into the danger zone.
Gus Hamer went close twice. Jake Bidwell might’ve picked out the corner through a field of bodies in a first-half goalmouth scramble. All the while Tatsuhiro Sakamoto buzzed around the final third and made a nuisance of himself.
Still, the stats will say that Coventry have had 48 shots in the first two games of this new season – which in itself is encouraging – and 17 of them have been on target, yet their only goals have been a header from a corner and a penalty. Clearly still some sharpening of the knives required.
First impressions
Robins gave five full debuts out here. There were signs in the game that players across the pitch were slowly developing understandings, but there is obviously still a fair bit to work on. We’re only midway through August with one league game under their belts and, for some of them, this was a first run-out full stop, so there is plenty of gelling required.
“We look like strangers at the minute,” Robins said, “but they are good players and we’ll get better fairly quickly. As long as it doesn’t knock their confidence in terms of losing games, they’re good and we saw evidence of it on Sunday – but they all need to be up to speed.
“It’s not anybody’s fault, it’s just the circumstances. Everyone has worked their socks off. It’s just going to take some time to gel the team – and that’s frustrating when you want to hit the ground running because of those circumstances.”
It’s evident that City aren’t yet done in the window. They bid farewell to nine players earlier this summer, on top of the departing loanees of last season, and while nine have been recruited, the squad is still likely a little way off where Robins would like it to be on the morning of the 2nd of September.
There is, of course, the danger still that further players may leave. Hamer, after putting in another excellent display in the midfield – everything just comes so easy to him – was pleaded with by the ardent away following as he departed the field to ‘sign the contract’, but a key three weeks lie ahead in his time at the club.
“We need to do some more, and we’re trying to do some more,” Robins told CoventryLive after. “We’ll keep working towards that and we’ll see what we can come up with.” The Sky Blues, then, are by no means done and dusted.
