Sky Blues’ ten-match run simply perfect in play-off bid
CITY PRODUCED BEST EFFORT OF SEASON TO EARN PLACE AT WEMBLEY FOR PLAY-OFF FINAL
continues his assessment of Sky Blues’ superb 2022/23 season ■■Best run
If you count the Wembley play-off final outcome, the Sky Blues’ best run was ten, from the Stoke home loss on April 1 until the end of the season. They were nine unbeaten in the league between the defeat at West Brom in early February and the home loss to Stoke.
■■Worst run
The worst league run was seven without a win at the start of the season. The sequence contained four defeats and three draws and was ended with a 1-0 home victory over Middlesbrough on October 1.
During that awful run the team also lost to Bristol City in the
League Cup.
■■Won from behind
(0) In 2021-22 the Sky Blues came from behind to win a record seven times but amazingly in this memorable season they failed to comeback to win. They did achieve draws after falling behind seven times, at home to Rotherham, Luton, Hull and Watford and in away games at Sunderland, Luton and Blackburn.
Only seven points were won from losing positions compared to 27 points in 2021-22.
■■Lost from in front
(2) City lost two league games from being ahead (at Millwall and at home to Blackpool).
At Millwall they lost after taking a two-goal lead for the first time since 2011 in an FA Cup tie at Birmingham and for the first time in the league since 2009 at home to Watford. They had not lost a game at the CBS Arena after taking the lead since August 2018 when Scunthorpe won 2-1 but Blackpool took advantage of a flu-ridden City side to win 2-1 in October.
On four occasions City took the lead, only to be pegged back for draws – Swansea and Bristol City at home, Wigan and Middlesbrough away. The Swansea game was a major aberration – the first time City have drawn from being three up since a home draw with Brighton in 1980. Fourteen points were lost from leading positions.
■■Hat-tricks
(0) No player scored a hat-trick for the Sky Blues. Viktor Gyokeres (3) and Matty Godden (1) scored braces.
■■Opposing hat-tricks
(1) Hull City’s Colombian striker Oscar Estupinan became the first opposition player to score a hat-trick against the Sky Blues since Northampton’s Keshi Anderson in March
2017. Estupinan also scored in the return at the CBS and achieved a rare feat of four goals against City in a season last achieved by Cambridge United’s Luke Berry in 2016-17.
■■Former players
Only one former City player scored against the Sky Blues – Blackpool’s Gary Madine, for the second season running.
■■Own goals for City
(1) Blackpool’s Curtis Nelson was the only opposition player to score in his own net (in the away game at Bloomfield Road).
■■Own goals by City
(2) Michael Rose scored an own goal for Norwich in the game at Carrow Road. Kyle Mcfadzean scored in his own net in the 1-1 draw at Wigan.
■■Penalties for City
(7) Seven awarded, six scored. Three scored by Gyokeres, two by Godden and one by Waghorn. Gyokeres missed one at Sheffield United.
■■Penalties against City
(2) One factor in the team’s improvement this season has been the penalty area discipline. Seven penalties were conceded in 2021-22 but only two conceded this campaign.
Jerry Yates netted from the spot at Blackpool after Mcfadzean’s foul and Wrexham’s Paul Mullin netted in the FA Cup tie after Jonathan Panzo’s handball.
■■Fastest Goal Scored
Kyle Mcfadzean scored in the second minute at Millwall in August.
■■Fastest Goal Conceded
Luton’s Tom Lockyer scored after 35 seconds in the game at the CBS.
■■Late goals
In season 2021-22 City scored 11 goals in added time – many of them to secure wins or draws. This season there were six with the latest being Gyokeres’ solo effort at home to Wigan and Ben Wilson’s equaliser at Blackburn, both timed at 95 minutes.
In total there were ten goals after the 80th minute.
In addition to Wilson’s vital goal there were two crucial Gyokeres penalties in added time, an equaliser at home to Rotherham and a winner against West Brom.
Only two teams scored against the Sky Blues in added time and neither affected the outcome of the game.
■■Red cards – Coventry
(4) Four players were sent off. Gus Hamer twice (at Millwall and Birmingham), Jonathan Panzo (home v Wrexham) and Josh Wilson-esbrand (home v Luton).
■■Red cards – Opponents
(2) Two opponents were sent off
Jake Garratt (Blackburn, h) and John Egan (Sheffield United, a)
■■FA Cup
The Sky Blues were knocked out in a thrilling third round tie by National League side Wrexham. It was the fourth exit to a non-league side since the Second World War and the eighth since the club joined the Football League in 1919.
The only positive was the attendance of 18,218, boosted by a large away following, the largest FA Cup crowd at the stadium since the Chelsea tie in 2009.
■■League Cup
The Sky Blues fell at the first hurdle suffering defeat to Championship side Bristol City in a game moved to Burton’s Pirelli Stadium because of the CBS pitch issues.
■■Bookings
Kyle Mcfadzean topped the yellow cards chart with 12 but managed to avoid suspension. Ben Sheaf wasn’t so lucky, he picked up nine yellows and got a one-match ban.
Gus Hamer, who had picked up 24 in the previous two seasons, had only eight but dramatically improved his behaviour after his second red at Birmingham. Following his suspension he went 23 games without a booking.
■■Television
There were seven live televised games for the club, all on Sky. Four were home games (Norwich, Sunderland, Watford and Middlesbrough play-off) plus the Sunderland and Middlesbrough play-off away games and the play-off final against Luton.