|
Then our two first substitutes combined, not once but twice, to give us a win in a city where we've never found it that difficult to get a result over the years. Sadly there weren't many there to witness the last goal, for some reason many of the disillusioned home fans had decided enough was enough as Robbie dropped his shorts after goal number two.
It was all a far cry from a tedious first half when neither side really got to grips with things, but perhaps it was one incident late in that first half that set the whole pattern for our performance after the break.
We'd played the top two on Saturday and both played well despite Coventry having lost at Wolves. So it was no surprise to see the two managers name the same starting elevens for a game that was played for the most part in an atmosphere akin to the reference library in Burnley.
It wasn't good. Neither side were able to stamp too much authority on the game. They gave the ball away far too easily and the passing from both sides was not the best. Neither goalkeeper was unduly worried although we did have a couple of opportunities with both Chris McCann and Martin Paterson having headed chances.
It looked almost certain that we'd go in at half time with the score at 0-0 but then it all went wrong for Burnley as Michael Mifsud was fouled by Graham Alexander in the penalty area and referee Mike Thorpe pointed to the spot.
Two seasons ago we lost this particular fixture to a shocking penalty decision by the same referee and I wasn't too sure he'd got this one right either. Alexander, playing in his home city, was distraught but there was no changing his mind.
Before the kick could be taken the eagle eyed flag waver spotted something and that led to Michael Duff receiving a yellow card. Duff had apparently pushed Mifsud, and I can bet he had a word with the Maltese player as to how he'd gone down.
It mattered not, Elliott Ward chose to striker the penalty rather than dink it to the goalkeeper as he did when he last took one and Coventry were in front. Maybe, just maybe, they'd had the edge in the first half but 0-0 would have been just about right.
There were no changes at the start of the second half, certainly not in personnel, but our performance in the second half was a big step up from that before the break. We really started to take the game to Coventry and it took us only seven minutes to equalise.
We won a corner on the right hand side (you know, one of those things people continue to tell us we never score from). Elliott's flag kick was to Steven Caldwell at the near post. He was clearly fouled (but Thorpe wasn't giving anything).
Thankfully he got a good enough header on it and it found Duff at the far post. He controlled it well before hitting an unstoppable left foot half volley into the roof of the net. I bet that defender was happy to get out of the way and leave it to goalkeeper Kieran Westwood to flap at thin air.
Duff enjoyed his first goal since returning from injury, and he also enjoyed wakening up the home fans on the side by putting his hand to his ear as he made his way back down the touchline.
Coventry responded and could have gone back in front. Brian Jensen got down well to save a shot from outside the box and was then thankful to see a cross shot from the right go wide of his far post.
But that was about it from the home side and with Elliott getting the better of his full back we were causing them some real problems down that side. We were the better side now and you sensed if either side was going to go on and win it then it would be us.
Both sides made changes with Owen Coyle replacing Joey Gudjonsson with Chris Eagles to show some further attacking intent. I lost count of the corners we won but they came to nothing. We needed possibly to get one more chance and we did get one when Steven Thompson got through only to roll his shot wide of the post to Westwood's left.
To be fair Thompson had created it all as he got through about three defenders before finding himself clear in the box, but he failed to work the keeper and the chance was gone, perhaps the chance of a win too.
Almost immediately Robbie Blake replaced McCann and a few minutes after that Jay Rodriguez came on for Thompson. It was all a very strange looking formation now with Paterson on the right wing and Elliott playing in the centre of midfield.
It nearly cost us a couple of times as Coventry found plenty of space in the middle, but ultimately the changes and attacking intent won it for us.
It's not bad when you can bring on players such as Eagles and Blake in the latter stages of a game, and the two of them combined brilliantly to put us ahead with just over two minutes remaining.
It was Elliott who did well to get the ball to Eagles but the pass from Eagles to Blake was absolute perfection. He played it inside the defender for Robbie to run onto and he gave Westwood no chance at all with a shot across him.
It was right in front of the Burnley fans and as the fans danced with delight Robbie dropped his shorts to reveal a fetching pair of pink underpants with what looked like 'BAD BEAT BOB' emblazoned across the back of them, apparently a joke regarding his bad luck when playing poker.
Card happy Thorpe didn't like it and yellow carded him for the celebration, but we didn't care, Robbie didn't care, whilst a lot of the home fans decided to go home. We were in front with time running out, but he wasn't finished and pulled his shorts back up to repay Eagles.
With just seconds of normal time remaining he played a superb cross field ball from right to left for Eagles, but there was still plenty to be done. Eagles came inside the defender, got to just outside the penalty box and then almost casually just placed his shot into the top corner of the net. Westwood could only look on and admire it; he'd been beaten by a bit of class. We celebrated again in the away end, the players did, and even more home fans left despite the assistant holding up the board for four extra minutes.
Justice had been done, but what a fantastic way to end a game. The whole away end was buzzing as that final whistle blew. We'd won at Coventry again, incredibly I've seen us play there fifteen times and we've won nine of them.
They didn't play 'Mister Blue Sky' for us this year but it didn't matter, our fans were too busy chanting 'We've got Robbie Blake' and for Crystal Palace (I'm sure it was the Eagles chant).
Overall it wasn't as good as Saturday in terms of performance and perhaps it is no surprise therefore that I look to the defence for my man of the match where Steven Caldwell was in outstanding form.
He was my man of the match, but I think this game will be remembered more for Eagles, Robbie and a pair of red underpants.
The teams were;
Coventry: Kieran Westwood, Isaac Osbourne, Elliott Ward, Scott Dann, Neil Fox, Michael Mifsud, Michael Doyle (Guilleme Beuzelin 74), Aron Gunnarsson, Jay Tabb (Robbie Simpson 40), Leon Best (Clinton Morrison 66), Freddy Eastwood. Subs not used: Andy Marshall, Marcus Hall.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Michael Duff, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander, Wade Elliott, Joey Gudjonsson (Chris Eagles 71), Chris McCann (Robbie Blake 79), Steven Thompson (Jay Rodriguez 84), Martin Paterson. Subs not used: Diego Penny, Remco van der Schaaf.
Referee: Mike Thorpe (Suffolk).
Attendance: 14,621 (including 542 Clarets).