Kyle McFadzean: Coventry City captain says rest of squad have to take pressure off top scorer Viktor Gyokeres
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Kyle McFadzean began his career at Sheffield United before having spells at Crawley, MK Dons and Burton
Coventry City cannot afford to be a "one-man team" and need to ease the burden on top scorer Viktor Gyokeres, says captain Kyle McFadzean.
Gyokeres' 18 Championship goals so far this season have almost single-handedly kept City in the play-off race.
Saturday's 4-1 victory at Blackpool was only the fifth win they have managed without the Sweden striker scoring.
"We have to take a little bit of pressure off him," McFadzean, 36, told BBC CWR.
"You can see there's three or four players around him every time now so if he can get his head up a bit and pass a bit earlier there are other players with better opportunities, because they're just going to kick him and foul him, and that's why he gets so frustrated.
"Referees need to look after him a little bit more. He gets whacked every week and I don't think that's fair. Hopefully that'll happen."
Gyokeres, 24, had gone into the game at Bloomfield Road having scored six times in his previous seven games - including two in beating Huddersfield 4-0 at the start of March.
The win over the struggling Tangerines was only the third game in the last eight he had drawn a blank.
McFadzean, who was among the scorers against Blackpool, said that help for Gyokeres has to continue.
"It can't just be a one-man team - other people need to get the goals," said McFadzean.
"It's the same for us defenders. If we want to get in the play-offs we have to add goals."
McFadzean's crisply-hit strike was his second goal of the season and only the seventh in his 145 appearances for Coventry since joining from Burton Albion in July 2019.
"I just told myself to hit it clean," he added. "I hit one in training on Friday and it went into the same spot (the bottom corner) so I had practice."
The Sky Blues' win extended their timely unbeaten run to nine games and lifted them to within three points of the play-off places with eight games left.
McFadzean, who said he was guilty of making a "stupid" challenge to give Blackpool a penalty, said they also "got lucky" when the home side weren't awarded a second spot-kick for a trip on Jerry Yates.
However, with another vital three points secured, McFadzean knows City are very well placed for the Championship run-in.
"We've got nothing to lose now," he added. "We've got to give it our all in these last eight games. We're looking up and hopefully we can have a big push."
Viktor Gyokores (left) has scored 19 goals in 39 appearances in all competitions for Coventry this season