Kelly: We’ve given ourselves platform to push for top two
Decisions haven’t gone our way but, saying that, we still created chances and looked dangerous but you have to be clinical.
Liam Kelly
LIAM Kelly firmly believes Coventry City should be sitting in one of the automatic promotion positions right now.
The Sky Blues skipper says a combination of bad luck, poor finishing and refereeing decisions are the difference between a top-two place and their current sixth spot in League One.
“The whole team has worked hard and we are playing good football but sometimes you just need that bit of luck to go your way,” said the 29-yearold, speaking after Saturday’s goalless draw with Accrington Stanley.
“Every player is frustrated. You can look back at pivotal moments in the game and without wanting to make excuses, Sam McCallum was through on goal to get a strike away and someone is all over his back and brings him down and you are at a loss to understand why it is not a penalty.
“In the second half
Callum O’Hare is through one-on-one in the second half and the play is brought back for a foul. We don’t really know what the foul was, and then there is a dubious sendingoff for Max Biamou.
“We’ve been very unfortunate in pivotal moments of the game. Decisions haven’t gone our way but, saying that, we have played with ten men again and still created chances and looked dangerous but you have to be clinical and put your chances away.
“It’s not just the front men, it’s all over the pitch we are getting chances and we need to be more ruthless if we want to progress in the league.” He added: “Looking back at games, Peterborough last week when the goal was chalked off and all the way back to Bolton when two onside goals were disallowed; that’s six points right there and add those to the tally and you are sitting second in the league. “But we need to move on quickly and we can’t dwell on past decisions and past moments in a game and we have to pick ourselves up and get ready for the games ahead.”
On a more positive note, the captain said: “It’s our fourth game unbeaten now.
“That’s the first clean sheet we’ve had in a little while at home. That’s pleasing for us and I think we need to be careful because we’ve played too many times this season with 10 men.
“We need to make sure the discipline side of things doesn’t get out of hand and we keep 11 men on the field.
“But Max was tremendously unlucky. That clean sheet is a great base to build on.”
Asked if still being in the top six despite all the suspensions and injuries is a good platform to progress, he said: “Definitely.
“I was looking at the league table and we are four points off second.
“Wycombe have had a fantastic start but it’s a long season to go. Teams around us drew and lost at the weekend.
“I think at this point of the season it’s about staying in touch, within touching distance, and being there or thereabouts.
“You’ve got the busy fixture period coming up over Christmas and March is always a busy month.
“If we can keep ourselves in and around the mix, when it matters that’s when we have to put points on the board and really make a claim for the positions in the league.”