Coventry City 2 Fleetwood Town 1: MANAGER REACTION: Fleetwood boss Joey Barton says his men 'pumped' Coventry despite defeat as opposite number Mark Robins hails match winner Jordy Hiwula

Joey Barton was left cursing Fleetwood Town's bad luck as he believed his side 'pumped' Coventry City despite losing 2-1 at the Ricoh Arena.
Joey BartonJoey Barton
Joey Barton

And the stats tally Barton's sentiments with Town creating 22 chances to City's eight but after converting just one of those efforts Fleetwood left Coventry without a point.

City took the lead as Alex Cairns' clearance bounced back off Amadou Bakayoko in the sixth minute.

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New skipper Ched Evans levelled in the 33rd minute with ex-Fleetwood player Jordy Hiwula restoring Coventry's lead in the 42nd minute.

And Barton rued Town's lack of clinical finishing as they now find themselves 10th in the League One table, seven points off sixth-placed Doncaster Rovers and four points off City with nine games to go.

He said: "There was some real good stuff.

"The chances fall to your Paddy Madden's.

"One bobbles up, hits his shin and he usually puts them away.

"He has three or four chances and he is disappointed.

"Normally he converts them.

"Sometimes you need that rub of the green and the key for us is coming to a stadium of a team above us and absolutely pump them.

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"I'm pleased with that but disappointed we did not take one point never mind three from here.

"We were much the better side for large parts of it.

"But that is football.

"Sometimes you do not get what you deserve.

"There has been times this season when perhaps we have done that and you just have to accept that that is par for the course."

Coventry boss Mark Robins hailed Hiwula after his ninth of the season sealed the win.

He said: "We conceded a poor goal in the first half for them to equalise, having taken the lead through Bakayoko who I thought deserved the goal because of his work-rate. He closed the keeper down and got the block on him and it has gone in the back of the net.

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“Usually they go anywhere and it did go anywhere but thankfully it was the right anywhere and end in the back of the net. There was a little bit of fortune but he deserved it because he made his luck.

“And then we didn’t defend well enough in the first half against crosses and ended up giving corners away and gave them too much ground. It dropped to Paddy Madden who hit the bar and then Evans put it in, which was disappointing.

“But I thought Jordy Hiwula was outstanding on the night. His energy was really good and his skill and desire to get in the penalty area for his shot, and his finish was clinical.

“I was right behind it and he nearly broke the net with it so it was an outstanding goal to win us the game.”