Coventry City Manager Russell Slade said that Fleetwood won ugly as the Sky Blues went down to another defeat.
Slade told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire: ''If you can’t win it you have to ensure you don’t lose it.
“The pitch wasn’t fantastic and the fact that we matched them up meant it was a war of attrition in the middle of the park.
“There were lots of second balls bouncing, players not having a lot of time on the ball and I think that lent itself to the game being messy but in those situations you have to have the ability to win ugly.
“That’s why Fleetwood are where they are and we’re where we are because they won ugly today.
“I thought they were slightly the better side in the first half – they came with a bit of a swagger, the confidence that comes from being undefeated in a good number of games.
“But in the second period I thought we came into it and had a couple of useful chances, worked their keeper a little more, so it was so disappointing to concede the goal in the dying minutes.
“We work on set plays because you know what an important part they play in a season and we were on the verge of our first clean sheet which would have been a positive going into the next game. We’ve marked pretty well against quite a physical side so I don’t know if it was a bit of a fatigue – Clarkey slipped from the corner which allowed their player to get a clear run.
“It’s frustrating because we more than matched them in the second period. But until we value those basics for 95 minutes – do things properly from throw-ins, free-kicks, corners – we’re always going to be suspect; there will always be that window of opportunity for someone to get a goal.”
Picture copyright of the Press Association. Scott Heavey/EMPICS Sport