Bosses gear up for last-day drama
ByPA Sport
Published 25/04/2015 at 19:50 GMT
Coventry manager Tony Mowbray and Crewe counterpart Steve Davis are gearing up for a nerve-jangling finish as a 3-1 away win for the Alex ensured the two teams' fate will be settled on the final day.
Tony Mowbray will hope Coventry can seal their safety next Sunday
Image credit: PA Sport
Crewe's victory means they and Coventry will be fighting for survival next Sunday, with the Railwaymen at home to Bradford and the Sky Blues facing a trip to Crawley, who are also deep in trouble.
The visitors effectively had the game won by half-time in the Midlands as Lauri Dalla Valle put them in front in the 23rd minute and Ryan Colclough added a second 12 minutes later.
They scored a third in the 73rd minute when Marcus Haber headed home, rendering Nick Proschwitz's 85th-minute goal irrelevant.
Davis had demanded a positive result after three successive draws and was delighted with the response.
"It was a fantastic effort and I am delighted for the fans, delighted for the players and delighted for the staff," he said.
"We knew it would take up to 54 points to be sure (of safety) because of the number of clubs involved in the shake up and there will be a few involved in the last-day drama. We have prepared ourselves mentally for it.
"I felt it might go to the last game and I said that fairly early in the season and we are delighted it has because of the start we had.
"Today was a magnificent spectacle for our fans. Coventry gave us problems but we adjusted and were more solid after that.
"So now this week we will focus on recovering well, and making sure that we prepare well mentally and physically. We will do the work we need to do to make sure we get a result against Bradford."
Mowbray had been confident his side could build on their battling point at champions Bristol City and was clearly frustrated by the capitulation.
"We shot ourselves in the foot in the first half," he noted.
"They were not great creative goals that they scored and we saw traits we had not seen so far, especially away from home when we have defended resolutely.
"Games like this expose frailties of certain individuals when you have to be braver and when you have to go and play at home.
"It was raw to see the ones who wanted to play and the ones who find it difficult.
"We are where we are and we now have to prepare for what will be a huge game."
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement