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But it came, and deservedly so, right at the deal as another substitute Jay Rodriguez headed it on for Eagles who finished expertly past the advancing Coventry keeper Keiren Westwood.
There were no surprises in the line up. Christian Kalvenes was ruled out and replaced by Stephen Jordan, otherwise it was the same team that had started the previous two games against Birmingham and Wolves and we also had the same five substitutes.
We set off like an express train, almost Birmingham like, but this time we didn't get the goal and it soon faded away without us having had a shot at goal and surprisingly it was Coventry who did have the first shot.
After that initial burst the game became very scrappy on a pitch that looked considerably worse than it had done three days earlier. Passes went astray far too often, and none more so than from Graham Alexander and Chris McCann in our midfield.
That meant the pacy incisive football of late wasn't there and it all proved to be far too easy for Coventry in terms of defending. At the other end there never seemed any likelihood of a problem. The visitors were an inept outfit who didn't look to have enough about them to trouble us.
They didn't, and when they took the lead a couple of minutes before half time it was all self inflicted again. Jordan misjudged the ball allowing them to get behind him and fire in a cross. Even then it should have been dealt with, but it wasn't and Leon Best, dressed facially like the Lone Ranger, headed home for an equaliser.
A goal down at half time was hard to believe, the half really had deserved a 0-0 scoreline. Mick Docherty came out to make the half time draw looking a lot more like Andy Payton than Mick Docherty. Still, I did learn that Payts was 'in famous'.
Burnley stepped things up after the break without ever really looking convincing. But as Coventry sat deeper and deeper and invited us to attack them we did create some chances. Disappointingly we missed them all. Both Steven Thompson and Martin Paterson had chances they should have buried, but with some wayward shooting, some missed headers and a bit of decent goalkeeping it remained 1-0.
We didn't make any changes until there were more than seventy minutes to go and then we made three at once. I've always thought this was the sign of panic. It's no something I've seen too often but the previous two managers have used the tactic in the past.
On came Kevin McDonald, Rodriguez and Eagles, the players departing were Jordan, Thompson and Robbie Blake. It didn't make much difference to be honest and possibly we lost the initiative for a while.
I'd all but given it up when, with less than a minute to go, the two subs combined. Jay Rod got up to win the header and Eagles was onto it quickly. It wasn't as easy finish as it looked but he was able to knock it past Westwood left footed.
Four minutes of stoppage time yielded nothing and so 1-1 it was. It was perhaps a disappointing result after Saturday and it was a disappointing performance. But it's taken us up a place and takes the unbeaten league run to four games.
Man of the Match? I think most of the ground had a laugh at the sponsors choice, Martin Paterson. It wasn't his best game by a long way and he certainly wouldn't have come into my reckoning. There wasn't a stand out player but I've gone for Wade Elliott who, along with Rhys Williams, caused Coventry the most problems.
Almost back in the play offs, now we have to go to Delias, try the lamb and mint pies and come back with three points.
The teams were;
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Rhys Williams, Michael Duff, Steven Caldwell, Stephen Jordan (Kevin McDonald 71), Wade Elliott, Graham Alexander, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake (Chris Eagles 71), Steven Thompson (Jay Rodriguez 71), Martin Paterson. Subs not used: Diego Penny, Joey Gudjonsson.
Coventry: Keiren Westwood, Stephen Wright, Ben Turner, Scott Dann, Daniel Fox, Jordan Henderson, Aron Gunnarsson, Michael Doyle, David Bell (Freddy Eastwood 81), Clinton Morrison, Leon Best (Robbie Simpson 73). Subs not used: Andy Marshall, Marcus Hall, Lee Sawyer.
Yellow Cards: Scott Dann.
Referee: Dave Foster (Newcastle).
Attendance: 14,595.