Big Ben on time
BEN BRERETON helped Blackburn end their five-game losing run against 10-man Coventry.
The pressure was building on Tony Mowbray but Brereton earned his side a point – though Matty James’s first goal for nearly four years cancelled out Rovers’ first-half opener.
Blackburn boss Mowbray said: “The team have been very focused on trying to get positive results.
“We’ve not been battered by anybody this season, but you have to accept you live and die by the results.
“I don’t see a team which has stopped working hard for each other. But it was a frustrating day for us.”
Wing-back Sam Mccallum nearly put the visitors ahead after just 22 seconds, but his dipping cross skimmed the top of the crossbar.
Jordan Shipley rifled over from an acute angle before Rovers made the Sky Blues pay when they took the lead on 27 minutes.
Right-back Ryan Nyambe crossed and Brereton powered home a sweet right-foot strike.
The visitors were level five minutes after the break. Mccallum’s cross was headed on by Tyler Walker and James scored his first goal since March 2017.
Coventry Defender Ostigard was sent off on 83 minutes for two yellow cards, and visiting boss Mark Robins said: “To go down to 10 men was a travesty, the referee got his cards out really quickly to send him off.
“I thought we certainly deserved three points – we played with purpose on a pudding of a pitch.”
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Kaminski 6; Douglas 7, Branthwaite 6, Lenihan 6, Nyambe 7; Rothwell 6 (Dolan 87, 3), Evans 7 (Dack 75, 4), Travis 6 (Trybull 62, 5); Brereton 8, Armstrong 6, Elliott 7.
Subs not used: Pears, Downing, Bell, Harwood-bellis, Bennett.
COVENTRY CITY: Wilson 7; Mccallum 7, Hyam 6, Ostigard 3, Mcfadzean 6, James 8 (Hamer 70, 5); Shipley 7 (O’hare 70, 5), Dabo 6 (Pask 70, 5), Kelly 6; Walker 7 (Gyokeres 78, 4), Biamou 6.
Subs not used: Marosi, Rose, Allen, Shead, Bakayoko.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Matty James: Leicester loanee rescued a point with his first goal for nearly four years.
REFEREE: Darren Bond 7.
NATHAN JONES was dancing with the cardboard cutouts after turning around the worst 45 minutes of his career.
The Luton boss looked as if he had selected 11 cutouts in a first half that brought two goals for Josh Windass.
But instead of going ballistic at halftime, Jones revealed he kept calm, and it paid off as Kal Naismith and Ryan Tunnicliffe had Luton level by the hour, with Elijah Adebayo’s late strike sending Jones racing down the touchline.
The Hatters boss said: “A few years ago I would have gone in ranting and raving and not made clinical decisions and we would not have got the game back, but I have learned as a manager.
“I did not say too much to the players. I left them to it for 10 or 12 minutes then sorted out what we needed to do.
“It was my worst half as a manager. We were miles off it.
“In the second half we were absolutely outstanding.”
Windass should have had a hat-trick in the first 22 minutes. He made no mistake when Callum Paterson picked him out but he then fluffed a free header and blazed over before launching a rocket into the top corner on 42 minutes.
Soon after the restart Naismith hooked in Kiernan Dewsbury-hall’s low corner and then Tunnicliffe timed his run to slot in Adebayo’s cross.
And with three minutes left Adebayo headed in substitute Harry Cornick’s cross (above) to sink Wednesday.
Owls caretaker boss Neil Thompson said: “That was the best and the worst of us. First half we dominated but you can’t do it for just 45 minutes.”
LUTON: Sluga 6; Cranie 5 (Rea 46, 6), Pearson 5, Potts 5; Naismith 5, Tunnicliffe 6, Dewsbury-hall 6, Morrell 5 (Mpanzu 46, 6), Clark 6; Adebayo 6, Ince 5 (Cornick 46, 7). Subs not used: Shea, Berry, Hylton, Moncur, Collins, Bree.
SHEFF WEDS: Wildsmith 6; Urhoghide 6, Lees 6, Borner 6 (Dunkley 83), Penney (Reach 69, 6) 7; Harris 6, Hutchinson 6, Bannan 7, Brown 7; Windass 8 (Marriott 77), Paterson 6 (Rhodes 69, 5). Subs not used: Palmer, Pelupessy, Marriott, Dunkley, Hunt, Jackson, Kachunga.
MAN OF THE MATCH: could have had more.
REFEREE: Michael Salisbury 7.
Josh Windass: Two great goals
SWANSEA CITY
9 ........ Shots on Target ......... 4 9 ........ Shots off Target ......... 4 8 ................ Corners ................. 3 10 ................. Fouls .................. 12 3 ............... Offsides ................. 2 85.0 . Passing Success ...66.5 541 ....... Total Passes ........ 242 69.8 ....... Possession ........ 30.2 56.4 . Territorial Adv%...43.6
SWANSEA: Woodman 5; Latibeaudiere 6 (Whittaker 83, 5), Cabango 6, Guehi 6; Roberts 7, Grimes 7, Hourihane 5 (Arriola 81, 5), Dhanda 6 (Fulton 78, 5), Bidwell 6; Ayew 6, Lowe 6. Subs not used: Hamer, Naughton, B Cooper, Manning, O Cooper, Smith.
BRIS CITY: Bentley 8; Vyner 6, Mariappa 8, Kalas 7; Hunt 7, Palmer 8 (Semenyo 89), Bakinson 7, Nagy 7 (Massengo 90+4), Towler 5 (Sessegnon 45, 7); Diedhiou 6, Wells 7. Subs not used: O’leary, Moore, Pearson, Bell, Scott, Conway.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Kasey Palmer: Recovered from conceding penalty to inspire an unlikely turnaround.
REFEREE: Keith Stroud 7.