Coventry City vs Luton Town. Sky Bet Championship.
The Coventry Building Society ArenaAttendance20,366.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry and Luton Town at the Coventry Building Society Arena as Tom Lockyer put the Hatters ahead, before Matty Godden's penalty earned a point for the Sky Blues.
Saturday 11 February 2023 18:23, UK
Matt Godden marked his first start since October with a first-half equaliser as 10-man Coventry battled to a 1-1 Championship draw with Luton at the CBS Arena.
The striker had been sidelined for almost four months with an ankle injury but stepped up to score a penalty to earn the Sky Blues a point.
Luton, who were aiming for a fourth win in succession, had taken the lead through Tom Lockyer inside the first minute.
Meanwhile, Manchester City loanee Joshua Wilson-Esbrand was sent off in the closing stages on his first Sky Blues start.
The Championship high flyers were ahead after just 38 seconds when Lockyer stabbed home his first league goal of the season.
A short throw-in gave Alfie Doughty the chance to whip in a left-footed cross from the right and the Wales international stuck out a leg to divert the ball past Ben Wilson.
Coventry started to move the ball with much more ease after the opening 10 minutes and Godden's dummy freed Viktor Gyokeres to work an opening, but Ethan Horvath sprawled away to his right to parry his effort to safety.
From the corner, Kyle McFadzean hooked the ball wide on his first appearance since November.
It was a refreshed Sky Blues line-up that included skipper McFadzean, alongside a first Coventry start for wing-back Wilson-Esbrand and a first start since 10 December for Josh Eccles.
But it was Godden who had been out the longest and capped his first start since mid-October by levelling on the stroke of half-time.
The striker took down Callum Doyle's cross-field pass and crossed for Gyokeres, who looked like he was about to tap City level before he was hauled down by Gabriel Osho.
Osho was issued just a yellow card by referee Stephen Martin as punishment before Godden stepped up to score for the first time since a brace against Hull in August.
It was a bruising first half in which neither side took a backward step, as a crowd of over 20,000 fans enjoyed both teams going toe-to-toe.
The hosts came agonisingly close to a second home victory in a row when Kasey Palmer's curling effort hit the crossbar with Horvath scrambling across goal.
Wilson's heroics prevented the Hatters from taking all three points back down the M1 when he threw himself to his right to prevent Cauley Woodrow's goal-bound header, before thwarting the striker seconds later when he was allowed time and space in the box.
And after a difficult afternoon, Wilson-Esbrand was then shown a second yellow card inside the last five minutes for an ugly, mistimed challenge on substitute Fred Onyedinma.
Coventry's Mark Robins:
"It would have been a travesty not to have got anything out of the game. We could have gone on and won it, we've had one that's hit the bar, had numerous chances where we've not been able to take the shot, but they're a good side and they threw their bodies on the line as well as we did. It's just poor. The goals we conceded are poor, the ones we've conceded lately. But we can't make it a thing, if we want to make it a thing then it's going to carry on. But I think after that, the character was there for everybody to see, I thought we were good.
"(Kyle) McFadzean to come back in the time he's had out like that was a joke, the opposition he was playing against. For him to do what he did - after a week's training - is a testament to him really. Wilson-Esbrand started off really well, I thought he looked a threat, looked decent and threw himself in front of things apart from the one he jumped out of and the crowd let him know about that, he's got to learn. It was a bit harsh but he's kicked through when it's not even there to shoot. He's got to see the man and the ball as well."
Luton's Rob Edwards:
"Coming away from home, a draw is never a bad result. That said, I thought, if you go on chances alone then we could have nicked that. I don't think it would have been nicking it either - I thought we were good for it. I recognise it was a close game, like most Championship games are. I don't expect my team to take a backwards step and I don't think Mark's team will either. It was pretty relentless, I thought it was a good advert for the Championship, it was a good game.
"Brilliant start, we've been good at starting, getting the first goal well. Incredible, even if we'd have gone in at 1-0, I'd have been frustrated if I'm being honest because I thought we'd got in some really good areas and created some good chances, got behind them well. I thought our wide players were terrific. I thought we could have got a second goal and been able to kick on but we didn't. (It was) frustrating to concede at the time we did, like they will be frustrated at the time they did. They work hard, press hard. I think they're better than where their position is in the league at the moment. How they're coached and some of the individuals they've got, we knew it was going to be really difficult."
