Players and fans were magnificent – Robins
MARK Robins hailed his players and supporters after Coventry City bucked the play-off odds to clinch a Wembley showdown with Exeter.
The Sky Blues went into the second leg at Meadow Lane on level terms and, having conjured up a brilliant start to claim a 3-1 aggregate lead, they were pegged back just before the interval. But they weathered the Magpies’ aerial assault at the start of the second half to plunder two more goals for a resounding 4-1 win on the night.
County boss Kevin Nolan, still furious after City’s penalty equaliser at the Ricoh, again fumed at the officials, claiming Jonathan Forte had a legitimate equaliser chalked off and that Max Biamou’s second goal should have been ruled offside.
But Robins insisted: “I’ve been asked questions about us getting through and a bit of controversy but I don’t think there was any controversy about tonight’s performance – we blew that away, so I think it’s a little bit unfair if people want to talk about that.
“In the first game we got a penalty given to us that probably wasn’t one and then got one that was turned down. That’s something that’s rankling with them but I think the performance tonight showed we deserve to be at Wembley in the end.
“We were brilliant. We started off on the front foot, the goals we scored were outstanding, and I’m delighted to be one step away from getting back to League One where we were last year. It’s a really tough game to contemplate but we’ll be going all out to get back at the first attempt.
“Everybody from back to front was superb. Marc McNulty hadn’t trained all week; he trained yesterday and got a crack on his head. We thought that he might be a little bit concussed but instead it’s knocked a little sense into him and he’s put in a great performance.
“We let them off with a goal from a long throw when we switched off but that was the only time all night.
“I think they’re a tough, tough team to play against – Kevin Nolan has turned them round from relegation scrappers to promotion contenders. He’s done a fantastic job and the spirit in his team was outstanding – the spirit in mine was magnificent!
As for the 4,500 City fans who made the trip up the M1, Robins said: “There aren’t enough superlatives – they were magnificent.
“It was fantastic – an absolutely outstanding performance from start to finish. Well done to the supporters. Well done to the players.”