A last-gasp Pablo Couñago goal deep into injury time gave the Blues a well-deserved 3-2 victory over Coventry, just as it appeared that Richard Wood had grabbed a point for the Sky Blues. Town had gone behind to Clinton Morrison’s early goal, but took control and hit back through Stern John and Jack Colback before the injury time drama.

Boss Roy Keane made three changes from the side which drew 1-1 at Leicester last week, Stern John joined Jon Walters up front with Connor Wickham dropping to the bench, while Owen Garvan came in on the right of midfield and Liam Rosenior at right-back with Alex Bruce and Pim Balkestein left out. Jaime Peters reverted to left-back.

Early goals have been a feature of Town’s recent performances, but this time it was the visitors who netted in the opening stages of a game played in sodden conditions during almost constant rain. Damien Delaney and Gareth McAuley were caught too far apart as the ball was played through to Clinton Morrison, who struck a shot from the edge of the box which beat Arran Lee-Barrett, hit the inside of the post and nestled in the back of the net. It was the Irishman’s third goal against the Blues this season and is fourth in three games against Town.

Damien Delaney forced Coventry keeper Keiren Westwood into action for the first time with a flick after a corner in the sixth minute as the Blues quickly took control of the game despite conceding the early goal.

On 11 a Colback cross from the left almost deflected into Walters’s path, but Westwood came out to claim. Moments later, Liam Rosenior struck a shot which deflected off David Norris and flew wide.

There was a scare for Town at the other end on the quarter hour mark when Morrison shot just wide after McAuley had failed to clear.

The Blues appealed for a penalty when Jon Walters appeared to be pulled back as a Damien Delaney freekick was sent into the box. Referee Michael Oliver wasn’t interested.

Town continued to play most of the game in the Coventry half — at times Peters and Rosenior were playing virtually as wingers wide of a central midfield four — but without causing too much danger in the Sky Blues box.

On 40 David Bell hit a 35-yard effort which bounced awkwardly in front of Arran Lee-Barrett, but the Town keeper dealt with it adequately.

Two minutes later, the Blues got back on terms. David Norris swept the ball wide to Liam Rosenior on the right as Town broke and the full-back sent in a cross which Stern John flicked beyond Westwood to claim his first goal of his loan spell.

John wasn’t too far away from another goal before the break, but shot into the sidenetting from a tight angle.

The Blues fully deserved to have got back on terms with the first half having dominated once they had conceded the uncharacteristically poor early goal. Town kept possession well and were rarely threatened at the other end, although the quality of balls into the box wasn’t always of the highest quality. Prior to Town’s equaliser, Coventry’s somewhat lazy approach to restarting the game had started to irk the Blues’ support and eventually the referee.

Town started the second half as they had ended the first. The again hugely impressive Leadbitter tricked his way past a defender before teeing up Garvan, Westwood saving his fellow Irishman’s shot.

But it wasn’t too long before Town went in front with a superbly worked team goal. Owen Garvan fed Jon Walters down the right and the skipper sent in a low ball which Grant Leadbitter flicked on at the near post to the on-rushing Jack Colback, who tapped home from six yards for his fourth goal of the season.

The game boiled briefly in the 54th minute when James McPake somewhat needlessly overreacted to an aerial challenge with Jon Walters. As various Town players sought to intervene, Clinton Morrison equally needlessly involved himself in the spat, Damien Delaney the victim of his annoyance. McPake and Walters picked up yellow cards, while Morrison was lucky to avoid a booking for his involvement and subsequent melodramatic arm-waving protests of innocence.

The incident had held the game up for more than two minutes and Town rather lost their impetus afterwards as the visitors started to come more into it. On 62 Arran Lee-Barrett did well to get across to his left to save Gary Deegan’s volley from 20 yards. From the corner, Gareth McAuley cleared Morrison’s header inside the six-yard box.

Pablo Couñago and Connor Wickham took over from Stern John and David Norris in the 63rd minute, the pair going up front with Jon Walters moving to the right of midfield and Owen Garvan into the centre.

Freddy Eastwood saw a shot charged down soon afterwards as Town sat back allowing the visitors to come at them. Couñago and Wickham took a few minutes to get into the game and the Blues were under pressure for the first time during the game.

However, both subs gradually made their presence known, although Wickham should have done better than his wild shot wide from 25 yards with plenty of options either side of him.

Morrison finally picked up a yellow card for a late and clumsy foul on Liam Rosenior in the 78th minute.

A minute later the shaky Westwood, who had earlier twice seen kicks from his hands hit Town strikers a foot or so in front of him and had got away with it, almost dropped a Walters cross from the right which had been flicked on by Wickham.

With three minutes remaining, Wickham sent Colback away one-on-one with the keeper but the loanee from Sunderland took his shot too early and Westwood, who had initially strayed off his line, got back to save easily.

The Coventry keeper, who will have had better afternoons, cleared straight to Colback 25 yards out in the 88th minute, the midfielder finding Wickham, whose shot was saved by the keeper. Pablo Couñago did well to pick up the loose ball and took it past two defenders and the keeper before slipping it goalwards, only for Martin Cranie to just get a toe to it to clear it off the line.

As the game entered four minutes of injury time, Lee Martin replaced Owen Garvan, Jack Colback switching to the centre of midfield.

Town had had more than enough opportunities to seal the game but had again failed to take them. And as so often earlier in the season, they were made to pay. As a consequence of a contentious throw-in awarded to the Sky Blues in the Town half, Coventry got back on terms. The Sky Blues moved the ball up field, Carl Baker crossed from the right and defender Richard Wood, a Town target earlier in the season, headed home.

The Sky Blues players celebrated long and hard in front of their own supporters, while Grant Leadbitter and Liam Rosenior complained to referee Oliver about the throw-in, the latter picking up a yellow card.

From the restart, Couñago flicked the ball to Walters just outside the area and the skipper returned it to the Spaniard in space to his left. Couñago took the ball into the box and chipped it over Westwood and under the bar to win the game for Town. The striker was buried by the rest of his team, including keeper Arran Lee-Barrett, who had run the length of the pitch, while fitness coach Antonio Gomez also joined in the celebrations.

The whistle went moments later to a rapturous reception after the game’s dramatic end and Couñago’s superb finish.

In truth though, it should have been much more comfortable for the Blues, who had dominated most of the game after conceding the early goal. Having gone 2-1 up there were opportunities to increase the lead, but as so often several good chances were spurned.

The Richard Wood goal seemed to signal a return to the last minute woes of earlier in the season, but unlike on previous occasions heads didn’t drop and the Blues immediately went looking for the winner, which Couñago finished deftly.

Both late goals appeared to come after the four minutes of second half injury time had already been played, although after the stoppage for the bout of handbags, five substitutions and a goal that seemed somewhat brief. The substitution of Owen Garvan and then Coventry’s long celebration after their goal probably account for the game stretching into the 96th minute by the time Couñago netted for the Blues.

The victory, the third home win in a row, puts Town up to 19th, six points away from the relegation zone and only 10 points from the play-offs. If the Blues can continue their recent form of only one defeat in 15 for the final few months of the season, a top six finish might not be as unrealistic a prospect than it appeared before Christmas.

Town: Lee-Barrett, Rosenior, Peters, Delaney, McAuley, Leadbitter, Norris (Wickham 63), Garvan (Martin 90), Colback, Walters, John (Couñago 63). Unused: McLoughlin, D Wright, Balkestein, Edwards. Att: 20,135.

Photo: Action Images

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