Coventry City Face Stern Challenge
Last updated : 14 October 2010 By Covsupport News Service/RD
The next two games that Coventry City face will show how far the team has progressed under the stewardship of Aidy Boothroyd.
With ten games gone and fifteen points in the bank, Coventry sit just three points behind their next opponents, Ipswich and five points behind Tuesday visitors to The Ricoh, Cardiff. A win over both teams would put Coventry into an enviable position, but things Sky Blue are never so simple.
Coventry travel to Portman Road on Saturday in the knowledge they have a woeful record in Suffolk. The last time Coventry City won at Ipswich was way back in 1994 when Peter Ndlovu and Sean Flynn scored for the Sky Blues to secure victory. In the last eight games played between the two teams at Portman Road, Coventry have emerged with just two points from two draws and have lost the other six games, so for Aidy Boothroyd's boys to return home with any points on Saturday will be an achievement.
However, let us not write off any chance Coventry City have at Ipswich. City had an equally poor record at Bristol City's Ashton Gate until a few weeks ago, but returned home with three points and confidence boosted.
City boss Aidy Boothroyd is in buoyant mood ahead of the trip to Suffolk, "The focus is now on the two games we have got coming up which are good markers for us and games we are looking forward to," he said to the CT.
"The lads have worked very hard and done a lot of work on the training ground over the international break. They have been terrific and had a bit of time off but nowhere near as much as the last break because I felt it was the right thing to get some work done on the training pitch, and they have done very well I have to say."
"We know where we want to get to and obviously the two teams we are due to play have started very well. Cardiff, in particular, have been up around the top for the last three seasons, while Ipswich have done really well this season, so it will be a good gauge."
"Ipswich have a reputation for being a big club and it will be difficult with one away from home and one at the Ricoh, but it will be a nice gauge for me and us as a club to see what improvements have been made against two clubs who I expect to be in and around the top of the league at the end of the season."
Ipswich have proved to be difficult to beat at home so far this season. They have lost just the once and that was a heavy 3-0 defeat to the Championship pace setters QPR.
Ipswich currently sit in fifth place, just three points ahead of Coventry and if City have any pretentions of wanting a play off berth at the end of the season, they should to get something from Saturday's game.
Boothroyd noted, "Ipswich have started well in contrast to last season when they got a lot of draws which was a new club record, but Roy Keane has added to his squad and brought the likes of Jason Scotland in, Tamas Priskin, who I know all about and Andros Townsend from Tottenham who is playing well for him, so it will be an interesting game for us.
"It will be a nice one to come back to. It will be tough but if we can get all our players back fit, and I am sure Roy will want to get all his players fit, then it should make for a good game."
