Robinson is left with a headache

OXFORD manager Karl Robinson was left pulling his hair out as his side lost 2-1 to Coventry yesterday.

Robinson, above, watched his team from the TV gantry because of a touchline ban.

He saw enough to dismay him as Jordan Shipley and Conor Chaplin, with a penalty, scored for Coventry before a Jon Obika consolation.

Oxford are second from bottom and Robinson said: “I just felt mostly we struggled with the game emotionally. It’s not acceptable.

“It seems to me at the moment that when we play well we’re good, but when teams get in our face we don’t really want to be there. I’m pulling my hair out seeing players doing things that we’ve never worked on.”

On Saturday Portsmouth, in second place behind leaders Peterborough, drew 1-1 at home to Shrewsbury, whose midfielder Greg Docherty is under orders from Steven Gerrard to add goals to his game while he is on loan there this season.

So scoring a brilliantly-taken volley with his first touch seconds after stepping off the bench is not a bad way to start catching the eye of his boss at Rangers.

“The manager said to me, ‘Go and get us a goal’ and I was happy to contribute at that end of the pitch because it is something I want to add to my game,” said Docherty.

Brett Pitman’s 87th-minute equalising penalty denied Shrewsbury what would have been a deserved first win of the season.

Peterborough manager Steve Evans believes his squad showed they have what it takes to go the distance in the promotion race after battling to a 3-2 win at Southend.

“Although we will lose games this season and go behind, we will never lose that desire we have in the dressing room. We showed fantastic spirit,” said Evans.