Filed under: Burnley, Coventry, Championship, Football, Match Reports
Burnley lost further ground in their race to gatecrash the play-offs as managerless Coventry earned a deserved point at Turf Moor.But it could have been a lot worse for Burnley as Jay Rodriguez earned them a share of the spoils they scarcely deserved against a Sky Blues side who saw Aidy Boothroyd sacked 24 hours earlier.
It had looked so good for the hosts after Rodriguez pounced in the 19th minute after collecting Tyrone Mears' pass to score against the run of play.
Yet it didn't settle any nerves and Clarets goalkeeper Lee Grant was twice forced into action before the break.
Grant's heroics continued to frustrate Coventry before Lukas Jutkiewicz nodded home after his initial headed had hit the crossbar.
Gary McSheffrey curled in a fine finish in 75th minute and it looked to have been enough to earn Coventry a rare win.
But their hard work was undone when Rodriguez pounced on Daniel Fox's corner four minutes later to grab a draw.
REACTION:
Eddie Howe admitted his Burnley side were fortunate to escape with a point:
"I was grateful for a point in the end. It's frustrating night as it's a case of what might have been."
On the promotion push:
"The saving grace is we didn't lose and takes us a point closer to where we want to be.
"But we should be looking to win a game like this. We are still in a good position and still there fighting."
On Coventry:
"They released the shackles and came here with nothing to lose. It showed in their performance and I knew it would be a tough evening as it proved."
Caretaker Coventry manager Andy Thorn praised his players after watching them outplay the hosts:
"It's been a hectic two days. We changed quite a bit in a short change of time and loaded them with a lot of information.
"But I thought we were fantastic and at times awesome. We were in control against a very good side chasing promotion and we deserved more.
"They were a credit to the club and it's a start for us."
On his future:
"The chairman asked me to take control. I'm an employee of the football club and I love the club.
"It was an honour and a privilege. Now those are our standards and we have to remain at that level."
On the threat of relegation:
"Our travelling supporters gave us a standing ovation which said a lot. There's no danger of relegation if we play like that."
WHAT IT MEANS: Burnley are playing catch-up and can't afford to drop points if they want to be in the promotion shake-up. But they were poor here and one point from two home games won't be enough. They should have been lefte empty-handed as Coventry dominated and were in control without claiming the win they deserved. On this evidence, they will be safe from relegation.
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BURNLEY 2 (Rodriguez 18, 79) COVENTRY 2 (Jutkiewicz 61, McSheffrey 75)
PLAYER MARKING:
Burnley (4-4-2): Grant 7; Mears 6, Carlisle 7, Duff 7, Fox 6; Wallace 6 (Bartley 65, 6), Cork 6 (Iwelumo 77, 6), Marney 6 (Elliott 40, 6), Eagles 5; Delfouneso 6, Rodriguez 7
Subs (not used): Jensen, Alexander, Bikey, Edgar
Coventry (4-4-2): Westwood 6; Keogh 6, Clarke 6, Wood 6, O'Halloran 6 (Hussey 56, 6), Baker 7, Gunnarson 7, Clingan 7, McSheffrey 8; Eastwood 6, Jutkiewicz 7
Subs (not used): Quirke, Bell, Ruffles, Cameron, O'Donovan, McIndoe
ATTENDANCE: 13, 802
REFEREE: Michael Naylor
NEXT UP:
Burnley v Bristol City (away), Championship, 19/03, 1500 GMT
Coventry v Preston (away), Championship, 19/03, 1500 GMT
MAN OF THE MATCH:
Gary McSheffrey (Coventry): Tormented the hosts all evening and his stunning strike deserved to deliver free-falling Coventry maximum points.
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