Stoke City 1-1 Coventry City: Sky Blues secure highest finish in 16 years

Viktor GyokeresImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Viktor Gyokeres topped the Coventry scoring charts with 17 goals

Coventry City secured their highest league finish in 16 years with a final day draw at Stoke.

The Sky Blues hit the front early on when Jamie Allen released Viktor Gyokeres whose low shot beat goalkeeper Josef Bursik at his near post.

The visitors dominated the first half, but Sam Clucas was left all alone to sweep in Josh Tymon's cross and level moments before half-time.

The draw gives Coventry a 12th-placed finish, while Stoke matched last season's campaign by finishing in 14th.

The Sky Blues could have been out of sight within minutes of Gyokeres' 17th goal of the season, as the Swedish striker sent a shot inches past the post before a Jordan Shipley lob went agonisingly wide, with Allen again the creator.

Bursik tipped over Callum O'Hare's curling effort and then kept out Shipley's powerful strike before Clucas levelled with Stoke's only attempt on target in the half.

The hosts started well after the break, with Coventry goalkeeper Ben Wilson tipping Nick Powell's shot over the bar, and Brown knocking a chance just wide.

But Coventry almost snatched a first win in four matches late on, but Ian Maatsen's header was somehow cleared off the line by James Chester.

Stoke assistant manager Dean Holden told BBC Radio Stoke:

"I thought Coventry were by miles the better team in the first half. To keep them down to 1-0 for as long as we did, I thought we were fortunate.

"We kept giving the ball away, but we were much more controlled in the second half and it was more of an even game without giving them too many problems from an attacking point of view.

"They (Coventry) have had that squad together for a couple of seasons now, they've come up together from the lower division and you get that spirit when you do that.

"They have good players, the way that they play, and for us that's something we're looking at in terms of recruitment in the summer."

Coventry manager Mark Robins told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire:

"We have looked at some stats of concern and things rear their heads too often when we are on top of a game, we don't take all the chances but we take one brilliant chance.

"All of the pressure's on them and all of a sudden they have a breakaway and out of nothing they score and they equalise, which rocks us a little, but that can't happen so there's work to be done there.

"We've got to be happy, but not totally and we know where we need to improve, but we've improved so much.

"Twelfth position this season in this league is fantastic and we're above some really good teams so the players need to take a good look at it and be really proud of what they've done."

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