SlowerThanPlatt
Well-Known Member
John Fleck admits five or six Coventry City players went missing when it mattered most at the weekend.
The Sky Blues midfielder – one of the side’s most consistent performers this season – also rued the slack defending in the 3-1 defeat by Crewe Alexandra when Sky Blues passed up the opportunity to secure their League One status with a below-par display against relegation rivals.
City only needed a point to make themselves safe but they now face a nervous trip to Crawley on the last day of a miserable campaign on Sunday, again looking for at least a draw to guarantee that they won’t drop into the fourth tier of English football where they haven’t plied their trade since the early sixties.
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“I thought we started pretty well in the first ten or 15 minutes and then we lost two horrendous goals which probably sums up our season, to be fair,” said Fleck. “Overall it was just very disappointing.”
Like most fans, the 23-year-old is at a loss as to how the players performed so well at champions Bristol City and then so badly at the Ricoh Arena a week later against poorer opponents.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I think consistency has been a problem all season, playing well against the best team in the league where we probably should have got three points and then against Crewe we couldn’t get enough decent shots on target – going wide and being blocked – and it was one of those days where maybe five or six of us didn’t turn up.
“Big Nick Proschwitz got his goal which will hopefully give him a boost going into the final game because we need some goals. That’s really the only positive we can take from the game just when we were beginning to feel we were starting to play well at home.”
Asked if complacency crept in, he insisted: “I don’t think so. I thought we all worked hard but just our final pass or when to make runs and when not to make runs wasn’t really on.”
Story Link Watch: Alan and Andy on Coventry City's dismal home defeat to Crewe
Pressure from an expectant crowd, which was up to just under 14,000 on Saturday, has often been levelled as a problem at home, but Fleck said: “I can only speak for myself but it shouldn’t be any different whether you are playing in front of 40,000 or 10,000. There’s expectation at a big club and we have to start picking up points.
“We’ll have a good week’s training and a positive mindset and go to get three points on Sunday.
“I’m sure it will be a nervous affair but I think Crawley will be the same. It’s one of those games where it’s massive for both teams – whoever wins will stay up.”
The Sky Blues midfielder – one of the side’s most consistent performers this season – also rued the slack defending in the 3-1 defeat by Crewe Alexandra when Sky Blues passed up the opportunity to secure their League One status with a below-par display against relegation rivals.
City only needed a point to make themselves safe but they now face a nervous trip to Crawley on the last day of a miserable campaign on Sunday, again looking for at least a draw to guarantee that they won’t drop into the fourth tier of English football where they haven’t plied their trade since the early sixties.
VIEW GALLERY
“I thought we started pretty well in the first ten or 15 minutes and then we lost two horrendous goals which probably sums up our season, to be fair,” said Fleck. “Overall it was just very disappointing.”
Like most fans, the 23-year-old is at a loss as to how the players performed so well at champions Bristol City and then so badly at the Ricoh Arena a week later against poorer opponents.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I think consistency has been a problem all season, playing well against the best team in the league where we probably should have got three points and then against Crewe we couldn’t get enough decent shots on target – going wide and being blocked – and it was one of those days where maybe five or six of us didn’t turn up.
“Big Nick Proschwitz got his goal which will hopefully give him a boost going into the final game because we need some goals. That’s really the only positive we can take from the game just when we were beginning to feel we were starting to play well at home.”
Asked if complacency crept in, he insisted: “I don’t think so. I thought we all worked hard but just our final pass or when to make runs and when not to make runs wasn’t really on.”
Story Link Watch: Alan and Andy on Coventry City's dismal home defeat to Crewe
Pressure from an expectant crowd, which was up to just under 14,000 on Saturday, has often been levelled as a problem at home, but Fleck said: “I can only speak for myself but it shouldn’t be any different whether you are playing in front of 40,000 or 10,000. There’s expectation at a big club and we have to start picking up points.
“We’ll have a good week’s training and a positive mindset and go to get three points on Sunday.
“I’m sure it will be a nervous affair but I think Crawley will be the same. It’s one of those games where it’s massive for both teams – whoever wins will stay up.”
