SCOURGE OF ONCE AGAIN
We just went brain dead and didn’t think our way through it.” Robins wasn’t wrong because the Sky Blues were initially deeply disappointing in front of their biggest crowd of the season, 8,085, boosted by the noisy 2,097 from Ipswich.
The Sky Blues are unbeaten in seven games, but dropped a place to sixth, staying in the promotion places by a point.
It’s tight and Coventry will need more football like they produced in a rip-roaring second half. “It became a basketball game, attacking one end and then the other end, brilliant for the crowd, but not good for our hearts,” added Robins.
Both Andy Carroll lookalike Keane and Ipswich should have had more goals by half-time.
Keane, 6ft 2 inches and pony-tailed like the Newcastle United forward, got his goal from a corner-kick routine.
Alan Judge and Andre Dozzell swapped passes and Judge’s cross then found Keane for him to head in. Three minutes later Keane put another header from a corner against a post and Luke Garbutt shot wide.
Ipswich goalkeeper Will Norris gave Coventry their first chance when he came out for a long free-kick, missed it, and Callum O’Hare headed over.
In the second half, Coventry looked like a team vying with Ipswich for promotion.
Jordan Shipley crashed in a 25-yarder that Norris had to beat away and, by the 56th minute, Coventry were level.
Their football was suddenly in exciting contrast to their dull, ineffective first half and, when Liam Kelly fed Max Biamou with a through ball, Biamou finished for his fifth goal of the season.
Robins intends to solve Coventry’s lack of goals in the transfer window so for O’Hare to hit the bar with his shot from another excellent Kelly pass was a waste.
Now it’s all down to Portman Road for the decider in this threematch series.