“SUCKER-PUNCHED” Coventry City left New Meadow pointless after succumbing to a 2-1 defeat to Shrewsbury Town.
Scott Golbourne ruled out Jordan Shipley’s first-half opener, before Shaun Whalley’s stoppage-time winner decided the League One encounter in favour of the hosts.
Sky Blues manager Mark Robins felt his side’s inability to build on their lead ultimately proved detrimental, and claimed Shrewsbury’s second should have been ruled out.
“It’s a disappointing result. First half we did ok, but we didn’t get a foothold in the game in the second half,” he said.
“We gave the ball away in poor areas and we looked tired. There are no excuses, we just didn’t control the game well enough.
“We were committing more bodies forward and ended up getting sucker-punched at the end.
“It was undoubtedly a foul on Callum O’Hare in the corner [for Shrewsbury’s winner], but you have to deal with that decision and get back.
“We weren’t good enough today and we haven’t said that except for the game at Rotherham this season.”
Shipley’s 27th-minute header broke the deadlock after an uneventful start to proceedings, dispatching a header from Jamie Allen’s cross into the far corner of the net past a helpless Max O’Leary.
Allen almost turned scorer when letting fly from the edge of the area and narrowly clearing the crossbar, while Marko Marosi had to be alert down the other end to deny Fejiri Okenabirhie’s long-ranger.
With the second half starting in a similar vein, a rare opportunity to Michael Rose, who threatened to double the lead when nodding just over.
Shrewsbury hauled themselves back on level terms with 22 minutes to play when Golbourne nudged the ball over the line following a scramble inside the box.
Despite the visitors’ efforts to go back in front, it was the hosts who instead stole the points after Whalley’s volley from a cross to the far post flew past Marosi.
The Sky Blues host Lincoln City on Saturday (3pm).
