Naz back with spring in his step after ‘goal’

LEADING Coventry City scorer Duckens Nazon returned to the club this week with another international spring in his step.

The on-loan Wolverhampton Wanderers striker was away with Haiti last week for their friendly clash with the United Arab Emirates and against whom the 23-year-old claims he increased his season’s tally.

Nazon, who is a hugely popular figure with Sky Blues fans after wading in with six goals to date – his last to help Mark Robins’ men see off then league leaders Luton Town 3-0 at Kenilworth Road just over a fortnight ago – believes he took his season’s tally to nine at the weekend after adding to his international haul.

The front man scored two to help the Grenadiers to a 3-3 draw with Japan in Yokohama last month and is claiming the goal that gave his country a 1-0 victory over UAE in the Sheikh Khalifa Stadium in Al Ain on Friday night. According to some websites including 777score.com, Nazon is credited with the only goal of the game in the 25th minute, while soccerway.com says the decisive strike was actually an own goal, credited to UAE player Mahmoud Khamis.

Nazon makes a welcome return to the Sky Blue fold following Saturday’s Ricoh Arena defeat to Mansfield Town when City failed to score for a fifth time in their last six League Two matches.

The barren spell started in October when City played out a goalless draw at Barnet, lost 1-0 at Accrington Stanley, suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Forest Green and were held 0-0 to Colchester United at the Ricoh.

Robins’ men bucked that trend with a 3-0 win over the Hatters but their woeful finishing in the division returned to haunt them again on Saturday when mid-table Stags snatched a 1-0 victory in Coventry’s back yard. The last time Nazon was away on international duty he missed the trip to Barnet, after which Robins admitted City had missed him at the Hive Stadium when he was replaced by Marc McNulty in the starting eleven. Nazon had scored the winning goal in both of City’s previous two league matches, and Robins thought the way the game panned out in London would have suited the striker’s style of play. Speaking at the time, Robins said: “We have missed Duckens Nazon today. In fairness, I think he would have made a bit of a difference because of the way the game was set up.”

Nazon’s loan is due to run out in January but Robins has already revealed he’s keen to extend his stay for the rest of the season.

Robins says he will be a priority to keep beyond the New Year but is also looking to do ‘other business’ to help his League Two side get over the promotion line during the second half of the season.

“He’s not our player so it’s difficult but yes, we’d like to keep hold of him,” said the manager.

“But I want to do other business as well.”

The fact that Wolves allowed Nazon to play in the FA Cup, and therefore be ineligible to play for his parent club when they enter the competition in January, appears to indicate that manager Nuno Espirito Santo will be open to keeping the 23-year-old out on loan.

Whether that be at the Ricoh Arena or elsewhere remains to be seen.

He’s not our player so it’s difficult but yes, we’d like to keep hold of him. But I want to do other business as well.