Coventry City play first Saturday home game - on 1 October

Coventry City have staged just one home game this season - on a Wednesday night

With an early start and a World Cup slap bang in the middle of it, the process of administering the 2022-23 English football league season was never going to be simple.

But, even so, after all their early season pitch problems, Coventry City can already feel they have suffered more than most.

Their date with Middlesbrough this weekend represents City's first Saturday home fixture of the campaign - two months after the season began.

"It's been a long time coming," Sky Blues boss Mark Robins told BBC CWR. "We were certainly due a home game.

"There are loads of reasons to be positive and the main reason is going back to playing in front of our supporters at the Arena on a Saturday afternoon."

The Sky Blues got off to a decent enough start this season with a 1-1 away draw at Sunderland back on 31 July. But things were then turned upside down when it became clear that the pitch at the Coventry Building Society Arena, owned by their rugby landlords Wasps, was not fit for use.

That followed a summer of two major concerts at the stadium - and 65 games of rugby sevens during the Commonwealth Games.

Although they managed to move their EFL Cup tie with Bristol City at short notice to Burton Albion - 42 miles away - they had three successive home matches postponed in August, while the pitch was being improved.

The Sky Blues then finally got to stage their first home league game with Preston North End, on Wednesday, 31 August.

But their one scheduled home game against neighbours West Bromwich Albion in September was then called off following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - and they were without a game last weekend because of the latest international break.

It all adds up to the fact that, of their seven league games so far, six have been away, of which they have drawn three, lost 3-2 twice and been beaten 3-0 by Championship promotion favourites Norwich City.

And it has left winless City, long-time play-off challengers last season, at the bottom with only three points - already seven adrift.

"You look at the league table and you obviously don't want to be anywhere near where we sit," Robins added. "But you just have to be calm.

"Compared to the four points we had from our first six away games last season, we are just a point behind - and that should put things more into context.

"With the World Cup coming up, the games are now going to come thick and fast and it is just about trying to win matches.

"The international break came at the wrong time for us. Other teams might have been glad of the break but we were just starting to get into our rhythm, as the draws at Luton and Birmingham showed.

"But that first clean sheet at Blues was very important, as we were conceding too many goals."

That 0-0 draw at their former temporary St Andrew's home last time out cost Robins the services of Gustavo Hamer, who was sent off late on for kicking out at Blues substitute Hannibal Mejbri and is now banned for four games.

But one consolation is that Chris Wilder's Boro, fellow play-off hopefuls this time, have also had a poor start and lie just two places above them in 22nd, having won just twice in 10 games.

Coventry's new dates . . .

Rotherham United - Originally 6 August, now Tuesday, 25 October

Wigan Athletic - Originally 16 August, now Tuesday, 8 November

Huddersfield Town - Originally 20 August, now Tuesday, 24 January

West Bromwich Albion - Originally 10 September, still to be arranged

Mark Robins was talking to BBC CWR's Clive Eakin