Coventry City manager Andy Thorn admitted that his side ground out a result at Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday night.
City won with a late penalty from Kevin Kilbane which prevented the game going into extra time and Thorn told the CT's Alan Poole: “We had to work really hard for that and what can you say about the boys’ spirit?
“I never had a moment’s doubt about that but it was great that the fans got the chance to see it in the first game because we ground out a result on a night when we couldn’t play too much football.
“The second half was one long slog, but we did what we had to do and in the end we won it with a setpiece we’d been working on in training – Richard Wood got behind the defence and he would have been in on goal if he hadn’t been fouled.
“I said to the boys that it was a good bad win, because these games are never easy and you have to stick in there if you’re going to get anything out of it.”
We’d already decided that Kevin was going to take any penalties and, as you’d expect, he stepped up to the mark and stuck it away.
“We won’t get carried away by this but it’s a good way to start, especially after what’s happened to us in the League Cup over the last few years.
“There’s a lot of confidence in our dressing room, a lot of positivity, and this proves what you can achieve if you show those qualities.
More on this; http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/coventry-city-fc/coventry-city-fc-news/2012/08/15/92746-31626636/?#ixzz23boWCx6r