MIDFIELDER Andy Rose has described losing by a late goal on the opening day of the League One season at Swindon Town as frustrating but is confident the young Sky Blues team will bounce back from their mistakes.
It had looked as though Tony Mowbray’s side would come away from the County Ground on Saturday with a point with both sides going into the final five minutes of the match level.
Marvin Sordell and George Thomas both had chances for the visitors, who were backed by almost 2,000 travelling fans, but it was Yaser Kasim who broke the deadlock for the home side in the 86th minute after beating City goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook with a long range finish.
“We would have liked to have a bit more possession of our own, but there will be matches where you have to be smart tactically and set up behind the ball.
“When you break you need to finish your chances, we probably had three or four, that on another day would have gone in. Gutting to lose in the 86th minute, as a team we dropped a bit too deep and unfortunately they were able to finish a play. At the moment it stings a bit. Certainly frustrated.
“Against a team like Swindon who are very expansive, you have to be smart and stay in your shape. Marvin was unlucky hitting the post early on, but we need to be more ruthless in front of goal. Right now we need to digest this, take the positives and assess the negatives.”
Rose started the match alongside Bulgarian Vladimir Gadzhev, who made his first competitive start, while summer signings Sordell, Kyel Reid and Kwame Thomas made their City debuts.
“Vlad is fantastic technically, we both found it difficult to dictate the pace of the game on Saturday. Their midfield was on top of us. Not every team will press us like Swindon did.
“You want quality players in the squad, Vlad is that, and more are coming. It’s good to have healthy competition. But at the end of the day, you have got to get a result.”
There had been strong rumours circulating last Friday that Rose was set to become the latest big name to leave the Sky Blues, with reported interest coming from Adelaide, but the central midfielder quashed such talk and is not planning on leaving the Ricoh Arena anytime soon.
“No truth to those rumours whatsoever,” Rose added. “They come and go. I’m very happy here and I love playing for Coventry.”
