Coventry City vs Preston North End. Sky Bet Championship.
The Coventry Building Society ArenaAttendance18,913.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Coventry and Preston at the Coventry Building Society Arena as North End earned a second victory of the season and a seventh clean sheet in a row.
Wednesday 31 August 2022 23:22, UK
Preston are yet to concede a goal in the Championship this season after Emil Riis' 73rd-minute winner secured a 1-0 victory at Coventry.
The Danish striker finished as Preston's top scorer last season and came off the bench to grab his first of the campaign, maintaining Ryan Lowe's side's unbeaten record in the Sky Bet Championship and making it seven clean sheets from seven.
It was an unhappy ending to Coventry's first home game of the season after they were unable to play at the CBS Arena following the Commonwealth Games due to the state of the pitch.
Lowe tried to coax some life into his Preston attack, which had scored just once prior to Wednesday night by making three changes, Ben Woodburn was handed his first North End league start alongside Ched Evans and Alistair McCann, who replaced Alan Browne, Daniel Johnson and Ryan Ledson.
After losing their previous two league games 3-2, Coventry boss Mark Robins replaced Simon Moore with Ben Wilson between the sticks while Josh Eccles came in for Fankaty Dabo at right wing-back.
Martyn Waghorn replaced Kasey Palmer and Manchester City loanee Callum Doyle was handed his first league start in place of Jonathan Panzo.
Wilson was called into action inside the first 10 minutes when he was forced to tip Greg Cunningham's effort round the post, before the Sky Blues had to withstand a Preston onslaught.
Woodburn, whose six appearances prior to Wednesday night's game had all come off the bench, nodded Ben Whiteman's corner narrowly wide of Wilson's right-hand post and then blazed over after Jamie Allen gave the ball away in his own half.
Evans also saw a shot blocked for the visitors while Robbie Brady flashed a shot wide as Preston failed to make the breakthrough.
But Robins' men came through Preston's pressure as they looked to hold onto a first clean sheet of the season and managed to create chances of their own when Doyle stepped forward and unleashed a drive from distance that Freddie Woodman was forced to beat to safety.
Jake Bidwell came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock for the hosts when he curled a left-footed effort inches wide of the far post.
And Lowe was left livid in the 36th minute after Wilson clipped Troy Parrott on the edge of the box with the striker bearing down on goal, deemed only to be a yellow card offence by referee John Busby as the former Plymouth manager was left to berate fourth official Andy Davies on the touchline.
Waghorn went closest for the Sky Blues after the break, his deflected effort cannoning back off the crossbar for what would have been just his second Coventry goal.
Preston's winner came through Riis just seven minutes after he was introduced from the bench.
Parrott saw his initial effort blocked, but the rebound was collected by the Dane who set himself before firing in.
Coventry went in search of an equaliser immediately and hit the crossbar for a second time just seconds after Riis' strike, with Matty Godden's header back across goal landing on the woodwork before being cleared to safety.
It was Riis who came closest to a second for Preston but the match-winner was denied by Wilson in a one-on-one.
Coventry's Mark Robins: "It becomes a false situation because we're looking at it going we're not doing very well. But we haven't started and that's the biggest thing. The message is to keep going because we'll get there, they'll get there and there's no doubt about it. We are playing catch-up, there's no doubt about it, it makes it really difficult and makes it sound like an excuse. There's no excuses, if you haven't played as many games as the others and you're not in a rhythm it makes it really difficult when you're playing against sides that are really good teams.
"They've built into a season, they've got clean sheets in every game that they've played, we were really unlucky not to score. It's been really difficult but we've got a situation where we can play again and we can start to build that rhythm and start to enjoy it."
Preston's Ryan Lowe: "It is an incredible record and fair play to Fred (Woodman) and the lads, but it is a squad game and the defending from the front is phenomenal as well, midfielders, wing-backs. Look it is good and people recognise you for keeping the back door shut against good teams. It is good but ultimately it is about winning games of football. We are not here to break records, we are here to win games of football and see where it takes us.
"In the meantime, if you are breaking records, then so be it, but more important is winning. And to see the ball hitting the back of the net was a bit of a relief. I wasn't worried it wouldn't be our night because if you are creating chances, I won't worry and if we kept plugging away, we would create opportunities."
