Tony Mowbray felt Coventry should have beaten Southend

Coventry manager Tony Mowbray described his side's draw against Southend as an "opportunity lost".

Mowbray's side had won their opening two encounters at the Ricoh Arena but after Jim O'Brien had a penalty saved - one of many stops by outstanding Southend keeper Dan Bentley - they had to settle for a point.

They had taken the lead through Reda Johnson following a corner that was hotly disputed by Phil Brown and his United side.

But the visitors turned the scoreline on its head before half-time as first Noel Hunt headed them level from a Ben Coker cross before Aaron Phillips sent Michael Timlin tumbling in the box. David Mooney put enough power in his penalty to prevent Lee Burge saving, despite the keeper getting a hand to it.

Bentley, however, managed to keep out O'Brien's spot-kick at the start of the second period - although the decision to award it after Sam Ricketts appeared to be fouled was another Brown was keen to contest.

Coventry turned the screw as the game wore on and, after Ricketts headed them level, they looked set to grab a winner but Marcus Tudgay was foiled by a wonderful injury time save by Bentley.

Mowbray said: "It was a brilliant night for football. The pitch was slick just how we like it and I just feel it was an opportunity lost really.

"I talked to all the players about opportunities. It was an opportunity to go second in the table, an opportunity to make it three wins out of three at the Ricoh and an opportunity for players coming in due to injury. We just didn't quite take that opportunity but there are plenty more games.

"It's disappointing that we didn't get the three points but I've said we need goals from all over the pitch this season - every player has to chip in - so I am delighted both central defenders did because they need to score a certain amount if we are going to get to 80 goals this season.

"We can score goals but we have to be a bit more compact in possession, we can't always be that open."

Brown, whose team moved out of the bottom four with their third away draw, said: "It's nice to see the two strikers that we've brought in off and running - I don't really mind who scores the goals but it means a lot to the strikers.

"It's nice to get something from the game. You know when you go 2-1 up against Coventry that they are going to come out at you and play some good football. That's what they did and they are a good side.

"But I think we deserved the point because of the endeavour, the work-rate and the desire to get something from the game.

"That was personified by the way Dan Bentley played.

"That said, I can't see how the referee gives the corner for their first goal and we end up not defending it. Then for their penalty, there is an assessor up in the stand who categorically stated it was not a penalty and yet the referee says it's stonewall. The clarity and consistency that we are all after has to come out on a regular basis."