O’hare closer to getting starting role says Robins
COVENTRY City boss Mark Robins says that Callum O’hare is in a “better position” to play more minutes in today’s clash with Blackpool after his 15-minute cameo against Rotherham United in midweek.
The attacking midfielder came off the bench for just his second appearance of the campaign when the side were 1-0 down, and immediately made an impact by helping set up Gustavo Hamer for an equaliser. The Sky Blues conceded soon after, but O’hare came to the rescue by winning a penalty in injury time, which Viktor Gyokeres converted to save a point.
After the Rotherham game Robins said O’hare is “not quite there” yet when it comes to a starting place but in his press conference ahead of the Blackpool match he suggested that he may get a longer runout. The boss, though, was quick to praise the players who have stepped up in his absence, Kasey Palmer in particular.
“I think with all the minutes that he gets, and he’s not had many, that puts him in a better position,” Robins said yesterday. “But I think we have also got to recognise the other players that are on the pitch.
“Kasey Palmer’s contribution went, I don’t want to say unnoticed, but it was understated. I think he was really good in terms of creativity.
“If you’ve got other players around him, like Callum, Viktor and Jamie Allen, there’s a number of players benefitting from that quality but also their own endeavours. That definitely bodes well for us moving forward, not just Callum.”
The City manager also issued an update on the injuries suffered by Fankaty Dabo and Martyn Waghorn during the draw with Rotherham. The former has a quad problem, while the latter has a hamstring injury, which will keep both players out for “longer” than a few weeks.
It’s possible that the two men will not play again before the Championship breaks for the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Tyler Walker trained on Thursday and was expected to train yesterday.
Despite the fact that Blackpool hover just above the drop zone, two points ahead of City, Robins is aware of the threat they pose, in particular Jerry Yates. The striker is on a hot streak, having scored braces in three of his last four matches.
A win on Saturday would mean his side leapfrog the Seasiders in the league table and get out of the bottom three for the first time since the opening weeks of the season. It would also stretch their current unbeaten run to five games.
“Momentum is important and hopefully we can get some against a decent Blackpool side. They’ve done pretty well, but if we win the game, we can go above them. That’s an incentive as well,” said Robins.
“They’re all challenges. They’ve been really good, they’ve played some good stuff. They’ve created and taken chances. There’s been a couple of 3-3s that I can remember, Sheffield United last weekend and Burnley earlier this season.
“They’ve got Jerry Yates, who’s scoring goals, so he’s full of confidence. They’ve got some pace.
“They have got some experienced players in the side, such as Liam Bridcutt.
“We expect a really difficult game because that is what you get every week.”