League One
CoventryCoventry City2Port ValePort Vale1

Coventry City 2-1 Port Vale

By Ged ScottBBC Sport at the Ricoh Arena
Kyel Reid celebrates Coventry's first goal against Port Vale
Kyel Reid's eye-catching goal gave Coventry slim hope of staving off relegation from League One

Relegation-haunted Coventry won for the first time since Mark Robins returned as boss to increase the threat to Port Vale of going down to League Two.

City ended a run of 422 minutes without a goal when Kyel Reid superbly fired them ahead with a dipping 20-yard volley in the 37th minute.

The hosts then took just another four minutes to score again, from Kwame Thomas' clever close-range backheel.

All Vale could muster in response was Nathan Smith's deftly flicked header.

It leaves Vale still in the bottom four, two points behind 20th-placed Shrewsbury, although with two games in hand.

Bottom club Coventry's first win in seven games leaves them still with a very slim chance of beating the drop, still 14 points adrift of safety but with only another 21 to play for.

Although it might not be long before relegation to League Two is confirmed, it at least might not now happen before City walk out at Wembley for the EFL Trophy final on 2 April.

However, if they fail to win at home to Bristol Rovers on Saturday, they could then be within one defeat of dropping into English football's bottom tier for the first time since 1959.

Ominous defeat for struggling Vale

After a nine-game winless run since the turn of the year, successive home victories had given Vale, still under the caretaker management of Michael Brown, a better chance of avoiding the drop.

But they have only won once away from home this season. And, even against a struggling Coventry side who had not scored in their past four matches, they were cruelly found out.

An hour had gone before Vale had an effort on target, but home keeper Lee Burge saved Ryan Taylor's shot.

By then, City were well in control thanks to their mini first-half goal flurry when, shortly after Reid's superb flick and volley, they confidently doubled their lead with another good strike.

Thomas got to the rebound first and finished with a stunning backheel after Deniz Mehmet had only parried Stuart Beavon's shot.

Vale rallied late on but all they had to show for it was centre-half Smith's fourth goal of the season, a back headed flick from Taylor's neatly floated free-kick.

Sky Blues manager Mark Robins told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:

"It was a win and a decent win too, but nobody is getting carried away. It just gives us a bit of confidence going into the Bristol Rovers game on Saturday.

"We've not been lacking in passion and pride. It's decision-making and fear that's more our problem, but you can see the confidence increasing.

"They all worked hard, grafted and pressed when we needed to. You could feel that the crowd were desperate to get behind us, the players have responded and I'm really pleased with the three points."

Port Vale caretaker boss Michael Brown told BBC Radio Stoke:

"We tried hard but we weren't good enough. It's disappointing as it was Coventry.

"Maybe we thought the points were going to come a bit easier. But, with a new manager, they've actually been playing some good football and getting beat.

"They got a worldie from nothing and you start to think it's not our night. Maybe that knocked the stuffing out of us and we then conceded very quickly again after that."

Line-ups

Coventry

Formation 4-4-2

  • 1Burge
  • 2Willis
  • 7Clarke
  • 19RawsonBooked at 90mins
  • 24Haynes
  • 27Thomas
  • 5Bigirimana
  • 12Reilly
  • 11ReidSubstituted forStokesat 84'minutes
  • 14Thomas
  • 16BeavonSubstituted forJonesat 81'minutes

Substitutes

  • 3Stokes
  • 4Turnbull
  • 8Lameiras
  • 10Jones
  • 23Charles-Cook
  • 30Kelly-Evans
  • 31Stevenson

Port Vale

Formation 4-4-1-1

  • 1Mehmet
  • 2PurkissSubstituted forTavaresat 79'minutes
  • 4Streete
  • 24Smith
  • 20Geraldo Rosa
  • 6Taylor
  • 11FoleyBooked at 78mins
  • 31ReevesBooked at 45minsSubstituted forKellyat 45'minutes
  • 46Shodipo
  • 44EaglesSubstituted forTurnerat 61'minutes
  • 9Cicilia

Substitutes

  • 7Kelly
  • 8Tavares
  • 18Turner
  • 19Tanser
  • 38Fasan
  • 39Bikey Amougou
Referee:
David Webb
Attendance:
7,695

Match Stats

Home TeamCoventryAway TeamPort Vale
Possession
Home38%
Away62%
Shots
Home9
Away5
Shots on Target
Home5
Away3
Corners
Home1
Away9
Fouls
Home13
Away11

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Coventry City 2, Port Vale 1.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Coventry City 2, Port Vale 1.

  3. Post update

    Foul by Paulo Tavares (Port Vale).

  4. Post update

    Ryan Haynes (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  5. Booking

    Farrend Rawson (Coventry City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  6. Post update

    Sam Foley (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  7. Post update

    Foul by Farrend Rawson (Coventry City).

  8. Post update

    Paulo Tavares (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  9. Post update

    Foul by Jodi Jones (Coventry City).

  10. Post update

    Corner, Port Vale. Conceded by Callum Reilly.

  11. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Gael Bigirimana (Coventry City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

  12. Post update

    Foul by Kiko (Port Vale).

  13. Post update

    Kwame Thomas (Coventry City) wins a free kick on the right wing.

  14. Substitution

    Substitution, Coventry City. Chris Stokes replaces Kyel Reid.

  15. Post update

    Chris Eagles (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  16. Post update

    Foul by Kyel Reid (Coventry City).

  17. Post update

    Sam Foley (Port Vale) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  18. Post update

    Foul by Kyel Reid (Coventry City).

  19. Substitution

    Substitution, Coventry City. Jodi Jones replaces Stuart Beavon.

  20. Substitution

    Substitution, Port Vale. Paulo Tavares replaces Ben Purkiss.

As It Stood

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Sheff Utd38239673433078
2Bolton38219860342672
3Fleetwood381911855361968
4Bradford391618552361666
5Scunthorpe3918101166462064
6Southend3816121058471160
7Millwall37161295344960
8Bristol Rovers391512125858057
9Oxford Utd38167155146555
10Rochdale37159135854454
11Walsall391314124749-253
12Peterborough391410155454052
13Wimbledon381215114946351
14Northampton39147185763-649
15Charlton391017124946347
16MK Dons381211154849-147
17Bury39129185764-745
18Gillingham391112165167-1645
19Oldham391014152638-1244
20Shrewsbury381110174153-1243
21Port Vale371011164259-1741
22Swindon3999214059-1936
23Chesterfield3989223763-2633
24Coventry39611223260-2829
View full League One table