Coventry 1 Preston 1

Hoof-ball tactics and powder-puff finishing from Preston saw a fairly poor game, and the first of three fixtures in five weeks between the sides, end in a 1-1 draw.

James Bailey’s first goal for Coventry City saw the home side take the lead after 21 minutes, with a soft, totally unavoidable equaliser from Holmes on 76 minutes helping to slightly spoil Mark Robins’ birthday.

Had Coventry took the early chances they made, the game could have been over with only a quarter of it played, but awful PNE tactics helped spoil the game as a spectacle, and knacked CCFC’s hopes of going into the Christmas period in the top half of the table.

PNE’s dissent went unpunished throughout, as did a succession of fouls, with the referee for this fixture not using the ‘totting up system’ favoured by so many match officials.

Mark Robins made his thoughts on PNE’s tactics more than clear at the end, stating: ‘[PNE fans have] got to watch it all the time – we’ve got to see it once, twice, three times in the next month or so …. The ball’s in the air forever.’

Elliott’s free header at the back post could and should have won the points for the home side in the dying minutes, but he opted to miss the target when it seemed easier to score (And days later CCFC took Clarke on trial from Charlton. Coincidence? I think not!).

Despite the slightly thuggish tactics favoured by PNE, thankfully there were no incidents anywhere near as bad as Swansea versus MU, where Ashley Williams could have killed a fellow professional footballer by kicking the ball in his general direction. Hanging really is too good for him….

TEAM: Murphy, Christie, Adams, Wood, Edjenguele, Jennings, Bailey, Barton (Elliott 78), McSheffrey, Moussa (Baker 64), McGoldrick. SNU: Dunn, Clarke, Cameron, Fleck, O'Donovan.