STEVEN Pressley admits his Sky Blues side are lacking in confidence after suffering a humiliating 4-1 defeat at Oldham Athletic on Tuesday evening.
A sixth defeat in seven matches has seen the Sky Blues drop down to 20th in League One and they now sit just one point off the foot of the table.
A brace from Jonathan Forte and further goals from former Sky Blues striker Danny Philliskirk and Jabo Ibehre overshadowed Coventry-born James Maddison’s first professional goal at Boundary Park on Tuesday evening.
Pressley feels his side are currently struggling with the physical aspects of the game but he has revealed his young side are up for the fight.
“We’ve got find a way to make this better.” said Pressley. “We’re on a tough run and we’re working really find to hard that solution just now.
“We’ll find a way to get out of this. Decision making is crucial and when we play at our best, that is the best thing about our play.
“We were dominating the ball but if you lose the goals we are at the moment, it gives you no chance. You’ve got to win your personal battles and accept the responsibility.
“I don’t want to come out and criticise the players too much as just now, they’re very fragile and it’s very difficult.
“This is a really, really tough time for me, the players and the club but one thing is for sure, I’m ready for the fight.”
As for the performance on Tuesday night Pressley apologised once again to over 200 hundred Sky Blues fans who made the long trip to Greater Manchester.
He added: “I’m disappointed. It was very evident in our performance that we’re lacking a lot of confidence. We tried to work our way into the game but we went behind to a sloppy goal.
“I’ve got to apologise to our supporters who traveled up here. It was disappointing and we’ve got to perform better than that.”
Pressley’s side have it all to do this Saturday when they host high-flying Peterborough at the Ricoh Arena.
Darren Ferguson’s side currently sit second in the table after an impressive start to the season which has seen them win eight of their opening 14 league matches.
However a run of four games unbeaten came to an end ar Crewe on Tuesday night where they lost 1-0.
A ninth minute goal by Kgosi Ntlhe seperated the two sides in their last meeting back in April, but it was Pressley’s side who won the ‘home’ meeting at Sixfields Stadium in Northampton last year 4-2 thanks to a brace from Leon Clarke and two late goals by Callum Wilson and Franck Moussa.
