Coventry City got their Championship campaign up and running with a hugely encouraging victory over QPR.
Goals from Matty Godden, Callum O’Hare and Kyle McFadzean secured the full three points for the Sky Blues in their first ‘home’ game back at their St Andrew’s groundshare venue.
Although Mark Robins’s men gifted Rangers the opening goal from the penalty spot, they showed terrific character to battle back to level terms before twice taking the lead.
It can’t be underestimated the confidence boost the players will have got from Friday night’s sensational victory over QPR.
The Sky Blues do not lack belief but they are going to take time to adapt to the significant step up, as they showed with their first half display.
Having given a terrific account of themselves at Ashton Gate the weekend before, Mark Robins’s men were like rabbits caught in headlights, unable to think to do the right thing.
There appeared to be a clear gulf in class as Rangers enjoyed up to 70 per cent of possession as City struggled to get the ball off the visitors and, when they did get hold of it, they were unable to keep it. Such was the quality of the opposition all over the pitch.
The fact that Robins and his trusty side-kick, Ady Viveash, put them straight at the break, and then they came out and acted upon it, shows that they are willing and able to learn and adapt quickly to their game management.
And to come away with their first three points on the board was just reward for their efforts.
Robins’s men settled quickly to their new environment last year, turning the Birmingham groundshare venue into a fortress in League One where they won 11, drew five and lost just one game en-route to the title.
And while the location remains far from ideal, the players clearly feel at home there as they continue to make the most of Blues’ beautiful surface and the hand they have been dealt in terms of every fixture this season, once again, being an away game.
It’s been a long time since they last played at the ground – six months to be exact – but they clearly still have momentum from last season’s success, coupled with sackloads of team spirit.
Last term’s title chase was built on a never-say-die attitude, and I’m happy to report that character remains firmly intact.
Fans’ favourite Fankaky Dabo made a welcome return to the starting line-up, making his first Championship appearance to follow up his Carabao Cup outing in midweek.
Although still building his match fitness following his return from summer hip surgery, the 24-year-old wing-back helped get City back on the front foot after a good old fashioned half-time team talk had put the Sky Blues straight.
His marauding runs down the right flank caused Rangers all manner of problems and one such foray was the source for the early second half goal, his ball inside finding the quick feet of the excellent Callum O’Hare to score.
As impressive as Sam McCallum was last season, in Ryan Giles the Sky Blues have arguably a better player.
Possessing electric pace that enables him to almost effortlessly glide past opponents, the season-long loan signing from Wolves was a superb outlet on the left, from where he set up Matty Godden for his all-important goal and equaliser just before the break.
Giles provides what looks to be a perfect balance to the side, offering a similar threat going forward on the left flank as Dabo provides down the right.
For City to have that in their armoury this year will almost certainly produce an abundance of assists for the strikers and forwards bombing on.
Matty Godden has scored in each of his last six league appearances for Coventry, stretching back to last season and equalling the ‘Mighty’ Micky Quinn.
Quinn, affectionately nicknamed Sumo, was the last Sky Blues player to achieve that feat, hitting six in six back in City’s Premier League days in November to December 1992.
But the most pleasing aspect of Godden’s goals is that he has now made it a back-to-back start in the division, having opened his account at Bristol City on the first weekend, and looks every bit the part at the level.
Second tier football has been a long time coming for the 29-year-old who is clearly hungry to prove himself.
