AND NOW FOR THE GRUMBLES!
WHILE the crowd left the Ricoh Arena thoroughly entertained, both managers found themsleves grumbling with frustration.
Northampton boss Robert Page watched his side draw their fifth game of the season while his opposite number Tony Mowbray believes his team are not fulfilling their potential as they dropped a place nearer to the bottom of the table.
Page must have thought the run of stalemates was about to end when Harry Beautyman put his side in front on the half-hour, but veteran Marcus Tudgay turned home a Jodi Jones cross in the 63rd minute to earn a point.
The second-half introduction of midfielder Jones for the ineffectual Dan Agyei swung the game back in Coventry’s favour, and he could well have scored himself to take all three points.
Page said: “We know about Jones. He is a good player on the ball and one who will go on to play at a higher level. He whipped a good ball in and Tudgay did what he does best, and timed his run superbly well to get the goal.
“It’s extremely frustrating. I feel for our lads – all the work and effort they are putting in they are shooting themselves in the foot. They are low in there at the moment.
“That says a lot that they have come to club like Coventry City and they are disappointed not to have come away with the win.
“I have watched Coventry two or three times this season, and while they have had the lion’s share of the possession they have not created many chances but that was not the case today, and they looked a real threat.”
Mowbray is working to bring in new players and to ensure his young squad believe in themselves.
“If we play as well as we did here we will win football matches and I am quite confident about that,” he said.
“I think the team will get stronger in the next few days and with the work on the training field this will be a difficult place to come and take anything off us.
“The players are despondent, of course they are. Young players look at tables and they shouldn’t. I have told them not to do that until we are 12 games in because at this stage if you win two games you go into the top six.
“This season is 40 games and we know that full well after being at the top of the table at Christmas last year that at this stage it is about the quality of your team.”
Both sides could easily have won the game in the latter stages. Jones forced a super save out of Adam Smith who also saved at the substitute’s feet late on.
At the other end Jak McCourt fired over from close range in the final minutes.