West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes the Hammers are on target for an automatic promotion spot.
Hammers boss happy; City chief credits players
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes the Hammers are on target for an automatic promotion spot after their win at Coventry.
Allardyce could point to his double substitution as a turning point in the win, after City, the better team in the first-half, took a deserved lead through a Clive Platt strike.
However, Allardyce sent on reinforcements in the shape of Carlton Cole and Freddie Piquionne who scored a goal apiece.
Allardyce said: "We changed it round at half time and I told the players that they were attacking the end where we had 6,500 fans who had travelled all the way to support us and we'd not played well enough to get them behind us.
"We changed the system and once we got Freddie Piquionne and Carlton Cole on, it was then that the game changed in our favour. For me, it was only a matter of time before we started to score goals.
"I can call myself the master tactician! It's another valuable three points towards our target and for only the second time we are exactly where we want to be which is 34 points after 17 games.
"Two points a game is going to get you automatic promotion and we are right on the brink of our busiest period with no more international breaks and we are getting the squad fit again."
Disappointed
Meanwhile Sky Blues boss Andy Thorn was disappointed with how they conceded the two goals, particularly the second which was helped by a huge deflection.
"I thought we acquitted ourselves really well, played some really good stuff. I thought everybody was a credit," he said.
"The first goal we felt was a foul on Keogh but we didn't get much all afternoon so that I didn't expect to get that. The second goal we should deal with but it came from a ricochet and that's our luck at the moment.
"When you are bringing Carlton Cole and Piquionne off the bench, it gives you a good armoury but I can't fault my players because I thought we stuck to our principles, mixed it up and played some good stuff but it wasn't to be.
"I am sure the neutral would say we deserved something from the game. People who aren't here will see another defeat but we are trying to play the right way and we have to keep going and the big man upstairs has got to give me an ace some time soon."
