Nigel Adkins hailed his side's character after nine-man Scunthorpe earned a 1-1 draw at Coventry.

Nigel Adkins hailed his side's character after nine-man Scunthorpe earned a 1-1 draw at Coventry. The Iron had Joe Murphy and Kelly Youga sent off in the second half but managed to gain a point against the Sky Blues. Adkins said: "We have a great team spirit and camaraderie and loyalty to each other and we also have tremendous character. "All of that showed through and it was superb to watch." Jack Cork, son of former Sky Blues assistant boss Alan, earned Scunthorpe a share of the points after Coventry had broken the deadlock when Jay Tabb was put clear by Leon McKenzie. As Tabb tried to round Murphy he was brought down. Referee Michael Jones quickly produced a red card thinking that Murphy had prevented a clear goalscoring opportunity, a decision which appeared harsh given that there were two covering defenders. City captain Michael Doyle kept his cool to score from the spot. Adkins said: "As a former goalkeeper myself, it is a bug-bear for me when they are sent off for bringing a player down inside the box.

Punished

"I believe it should be a penalty and nothing more otherwise you are punished twice." Youga was sent off for his second clumsy misdemeanour of the game in the 84th minute. The on-loan Charlton defender, who was booked in the first half after hauling down Tabb, tangled with substitute Ellery Cairo on the edge of the box and was shown a second yellow card. "I was disappointed with that," said Adkins. "Kelly is enthusiastic and I suppose that after the referee had booked him earlier, he was left with no choice but to send him off because that was probably a booking. "However, I think the first yellow card was a bit harsh." Youga collected his first yellow card in controversial circumstances.

Challenge

On the half-hour Jones pointed to the penalty spot following a clumsy challenge by Youga on Tabb. However, after consulting with the assistant referee the Cheshire official changed his mind and instead awarded a free-kick on the left-hand edge of the box. Coventry manager Iain Dowie had a different view of the incident but he refused to blame the decision for his side's failure to claim all three points. "The referee is 15 yards away and the linesman is 60 yards away - you tell me who has the better view," said Dowie. "Even if the linesman is in line with the incident, he is looking at it through bodies. "There is definite contact still inside the box and it was disappointing. "But that has not won or lost us the game, quality inside both boxes has done that. "I have a lot of time for Nigel (Adkins) and Scunthorpe and they deserve credit for being resilient."