Swansea City vs Coventry City. Sky Bet Championship.
Swansea.com StadiumAttendance16,736.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Swansea City and Coventry City at the Swansea.com Stadium as Matty Godden put the Sky Blues ahead before Jerry Yates equalised.
Saturday 19 August 2023 19:10, UK
Swansea summer signing Jerry Yates bagged his second goal of the campaign to earn his new side a 1-1 draw with Coventry in the Championship.
The visiting Sky Blues were wasteful in the first half but took the lead through what was one of their only two shots on target in the game as Matty Godden netted in the 39th minute.
But Yates, who arrived from Blackpool for a reported £2.5million this summer, equalised two minutes later with his second goal in as many home appearances for the Swans.
Having been lacklustre for the majority of their 3-2 defeat at West Brom a week earlier, Swansea boss Michael Duff urged his side to play with more zip against Coventry.
The hosts certainly took his words on board and started on the front foot as Jay Fulton drilled just wide after neat play from Joel Piroe.
Coventry soon settled and created openings of their own as club-record #7.7m signing Haji Wright was off target with three efforts in the space of seven minutes, the last of which fizzed inches wide of Carl Rushworth's goal.
Mark Robins will undoubtedly have been pleased with the control his side had on the game as Coventry's sharpness continued to pose problems.
But Swansea registered the game's first effort on target just before the half-hour mark. A corner from Charlie Patino - on his first start since joining on loan from Arsenal - found Harry Darling who headed straight at Ben Wilson.
Coventry took the lead six minutes before half-time as the lively Tatsuhiro Sakamoto squared to Wright who teed up Godden to rifle home his third goal of the season.
It sparked wild scenes of celebration in the away end, but the Sky Blues were pegged back within two minutes.
Harrison Ashby latched on to Darling's ball over the top on the right flank before crossing to Yates who nodded over Wilson to ensure the score was level at the break.
The second half proved to be a slow burner until Coventry duo Bobby Thomas and Kyle McFadzean headed over from corners in quick succession.
Piroe and Yates then combined on the right to send Fulton into the visitors' box, but the midfielder could only drill straight at Wilson from an acute angle.
Duff sent on Liam Cullen, Joe Allen, Azeem Abdulai and Josh Ginnelly late on while Wright was replaced by Ellis Simms as the contest remained finely poised.
But Coventry were unable to trouble goalkeeper Rushworth following a barrage of set-plays as they remained without a win at Swansea since 1981.
Swansea's Michael Duff:
"The one thing [Yates] does do is pop up with a goal - that's two in two. He lives for goals and he gives you everything, whether he scores or not.
"I didn't win a game for 10 games at Cheltenham, 18 months later we won the league. The same thing happened at Barnsley. We were eighth or ninth in the league for the first three months, then we were the most in-form team in the country from November on.
Coventry's Mark Robins:
"I think we're going to be good, but at the moment we're just working our way through. Everybody needs to be patient. We've got brilliant supporters and they understand.
"But we've got to pick up points while we're going, that's the key. When we've worked together a little bit longer, I think you'll see a different side with more confidence, more fluidity and hopefully more goals and more chances."
