THE Sky Blues have it in their hands to make the play-offs for the first time in their history after returning to winning ways.
In an unprecedented, exciting and increasingly
nerve-wracking end to the season for fans, young homegrown talent Jordan Ponticelli found a crucial late winner at Crawley last week to return Coventry City to a play-off berth.
Mark Robins’ men now have just four games left with a game in hand on nearest rival Mansfield, a point behind.
Potentially crucially, three of them are at home, starting with mid-table Stevenage on Friday night before next Tuesday’s clash against Lincoln, who are just one place above the Sky Blues on goal difference.
The final fixtures the following weekends are mid-table Cheltenham away, and lowly Morecambe at home.
Ponticelli’s rare first-team start at Crawley saw him score an impressive brace in a crucial 2-1 victory after two defeats against Yeovil and Notts County had effectively ruled out an automatic promotion spot in the top three.
Boss Robins chose the crucial encounter to gamble of a rare change of formation with what looked at times like a 4-2-3-1 line-up, with centre-forward Ponticelli playing alongside top scorer Marc McNulty and striker Jonson Clarke-Harris.
His first within minutes was a tidy first-time finish from just inside the area after a cutback from McNulty.
That all-important second was a fine strike from the right edge of the 18-yard box after being set up by the impressive and influential substitute, Max Biamou.
Robins said after the victory: “It was a decent performance today.
“Crawley try to play football the right way, so they were always going to be a different challenge.
“We had to play in a slightly different way ourselves and put them under pressure. We could have been a little more clinical but the two goals from Jordan Ponticelli were outstanding.
“The first one came from an attack where we exposed the area that we want them to expose. The cut-back was great because you know that Jordan is going to be in there because he wants to score goals.
“His second goal was outstanding, and we could have been further ahead by that point.
“We had to try and do something else today. I know that Jordan has to be in this side. He gave us something different, a different spearhead. It worked really well today.”
“We conceded a really poor good which was a shame. Marc McNulty found himself in a really poor position that he is not familiar with, because of this system, and they got their shot away. We were far too deep.
“I did not think that we looked like we were ever really going to concede. We saw the game out. We spent the whole of added time in that far corner and we should have sealed it with a winner, but Max Biamou just slipped at the wrong moment.
“I am really pleased with that result. Crawley are a threat, so I am pleased.
“This is a really important win and we move onto the next one.
