SMILER WALKER

Tyler on target to outdo famous dad

TYLER WALKER gave himself an early birthday present when he hit only his second strike in eight games this season for Coventry.

But at least that is one better than his illustrious dad who scored just once in more than 700 career games.

England international Des made his mark with Nottingham Forest, Sampdoria and Sheffield Wednesday, and played 59 games for England as a classic hard-tackling stopper.

But hours before his 25th birthday yesterday, Walker Junior swept home a superb set-up by Todd Kane to spark Coventry’s fightback from being two goals down.

Blackburn’s Joe Rothwell had opened the scoring, then passed for Sam Gallagher to add a second.

Pressure, and a bit of luck, brought the Sky Blues the leveller, as a Liam Kelly shot hit a post and then bounced off Rovers’ goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski for an own goal.

It gave Mark Robins’ high-flying Coventry a deserved share of the spoils, and left Walker saying: “Certainly, my goal was like an early birthday present.

“There’s massive competition here with four recognized strikers so you have to take your chances.

“At the break, two goals behind, the boss told us to calm down. It was fantastic to be roared on by 4,000 fans. They made such a difference.”

Chile striker Ben Brereton Diaz nearly scored a late winner for Rovers as he came on from his self-isolation on a separate subs bench, following from his 7,000-mile journey from Santiago via Madrid.

Rovers’ boss Tony Mowbray said: “He played in Chile less than 36 hours ago, spent 12 hours in the air, then nearly scored the winner. He deserves all the praise he gets.”