Wally Downes praised his players for a resilient away display that defied a Coventry side currently eighth in the League One table.
Speaking during his post-match interview for iFollow after the 1-1 draw at the Ricoh Stadium, Wally said: “I’ve told the boys that it’s very difficult to win a football match, you have to put it in everywhere around the pitch. Today we had to work really hard to get one point. We need to maintain that same work-rate, dedication, spirit, and will to win, for the rest of the season, because if we fall below that we won’t be drawing games.
"If we fall below that we certainly won’t be winning games, but having said that, they’ve stepped up every time. Coming here to a big stadium and a big club in Coventry, it could have been a down side after the FA Cup with all the publicity that got. The boys were dogged, everybody did their jobs professionally, and it could be a very vital point.
“Taking the lead was a great fillip for the boys, but 1-0 is not the sort of result you can hang onto for 89 minutes. We had another chance in the first half to go 2-0 up, but it hit the crossbar. When we got in at half-time we had to try and win the second half. We had to continue to try and soak it up and try to win the second half. We couldn’t do that, but any point away at a place like the Ricoh Arena is a good point.”
Nineteen-year-old Paul Kalambayi played his part in the back-line for a third successive match and Wally is pleased with the progress he’s making. The manager also feels that the team are getting better at defending from set pieces.
“Set pieces are a critical part of the game now and it’s a long time since we let one in. It was great that we scored one today, the boys are responding to that and they are responsible in their personal duels in both boxes now. That’s a good sign for us.
“Paul is making great strides, there is still stuff he has to iron out, little mistakes he’s making, but the good thing is they haven’t been costly for us. Every time he makes a mistake and it isn’t costly, that’s part of a good learning process for him. The goalkeeper is also looking very solid.”
Wally confirmed that Kwesi Appiah missed out due to a hamstring injury, which will be assessed on Monday. The manager also said that Andy Barcham is fine after suffering a clash of heads just before the final whistle.
The full interview with Wally is available to watch by clicking on the link above.