Sc*nthorpe 2 Coventry City 1

EIGHTEEN-year-old Jack Cork struck a superb second-half winner to haul Sc*nthorpe off the foot of the Coca-Cola Championship.

The Chelsea midfielder, on a season-long loan from Stamford Bridge, netted his second career goal to hand his adopted team only their second win of 2008.

It also piled the pressure on fellow strugglers Coventry, who fell behind in the 15th minute when Martin Paterson cracked in his 14th goal of the season from long range.

The advantage lasted just six minutes, after Marcus Williams brought down Kevin Thornton in the box.

Sc*nthorpe handed striker Ben May his second start for the club in place of the veteran Geoff Horsfield.

He almost made an instant impact, but fired his left-footed shot over the bar after less than two minutes.

Martin Paterson could have put the Iron ahead after five minutes but his header from six yards was straight at Andy Marshall.

At the other end, Izzy Iriekpen - making his first start for five months - had to be alert to cut out a Michael Mifsud cross.

Sc*nthorpe deservedly went ahead in the 15th minute, Paterson's speculative shot finding the net from more than 25 yards.

Daniel Fox tried to curl in an equaliser from similar range but the defender was off target.

Williams then gifted Coventry a penalty in the 21st minute, bringing down Kevin Thornton, who picked himself up to score.

Sc*nthorpe tried to hit back but Ian Morris' header was an easy catch for Marshall.

The midfielder nearly made amends from a corner taken by Grant McCann - back from a three-match ban - Morris' strike was cleared by Jay Tabb.

Thornton then shot too close to Joe Murphy just past the half-hour mark.

Both sides failed to force another opening until May headed McCann's cross over a minute from the break.

Scott Dann, recalled in the Coventry defence at the expense of Elliott Ward, then nodded a Daniel Fox corner wide in stoppage-time.

After a quiet opening 10 minutes of the second half, the visitors suddenly created the best chance of the game, but Julian Gray failed to find the net from six yards.

Otherwise, it was becoming a niggly contest, Coventry's Leon Best and Isaac Osbourne picking up needless bookings to add to those of Thorton and Fox in the first half.

The game needed a moment of inspiration and it duly arrived in the 66th minute when Cork's superb strike flew into the net from the right edge of the penalty area.

The midfielder nearly had his second minutes later but he was off target from 12 yards, before Paterson shot too close to Marshall from similar range.

Coventry were showing little sign of levelling, Andy Crosby's header cleared by Marcus Hall.

Paterson could have killed them off with less than five minutes remaining but he fired over, while Coventry substitute Robbie Simpson also had a shot blocked late on.

Coventry City relegation battle: Chris Coleman fires wake-up call

COVENTRY CITY boss Chris Coleman warned his players they must improve or else after Sa ay's 2-1 defeat at Sc*nthorpe dragged them deeper into Coca-Cola Championship relegation trouble.

Eighteen-year-old Jack Cork struck a superb second-half winner to haul the Iron off the foot of the table.

The Chelsea midfielder, on a season-long loan from Stamford Bridge, netted his second career goal to hand his adopted team only their second win of 2008.

But for the Sky Blues it was a seventh successive away defeat and new manager Coleman said: I know as a player what it feels like to taste relegation.

It's a horrible feeling that takes a long time to go away. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

But we know we are in for a rough ride and the only way we are going to stay out of trouble is if everybody realises the situation we are in.

We are down here for a reason. The season is not just five or 10 games old, there are only about 10 games left.

The first half was okay at Sc*nthorpe but the second was unacceptable.

I have told the players that. If we are going to stay out of trouble, we are going to have to do better than this.

It was Sc*nthorpe's leading marksmen Martin Paterson who fired his side in front in the 15th minute with an excellent curling shot from 25 yards past goalkeeper Andy Marshall for his 14th goal of the season.

Coventry were back on level terms just six minutes later when midfield man Kevin Thornton scored from the penalty spot after he had been brought down by a challenge from full-back Marcus Williams.

The Iron, who had won only twice in their previous 22 games, showed plenty of energy and plenty of industry.

They were unlucky not to regain the lead when a shot from midfield man Ian Morris was scrambled off the line by Coventry midfield man Jay Tabb.
The visitors had appeals for a penalty turned down early in the second half when striker Leon Best looked to be impeded by Sc*nthorpe skipper Andy Crosby.

The home side sna*ched the winning goal in the 66th minute when a deep left-wing cross found England Under-19 man Cork, who squeezed his shot past goalkeeper Marshall from what seemed an impossible angle.

Manager Nigel Adkins was delighted with the result, saying: We can play much better than this but winning games is all that is important at this stage of the season.

We have always had a belief that we can get out of trouble and survive at Championship level.

We want to be a little bit like that Olympic runner who comes from behind and finishes strongly to cross the line in first place.

It was a terrific goal from Martin Paterson, who has had an excellent season for us.

There might have been an element of fortune about Jack Cork's winner but he too has been tremendous for us this season on loan from Chelsea.

He is a young player with a terrific talent.

Results are the only thing that matter, says Chris Coleman

NEW Coventry City boss Chris Coleman today stressed that results are far more important than performances at this stage of the season.

The Sky Blues lost 2-1 to fellow relegation strugglers Sc*nthorpe on Sa ay.

And Coleman is quick to point out that points are needed - no matter how they arrive - are needed as the

When we start training on Monday morning I want to see a group of men who will go into the game ready to win, he said.

Whether we win it in the first minute or the last minute, with a great goal or a lucky goal, I don't care.

We can't play the way Sc*nthorpe play.

They're built for that; they've got bigger guys and they knock it long.

We've got a smaller team so we can't do that, but we can do a lot better than we did second half because I can't accept a performance like that.

We could have built on the first-half performance but unfortunately we went the other way.

There was never a lack of effort because we've got a good bunch of guys, good professionals, but perhaps we were a bit complacent.

When we got into good positions we were frivolous - it looked to me as if they were thinking 'it's all right, we'll get another chance in a minute.'

It could have been different if we'd been a bit stronger mentally up front, and we've got to be braver defensively as well because at the moment we drop deep so quickly.

That's what happens when you're losing because you think the safest thing is to drop back early. It's all down to confidence because they've become used to losing games and it's hard to get out of that habit.

As to Jack Cork's spectacular winner, Coleman said: I don't think he meant it - I think he was just trying to smash it across the box - but when you're where we are and you've lost a lot of games, things go against you.

They'll only go for you if you make them go for you and that's what we've got to start doing.

We had a blatant penalty in the second half, as bad as the first one, but it wasn't given.

But I don't want to make excuses because we've got no time for that. We've got games left, but we need a dramatic improvement if we're going to stay in this league.

Jack Cork pops Sky Blues balloon as relegation inches closer

JACK CORK has scored only two goals in his fledgling professional career - but they might just prove crucial blows to Coventry's prospects of playing in the Championship next season.

The 18-year-old midfielder, son of former City coach Alan, netted at the Ricoh Arena as Sc*nthorpe scrambled a 1-1 draw despite finishing the first-ever league meeting between the two clubs with only nine men on the pitch.

And if that seemed a minor irritant back in November, Sa ay's winner at Glanford Park was a savage setback to a Sky Blues side now teetering just three points above the relegation cut-off.

It's no consolation at all that Cork Junior's latest strike was an outrageous fluke, a goal he could never hope to repeat if, having completed his season-long loan spell with The Iron, he returns to parent club Chelsea and becomes a Stamford Bridge legend for the next decade.

More likely, in fact, is that the hopeful cross that somehow swerved into the top corner of Andy Marshall's net will rip another hole in the Sky Blues' shredded self-confidence, convincing them that the fates are conspiring to ensure that nothing they do will be sufficient to save them from the drop.

Manager Chris Coleman is all too aware of that danger, insisting: We can't feel sorry for ourselves.

We've got to be tougher mentally because we've got into the habit of losing - and we won't get out if it with performances like that.

And after two defeats from his first three games in charge, Coleman admitted that he will have to compromise his principles if City are to claw their way to safely.

Forget about me saying we want to pass the ball, he said.

That's all well and good but we need to win the games and to do that we've got to show more organisation that we did in the second 45 minutes here because that was unacceptable.

In the first half City did try to play their way out of trouble - it might not have been exactly ol football, but they at least attempted a constructive pass-and-move alternative to the blood-and-guts norm at this level.

If at times they were overly intricate (embarrassingly so when Michael Hughes and Michael Mifsud cannoned into each other, alarmingly when Marshall, Isaac Osbourne and Marcus Hall indulged in a bout of one-touch passes on the rim of their own area) the philosophy was vindicated in the excellent build-up that led to their equaliser.

But although their flexible 4-5-1 c*m 4-3-3 formation offers fluid attacking possibilities, it founders on the lack of a genuine cutting edge.

Leon Best's abilities are not best suited to a role where he spends most of his time collecting the ball with his back to goal and two big defenders snapping at his heels.

Michael Mifsud and Julian Gray have the pace and control to exploit space down the flanks, but both were again disappointingly peripheral on Sa ay.

And, having discarded Dele Adebola and Kevin Kyle in the final hours of the January transfer window, City no longer have the fall-back option of lumping long ba11s into the box.

The immeasurable value of an on-song striker was underlined in the 15th minute when Martin Paterson fired Sc*nthorpe in front with his 14th goal of the season.

There seemed no immediate threat when a City attack broke down as Best lost possession and Paterson picked up Ian Morris's clearance inside the visitors' segment of the centre-circle - but as Hall back-pedalled in front of him, he strode forward and lined himself up for a cleanly-struck, splendidly-accurate 30-yard shot that curled round Marshall's full-length dive to slide just inside the post.

City retaliated inside six minutes with a finely-constructed right-flank move that featured Thornton's delightfully-intuitive flick to Osbourne.

By the time the full-back duly crossed, Thornton had made his way into the area where he was clumsily toppled from behind by Marcus Williams - and the young midfielder happily took the responsibility from the spot, beating Joe Murphy with cool left-foot precision before picking up a yellow card for celebrating with the fans behind the goal.

Sc*nthorpe were denied a second when Jay Tabb, again an outstandingly energetic box-to-box presence, pulled off an all-but miraculous goal-line block from Morris's fierce left-foot shot.

But the Sky Blues finished the half well - Thornton twice threatening while Scott Dann was just unable to get a clean connection to Danny Fox's corner - and they were denied a vital breakthrough 10 minutes after the interval when Best was cut down by Andy Crosby on the edge of the area but referee Bratt brushed aside their penalty claims.

It's tempting to pinpoint that as the psychological turning point because from then on Sky Blue shoulders sagged while Scun-thorpe's self-belief soared.

True, their tactics were largely limited to manoeuvring opportunities for Morris to demonstrate his trebuchet long-throw, but that paid huge dividends in the 66th minute.

The initial danger seemed to have been cleared as Best ushered Cork into the angle of the goal-line and the 18-yard box, but the England Under-19 player swivelled to fire over a cross that sliced into the near top corner of the City goal.

What can you say about that, said the rueful Marshall after the game.

It made me feel a little bit better when I found out what had happened because initially I thought it was him just swinging his leg and smashing it into the top corner.

But it was a complete fluke - if you tried it a thousand times you'd never get close to repeating it.

The point was underlined in the 73rd minute when Cork blasted high and wide as Morris's cross skidded past Fox to present him with a clear shot 12 yards out.

But although Coleman sent on Wayne Andrews and Robbie Simpson to freshen up his attack, and Marshall threw his weight into an injury-time corner assault, City never seriously threatened to salvage a point.

And unless Mifsud - who hasn't scored in his last 15 Championship starts - has another couple of specials tucked into his boots or Coleman can draft in loan reinforcements for the final push, they will be reduced to praying for a few flukes of their own if they are to cling on to their Championship status.

QPR game is Coventry City's biggest of the season

CHRIS COLEMAN has pinpointed Wednesday's showdown against Queens Park Rangers as Coventry City's biggest match of the season as he battles to stop the relegation rot at the Ricoh Arena.

Sa ay's 2-1 defeat at rock-bottom Sc*nthorpe leaves the Sky Blues just two precarious places above the drop zone.

And Coleman admits he has got a massive task on his hands to rebuild his team's fragile confidence as they prepare to face a QPR side fresh from yesterday's 3-0 rout of leaders Stoke City.

We can't afford to feel sorry for ourselves, warned the Welshman.

We've got to be tougher mentally because we're not half-way up the league, we're in a relegation battle - and you don't get out of it with performances like we put in against Burnley and Sc*nthorpe.

You could see that we are a team that's become used to losing, and when that happens it's too easy to accept that things are going against you.

But we've got to get out of that habit because it's a cancer.

QPR is now our biggest game of the season - it's as simple as that.

I knew we were in a relegation battle when I turned up here.

We talked about the long-term plan, being in the Premier League, but the first goal is staying in this division.

These remaining games are cup finals for us, and unless we go in to them harder and tougher, we will be going down.

It can happen to anybody - ask Sheffield Wednesday - they're a big club and they went down.

It can happen to us and it will happen if we continue like that.

Asked if he will be looking to bring in loan players to bolster the survival bid, he said: Absolutely - the squad needs some help, because we are where we are for a reason.

Things were changed because the team was having a bad time and we've still got the same team.

There's a new manager, maybe new ideas, but the situation's the same.

I didn't come here with a bag of magic dust that would turn things round and make it nice and easy - it doesn't work like that.

We're not five or 10 games into the season, we're coming to the last stage and we know we're in for a rough ride.

And we'll only get out of trouble if everybody realises where we are.

I've had relegation as a player and that feeling of failure doesn't just last for six weeks during the summer, it lasts for ever.

I'll never forget how it felt when I was relegated and I never want to experience that again.

I've told the players that they don't want it either - it's a horrible feeling and I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

John Hartson rules out manager job

JOHN HARTSON has turned down the chance to become manager of Irn-Bru Third Division side East Stirlingshire.

The former Coventry City and Celtic striker recently retired from playing after leaving West Brom.

East Stirlingshire had hoped to present Welshman Hartson as their new boss by the middle of this week.

Reshuffle at Ricoh to boost Coventry City's coffers

COVENTRY CITY have taken the first step towards a deal with the Ricoh Arena to share more of the cash generated by the football club on matchdays.

The two organisations have agreed to work from the same offices and share some staff functions from next month as the first stage in a plan to explore ways to share match-day revenue further.

The move was announced by ACL chief executive Daniel Gidney and club chairman Ray Ranson after staff at both organisations had been informed of the changes.

They were also told that some posts could become redundant.

Ranson said: This is a very significant step forward for both organisations and for the supporters of Coventry City.

Everyone knows that historically we have not benefited from every aspect of matchday revenue and that has been a problem for us.

We said from the outset that we would attempt to address that situation and we and ACL have now agreed to look at ways in which that can be rectified through a number of joined up operations which will be mutually beneficial.

The details of those are still being explored but I am now confident that there will be a time in the near future that every pound spent on a match day will in some way benefit Coventry City.

The move is the first step in the process of restructuring City's finances and the club says it intends to exercise the option negotiated in the takeover deal to buy half of the stadium from the Higgs Charity within the next 12 months.

Sky Blue Sa ay: Quaking at the Championship table

SEISMOLOGISTS have executed a dramatic U-turn regarding the earthquake that hit much of Britain last week.

The quake, which measured 5.2 on the Richter Scale, was originally thought to have had its epicentre in the Lincolnshire town of Market Rasen.

But after reviewing the evidence, scientists have now earmarked Coventry as the earthquakes most likely centre.

Seismologist Dr Patti ODaws said there were two probable reasons for the quake originating in Coventry.

The low rumble followed by a short period of violent shaking were the hallmarks of a classic medium-scale earthquake.

This could have been the result of Coventry Citys season coming completely off the rails.

Or it could have been caused by Geoffrey Robinson falling over himself to get out of the club now that SISU have finally secured 90 per cent of the shares.

Either way, it left any number of people in the area confused, bewildered and frightened. Much like the feeling a City fan gets every time he or she looks at the Championship table.

Coventry City looking for midfield muscle

MIDFIELD battlers Michael Doyle and Stephen Hughes look set to be recalled to Coventry City's starting line-up as manager Chris Coleman looks for leaders to put the fight and desire back in the team.

The Sky Blues boss admits that back-to-back away defeats has rammed home the fact that the club are in a relegation scr*p and he wants players with the right battling qualities to come to the fore.

I never saw fight and desire in the second half on Sa ay and that was disappointing because we have got some good guys here, said Coleman, who is preparing his side to face a rejuvenated QPR at the Ricoh Arena tomorrow night.

People say I have come down to the Championship but I played a lot of games in the Championship and before I was 21 I played the best part of 200 games in the fourth and third division.

So I know what it is like outside the top league because I have got a lot of experience in it.

The players are normally naturally gifted with fight and desire and once you get to the highest level that's not enough and you need more than that to survive in the Premier League.

But in this league, that carries you a long way and we mustn't lose that, and if we get that, everything else will fall into place.

If we go out with the mentality that we are not going to get beat today, play as a team and play as a team who are fighting in a relegation battle, everything else will come into play after that.

My first game went great when we beat Leicester City and all the hoo-ha of us arriving and all of a sudden we thought we were going to be OK.

But now we have been brought back down to earth with a big b*mp in the last two games and performances.

We have got a lot to improve on and we have got 12 games to do that.

And with Doyle available after completing his three-match ban and Hughes having recovered from concussion, the midfield pairing look favourite for an immediate return.

A player like Michael Doyle is going to be important to any team in a situation we find ourselves in, said the manager.

Michael has a talent.

He is very committed.

We have to make sure he doesn't lose his head but you need players like that when you are where you are.

It is not just about winning tackles - that's obvious - it's about having the desire to do the right things and be mentally hard with yourself.

We need players to step forward and say, 'right, I am going to be an example today and take things forward,' and we get that from people like Michael Doyle and Stephen Hughes, and then we have got a great chance of staying in the league.

He added: We have missed Stephen's height in the midfield.

We have struggled from set plays against teams in this league who play a lot of long ba11s.

So it will be nice to have Stephen back because he has got a big physical threat, as well as Doyler's physical side.

Chris Coleman has Coventry City double training to beat the drop

COVENTRY CITY'S players have been doing double training sessions in a bid to brush up on their shortcomings.

Sky Blues boss Chris Coleman insists it is not a punishment, but just him and his coaching staff trying to make the most of the short time they have had to work with the squad.

There were a few long faces on Monday morning, as you would expect, but we had a couple of good training sessions because we don't have the luxury of working in a pre-season with the players for six or eight weeks on what we want to do, he revealed.

So we are trying to get a balance of as many training sessions with the players to get used to each other because we haven't got a lot of time.

We had a defensive session in the morning and an offensive session in the afternoon and we are trying to cover everything without bamboozling the guys and changing too much too soon.

We want to work with them as much as possible without fatiguing them because we have got a big game tomorrow night.

But it is not a punishment and if you saw the players after the game on Sa ay they were devastated and they know they are better than what they showed.

There has been a lot to talk about after Sa ay and we have been trying to squeeze that in at the same time as preparing for QPR on Wednesday.

He added: If you are losing games you are not scoring enough and conceding too much, so that's the two things we are looking at.

First and foremost you have got to start with a clean sheet and can you hang on to that without being too negative, but we are trying to work on both.

On Sa ay I was disappointed in the last third when we got into good positions and didn't capitalise on it.

Equally, at the other end we are defending for our lives in the wrong areas of the pitch because there is a lack of confidence again.

We are defending too deeply and are too erratic in our decision-making, so there are things at both ends of the pitch that we have to address if we are going to be successful in the next 11 or 12 games.

The good thing is we can do that and if we can keep a couple of clean sheets back to back we can bounce on big style from there, but we have to keep that first one and do it convincingly as well, without being lucky with it, by good crisp defending.

And once we get a bit of confidence we can build from there.

Jay Tabb: Coventry City up for relegation battle

JAY TABB has promised that Coventry City's confidence-sapped squad are ready to battle for their Championship lives.

The little midfielder, whose hyperactive display was one of the few Sky Blue consolations from Sa ay's capitulation at Sc*nthorpe, admits that morale has sagged since City marked Chris Coleman's arrival with a win against Leicester.

But he insisted: Heads can go down when you're losing games, but we've got to push that out of the way and carry on.

There's no point in trying to dress it up - we know that we're in a relegation battle and we're running out of games.

That's not a very nice feeling, but it's down to us to sort things out; we've got to scr*p for every point to reach our target.

We should be able to go to places like Sc*nthorpe and get a result, but at the moment we're just too easy to beat away from home.

We came back well after their first goal but it was a totally different story in the second half.

They played the way they do and got their goal, and it doesn't matter that it was a fluke because we've been beaten.

We can't keep losing games like this because that's the difference between us and the teams above us.

We hardly ever draw and we've got to be able to grind out points.

I know it's a clich but all the games left, starting with QPR, are cup finals and we've got to be ready to roll up our sleeves and dig in.

Chris Coleman has made it clear that he wants to play football, which is great - he's a good manager who is going to improve us all as players.

But first and foremost he's got to make sure we stay up.

We believe that we are a good side when we play the way we can, but right now we can't think like that; we can't go out there thinking we're going to play like Brazil.

We've got to start getting some points any way we can because a club like this can't go down - we can't allow that to happen.

Goalkeeper Andy Marshall agreed: It's down to us as a team to sort things out because it's just not good enough at the moment.

I won 't say we're worried about relegation, because that would be sending out the wrong message, but we are all very aware of the position we're in and we know what we've got to do to get out of it.

Chris Coleman hits loan log-jam

CHRIS COLEMAN admits his bid to bring in loan players is proving difficult.

I can't say that anyone is imminent, said the City boss yesterday.

Coleman has just over two weeks before the loan window closes on Thursday, March 27.

We are looking and trying and I think it is important that we see one or two new faces to help the guys that we have got, but at the minute I can't say, yes, definitely.

You can never be definite because there is always a twist and a turn.

But we are trying and hopefully we will be successful before the end of the window.

The Hoops: The lowdown

FOR THOSE who thought Coventry City's Operation Premiership was a joke, that's nothing compared to the ambitions of QPR's new owners who have set their sights on Champions League football in four years!

And after splashing out somewhere in the region of 6 million in the January transfer window, Renault boss Flavio Briatore and his backers, who include Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, have put their money where their mouth is to lay the foundations for such dizzy heights.

Although they brushed aside automatic promotion chasing Stoke City 3-0 on Sunday, Rangers remain frustratingly inconsistent, seemingly able to beat the big boys - as they have done against Bristol City and Watford as well - but stumble against the strugglers, which may be good news for the Sky Blues.

Given the weekend victory at Loftus Road, Italian manager Luigi De Canio is expected to field an unchanged side at the Ricoh Arena tonight including seven players that were bought in January, some of whom were paid for after joining the club earlier on loan with a view to permanent deals.

They include midfield maestro Akos Buzsaky whose 56th minute strike against the Potters was his eighth of the season for the Hoops.

Currently deployed wide right, the 500,000 signing from Plymouth is always a threat in and around the box, while 800,000 capture from Sheffield United, Mikele Leigertwood, waded in with an early brace to set Rangers on their way against Stoke.

Not known for his goal scoring exploits, Leigertwood is more of a grafter alongside all rounder Martin Rowlands in the heart of the midfield, while Hogan Ephraim likes to get forward and take on his full-back from the left.

Up front Rowan Vine is not exactly prolific but works incredibly hard and creates plenty of opportunities for his strike partner Patrick Agyemang.

De Canio likes to play tidy passing football and doesn't usually subscribe to the sit tight and hit them on the break tactics that a lot of teams favour away from home, and meddling owner Briatore recently had a say in that when he instructed his manager to play 4-4-2 away from home rather than go with a lone front man.

I can't save Coventry City alone, says Chris Coleman

CHRIS COLEMAN has asked Coventry City supporters to stick with him and the team through what is becoming an increasingly sticky period for the club.

The Sky Blues boss admits he is no Messiah who can swan in and save the club from relegation.

But he is confident that with lots of hard work from the players and staff, and the full backing from the fans, they can pull clear of trouble, starting against QPR at the Ricoh Arena tonight (7.45).

We took a lot of fans to Sc*nthorpe and I felt sorry for them, said the City boss.

I would like to ask them to stay with us because they are going to be important for us.

They were out-singing the Sc*nthorpe fans on Sa ay and we have got to make sure we give them something back.

But they are going to be massive for us in the games coming up at home.

They are probably going to see one or two nervous performances.

I hope they don't, but they may do, and we have to keep them on-side because we need to stick together until we are out of the mess we are in and then bounce on from there.

He added: There is no quick fix and I am not the answer to arrive just like that.

I am not a good enough manager just to turn up and show my face - I need to work hard, just like Steve Kean and the management team.

Looking at the bigger picture away from his immediate concerns, he admits he has a big job on his hands restructuring City's squad after inheriting a large group of players with little depth.

And he says he is amazed at how many left-footed players the club has as he attempts to provide a bit of balance to the team.

People talk about us being a big squad in terms of numbers but we are much of a muchness, have got too many left-sided players and we are not the biggest of teams, so there is a lot to address and that's what we are trying to do.

But we have got enough there to keep us in the division whether we bring in someone else or not, but we would prefer to make sure and if we can mix it up a little bit with a few new faces we will try to do that.

He added: I can't believe the amount of left-sided players we have got.

We have got something like 12 and in all my time in football I have never met a manger or player who hasn't said to me, 'do you know any left-sided players because we are looking for one?'.

And now I know they have all been here.

And asked if he is surprised that there is only one recognised right-back at the club - the injured David McNamee - he admitted: Yes, we have got young Isaac Osbourne who is a midfielder playing right-back for us, so there are certain areas we need to address and improve.

Coventry police pledge after football hooligan riot

EXTRA police officers will be on the streets of Ear on ahead of matches at the Ricoh Arena in the aftermath of a street brawl between rival football thugs.

Violent clashes involving Coventry and Leicester fans flared in Ear on Avenue South, around the car park of the City Arms pub on February 23.

A total of 12 people have since been arrested following the brawl, which left traders and residents taking cover in nearby shops.

The eight men from Leicester and four from Coventry remain on police bail.

Scores of police officers descended on the usually quiet street within minutes to contain the disorder.

Sergeant David Bailey, of the Ear on neighbourhood policing team, is keen to reassure residents that high-visibility patrols will be increased on match days to try to prevent a repeat of the disturbance.

He said: Ear on is not traditionally a drinking area for football fans prior to games.

This would suggest that this violence was preplanned and not just a random incident.

The events of Sa ay, February 23, were particularly shocking for everyone who witnessed them.

I can assure the residents of Ear on and the wider community that everything is being done to identify offenders and bring them to justice.

He added: I would also like to assure them that, while the majority of football fans are law abiding, we will continue to deal robustly with the minority intent on violence.

The additional policing has been welcomed by those who witnessed the violence.

Steve Gollop, owner of Plan B in Ear on Street, said: Any police presence is a good thing.

My own feeling is that it was a one-off, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

I think the next time that Coventry play Leicester at the Ricoh there will need to be police patrols in other areas like Daventry Road, Cheylesmore and Ball Hill because it may move elsewhere - that is my biggest worry.

If anyone has any information regarding individuals involved in the disorder they can contact West Midlands Police on 0845 113 5000 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.

Scott Dann ready to grab his Coventry City chance

SET to make only his third start for the Sky Blues tonight, Scott Dann is keen to take his chance in the first team.

New boss Chris Coleman got his first proper look at the 21-year-old January recruit at Sc*nthorpe on Sa ay.

And, despite a disappointing 2-1 defeat, appears ready to keep faith with the young talent tipped for international honours.

The Burnley performance wasn't great and I wanted to have a good look at Scott Dann and I wasn't disappointed with him, revealed Coleman, who dropped Elliott Ward to make way for the former Walsall centre-back.

He's only 21 but he talks very well and is only going to get better.

He has only played two or three games for us but I think he is going to do a good job.

I had a good chat with Wardy and he was disappointed but took it on the chin like a man.

But they have all got a part to play whether they are in the team or not, in terms of staying positive and keeping the team spirit going.

Quietly spoken and slightly nervous in a press conference situation, Dann is clearly more comfortable on the pitch where he is strong and confident with a steely determination to do well at his new club.

I am delighted to be at Coventry which is the next step for me, it is just that the results have not been going as well as late and we have got to work hard to put those right, he said.

The difference is obviously playing against much better players and the game is a bit quicker, but I feel all right when I am on the pitch.

I didn't know I was playing until just before the game on Sa ay.

I have just been preparing as usual as if I am going to play.

I wouldn't say it came as a surprise to me but I didn't know when my chance was going to come.

But I have got in and hopefully I can stay in as long as possible.

I played with Marcus Hall before in the reserves and I have been training for about a month with him and he's a good player, but it doesn't really matter who I play alongside as long as I am in the team myself.

The main thing is that whoever plays is getting the results.

Having jumped up a league, Dann has gone from a promotion push to a relegation battle in a matter of weeks, but he insists he approaches games exactly the same way.

There is a different mindset because at Walsall we had been used to winning games and going on winning runs, he said.

But we have got a squad capable of doing that here and we just have to stick together and keep working hard with the new manager to try our best, and hopefully we will be OK.

But my attitude hasn't changed and I still go into every game looking to try my best and win.

As for his theory as to why things are not going so well for City, he added: It might have a bit to do with confidence because when you are losing games you become a bit low and you just need something to get you back into your winning habits, and we have got to do that as soon as we can.

The new manager has only been in a couple of weeks and it is still lively in training and everyone is bubbly, but we need to look at ourselves and work even harder now that we are s*cked into even more of a relegation battle to get away from trouble as much as we can.

We know we didn't play well as a team or individuals on Sa ay, and we know we are capable of playing a lot better than that.

We just need to get ourselves back on track and hopefully the results will come soon.

It is a tough league and I watched the QPR game on Sunday and they are a good side, but there are a lot of good sides in the division and we have just got to concentrate on our own game and performance and make sure we are ready for them tonight.

With goal seemingly hard to come by at the moment, Dann's threat from set pieces is another benefit of having him in the team.

When we get corners and free kicks I go up there thinking I am going to score and trying to get on the end of things to help the team out at that end of the pitch, he said, but judging my own performance, I have just got to concentrate on keeping clean sheets and if any goals come it will be a bonus.

Back to the relative comfort of consecutive home games, Dann believes the team can do a lot better at the Ricoh Arena.

I still think we can improve on our home performances even though we have done well in the last couple of league games there, he said.

But we haven't won away for quite a while, and we need to get that right to move away from trouble.

We have got Tuesday, Sa ay for the next few weeks and whether it is away or home we need to make sure we are ready to battle for each other.

No plans for Kevin Kyle return, says Chris Coleman

CHRIS COLEMAN says Coventry City's lack of firepower concerns him - but he won't be recalling on-loan Kevin Kyle.

The new Coventry City boss admits one of his biggest concerns is the lack of fire powe.

It is a fact highlighted by Dele Adebola hitting three goals in his first five games since his move to Bristol City.

Dele left before we arrived and what we are left with, is Leon Best up front, Coleman said.

After that we have got young Robbie Simpson, Michael Mifsud can play up the middle and then who do you put on the right wing?

There's Wayne Andrews who hasn't got a lot of experience, so we are short.

But, dspite the problems up front, Coleman insists he has no plans to recall target man Kevin Kyle from Wolves.

I have not thought about that, he said.

I know Kevin had a difficult time when he was here but we have not looked in that direction, and that's no disrespect to Kevin.

Coventry City ladies maintain winning streak

COVENTRY City Ladies notched their ninth straight league win with a 5-2 flourish against Alfreton Town.

Danni Saulter scored twice for the fourth game in a row to take her tally to nine goals in five outings while under-17 international Jade Formaston also bagged a brace on her return to the side.

Sky Blues took the lead on 10 minutes when Alfreton's Catherine Davey headed against her own post and the alert Formaston collected the to angle a low drive into the far corner.

The pair linked up again on 21 minutes when Saulter picked out Formaston, whose fierce effort left Rebecca Haslam helpless. And City killed off their rivals with a spurt of three goals in five second-half minutes.

Saulter broke down the right in the 53rd minute and crashed a superb angled drive high into the net from the narrowest of angles and within 90 seconds Kirsty

O'Sullivan's through ball gave Formaston time and space to pick her spot.

City completed their scoring on 57 minutes when lone striker Kelly-Ann Willis ran on to Jenni Lowe's pass for a crisp 10-yard finish, but they then took their foot off the gas and allowed Alfreton to snap up two consolations.

City: Williamson, Pinner, Lowe, O'Sullivan, Lynch, Sharad (Forbes 69), Formaston, Henson, Willis, Saulter (Tinto 62), Wil (Dermody 69).

Coventry 0 QPR 0

COVENTRY CITY missed the chance to move further clear of the Coca-Cola Championship relegation zone as QPR dug in for a point at the Ricoh Arena.

City striker Leon Best had the best chance of the game when he raced clean through in the 33rd minute but Rangers goalkeeper Lee Camp blocked the shot.

Chris Coleman's side dominated for long spells but as the game progressed they ran out of ideas against a dogged yet disappointing Hoops team.

Victory for the home side would have moved them six points clear of the drop zone into 17th but instead they remain 21st - just four points clear of trouble.

There was a return for Sky Blues skipper Stephen Hughes along with Michael Doyle and Elliott Ward, while QPR boss Luigi De Canio named an unchanged line-up.

City began purposefully and looked the more likely to open the scoring.

They had the ball in the back of the net within the first three minutes but the effort was disallowed for offside, while Ward spurned an excellent opportunity when Best drilled the ball across the face of goal.

It was a far cry from their recent laboured away performances as the home side moved the ball around with speed and style, in fact the Sky Blues were at times culpable of being overly elaborate.

Michael Mifsud was sent clear down the right channel but he selfishly elected to shoot and only found the side-netting.

Then Camp was forced to furiously backpedal when Jay Tabb's cross took a deflection and threatened to loop into the far corner, but much to his relief it landed on the roof of the net.

Rangers may have improved dramatically under De Canio but they remain inconsistent and this was a long way short of the performance which saw them tear Stoke apart in the opening half hour of Sunday's 3-0 win.

Best and Mifsud were linking up well and the pair combined to excellent effect when Mifsud was sent clear down the right but his first touch was a poor one and Camp collected easily.

Moments later they had an even better chance when Best raced through but the City striker lacked conviction and Camp saved well.

One last-ditch block from Matthew Connolly denied Best soon afterwards and then Camp was quickly down to push away Tabb's goalbound shot as City failed to get the goal their efforts deserved.

The visitors stepped up a gear after the break and a dipping drive from Akos Buzsaky after 52 minutes was the closest they came to scoring.

Coventry quickly reclaimed the initiative but a combination of resolute Rangers defending and disappointing deliveries meant they failed to create any real clear-cut chances.

Tabb was replaced by Julian Gray with 15 minutes remaining as Coleman stepped up his search for a winner.

The change almost had the desired impact when Gray combined impressively with Kevin Thornton down the left channel but the former Birmingham winger's cross failed to live up to his earlier interplay.

Dexter Blackstock came on for the anonymous Patrick Agyemang and Rangers could have even stole with two minutes left when Mikele Leigertwood fired narrowly over.

Best had a chance to atone for his earlier miss with an overhead kick with seconds remaining but it was not to be and the home side were greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers at the final whistle.

Chris Coleman frustrated over Coventry City bore draw

COVENTRY CITY manager Chris Coleman admitted to being surprised and frustrated by his side's failure to finish as QPR held out for a goalless draw at the Ricoh Arena.

Victory for the home side would have moved them six points clear of the Coca-Cola Championship drop zone into 17th but instead they remain in 21st just four points clear of trouble.

The Sky Blues could have had the game sewn up by half-time, with their best chance coming in the 33rd minute when Leon Best went clean through only for Rangers goalkeeper Lee Camp to block the shot.

Coleman's side dominated for long spells but as the game progressed ran out of ideas against a dogged yet disappointing Hoops team.

The City boss felt only one side ever looked like winning and insisted he could still take plenty of positives from the game.

Coleman said: A team that put in the performance we did in the first 45 minutes belongs at the other end of the league.

We played good football, we made a lot of chances, defended very well when we had to and that's the standard and the type of football we are looking to produce week in week out if we can.

When you create chances and don't take them like we did in the first half then you are going to get a little bit edgy and we did that in some periods in the second half.

But overall we were never really tested at the back. (Andy) Marshall never really had a save to make and I'm very surprised and frustrated we never took the three points because the players deserved three points.

The Welshman, who has picked up four points from his first four games as manager, admits his side are in a scr*p for survival - but insists he knew that was the case when he took charge last month.

I think when we looked at the league at the weekend and especially after results last night, I think people believe now we are in a relegation battle, he added.

It was a relegation battle when I arrived, I was under no illusions.

We are coming into a team that have lost a lot of games recently so there's no quick fix. I haven't got any magic to bring to the table and say everything's going to be fine, it's not.

It's going to be a very difficult run in for us and the only way we are going to be okay is if we approach games like tonight - more performances like that then we will get points and we will be okay.

Rangers remain 15th after the result but boss Luigi De Canio believes the point gained has moved his team a little step nearer to safety as they moved nine points clear of the drop zone.

He said: We have taken another little step forward and we just have to try and aim to get the possible result from every game because it (survival) is within our grasp.

It was a disappointing performance from a Rangers side who made light work of promotion contenders Stoke just four days earlier.

City goalkeeper Marshall barely broke sweat as the Hoops defended deeper and deeper as the game progressed.

Asked if they had come for a draw, De Canio replied: No, Coventry forced us to get a draw.

I am disappointed but I say congratulations and well done to Coventry because it's down to their performance that we were unable to play like we wanted. However, we should and we could have done more.