Coventry City 2 Fleetwood Town 1: MATCH REPORT

Before kick-off with 10 games to go Fleetwood Town found themselves six points off sixth-placed Doncaster Rovers, while their hosts were five adrift.

A win here could have closed that gap to four but with the Sky Blues taking the points and building a four point cushion of their own it would now take a minor miracle for Town to take sixth.

Though the pleasing aspect of this clash was unlike at the Banks's stadium the flip-flops were far from out by the Town players.

Mistakes again, yes, but this Fleetwood side battled to the end and tried in vain to keep their season alive.

A lack of clinical finishing and another defensive mistake the reason Coventry enhanced their own credentials of breaking into the top six.

Fleetwood boss Joey Barton was unhappy with his side's second half capitulation at Walsall.

He acted by making three changes for the clash at the Ricoh Arena but the big talking point from the team sheet was the shift in skipper.

In the absence of club captain Craig Morgan Ash Eastham has taken the armband.

But Barton opted to shake things up with Eastham retaining his spot in the squad but striker Ched Evans taking the armband for the first time this season.

Eastham did not have his best game in the 2-0 defeat at Walsall but the change of captaincy came as a shock.

The other changes not so much.

Left-back James Husband, midfielder Jack Sowerby and striker Ash Hunter all made way for Lewie Coyle, Ashley Nadesan and Nathan Sheron to return to the line-up.

The changes saw Coyle take on the left-back slot as Wes Burns continued at right-back.

It appeared as though Barton had got the response he wanted in the opening exchanges with Burns wasting a headed chance and Madden testing the palms of Lee Burge.

But you could not have predicted the defensive howler that was to give their hosts an early lead.

Coventry had barely threatened at goal but it was through a high press that they forced Town into a huge mistake.

Right footer Coyle found himself in trouble at left-back but as he tried to play the ball back to keeper from a tight angle on the left Bakayoko smelt blood.

The Coventry man honed in on Cairns who raced towards the ball and as the keeper tried to clear the danger the ball cannoned back off the Coventry man and trickled home.

But Fleetwood soon regrouped and kept knocking at the door.

Captain Evans nodded over from six-yards when a player of his calibre should have hit the target, though the skipper would soon make up for that miss.

Harry Souttar nearly got in on the action but he was thwarted at the back post by a Sky Blues boot.

Ashley Nadesan was released by a magical Ross Wallace ball but Burge batted his effort away.

Fleetwood finally got their goal and it came from skipper Evans.

Madden found space at the back post and his strike clattered into the woodwork but it fell off the bar and onto a plate for Evans who bundled home his 14th of the term.

The Sky Blues restored their lead just before the break.

Former Fleetwood loan star Jordy Hiwula came back to haunt his old club as he curled the ball past a host of red and white shirts and former team mate Cairns in the 42nd minute.

Barton made a change at the break swapping Sheron for Sowerby.

But it was Coventry who threatened early doors in the first half as Bakayoko again caused problems in Town's defence.

Ash Eastham could not stretch to meet the ball with the Coventry forward sprinting clear though he miss-controlled and Hiwula eventually lofted the ball over the bar.

The scoreline was harsh on Town but it was a case of being punished for miss-communication and for wasting their chances.

Coventry showing why they are above them in the league with their clinical finishing and capitalising on Town's errors rather than playing them off the pitch.

It is the basics of League One, take your chances and punish the opposition if they make an error.

Bakayoko might have capitalised on a Town error in the opening stages of the first half but he let them off in the second 45.

Eastham could not stretch to stop a ball through the middle and Bakayoko sprinted through on goal.

Fortunately for Fleetwood he could not get his foot around the ball and as Town recovered Shipley found Hiwula but he blasted over.

That gave Town hope but again they were wasteful.

Evans had a great chance to level things up again but once more Town failed to find a clinical touch.

The striker was teed-up by Nadesan but his first time effort was stopped by Burge with the Cod Army expecting the net to ripple.

As the half progressed Barton shifted formation as he tried to find a way back.

Ash Hunter was sent on in place of Ross Wallace, the change seeing Town move from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2.

Hunter was deployed on the left wing and Nadesan dropping back to the right flank.

Barton made further changes minutes later as U18 star Rydel was thrown on at left-back.

That move saw Coyle flip back to the right with Burns pushing up into the right wing role vacated by Nadesan.

And the move gave Town renewed joy on the right.

Burns, Holt and Coyle all linked on that wing to release the Leeds loan star but his pull-back was scuffed in the box by Madden who was unusually off radar.

Fleetwood had chances Hunter firing over and Town showed how much they were desperate for a point as keeper Cairns came up for a last-gasp corner.

But alas he could not make up for his earlier error and it seems like mid-table mediocrity is written in the stars for the crop of 2018-19

Fleetwood Town: Cairns, Burns, Eastham, Souttar, Coyle, R Wallace (Hunter, 69), Sheron (Sowerby, 46), Holt, Nadesan (Rydel, 76), Evans, Madden. Subs not used: P Jones, Hunter, Husband, Biggins, Baggley, Rydel.

Coventry: Burge, Mason (Brown, 60) , Davies, Meyler, Hiwula, Sterling, Bayliss, Bakayoko, Thomas (Wakefield, 75), Shipley, Williams. Subs not used: Addai, Grimmer, Ponticelli, Westbrooke, Burroughs.