SHIP-SHAPE JORDAN HAS FINAL WORD
MARK Robins was thrilled as his Coventry City side picked up maximum points, despite not playing well.
Jordan Shipley’s first-half strike was enough for the Sky Blues to take the win as they comfortably soaked up second-half pressure from Doncaster at the Keepmoat Stadium.
“It was a huge three points and I can’t overstate that,” said boss Robins.
“We have not performed to our best, but we did enough to win the game.
“They made us defend in the second half and we did it well. Doncaster are a good team that try to drag you around.
“We did enough to get the first goal and it was a brilliant goal to win the game. Ultimately, I think it was deserved.
“When you look on the balance, having taken our chance and having efforts on target, I think that was deserved.
“I can’t think of too many times when they put us under real pressure.
“We dealt with the balls they put into our box and our set-up in the middle was really good.”
Robins’ Coventry side started the brighter and flooded forward with menace.
Sam McCalum fired narrowly over the bar first time after running on to a loose ball.
Coventry took the lead after 26 minutes when Shipley found space 25 yards out and drilled an unstoppable effort into the bottom corner of the net. That was to prove the game’s decisive moment.
Doncaster struggled to break down the well-organised visitors who broke forward regularly and dangerously on the counter.
Rovers’ first real effort on goal saw a Reece James shot deflected wide.
But the hosts improved after the break and mounted a much greater threat. Jon Taylor and substitute Rakish Bingham both drew saves from Marko Marosi, but Rovers could not find the breakthrough.
And even though the defeat was tough to take, beaten boss Darren Moore was complimentary about the Sky Blues.
“They’re a team that is probably two or three years in the making,” Moore said.
“They’re a settled team with real fluidity, attacking principles and defending principles.
“I look at us and see the work that we’ve done over the past three months and I get it, I see the identity and I like to think in the timescale given that it is exactly where we will be after a couple of windows and a reshape of the team.
“It’s not rocket science. Coventry are a good team with very good players.”
Moore felt there was very little between the two sides with Shipley’s goal proving the decisive moment. “It was a tight game and I’ve got no complaints,” he added.