FOOTBALL: TEENAGE midfielder Tom Bayliss described a ‘dream come true’ first start for Coventry City as helped the Sky Blues record a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town.
Bayliss, who has appeared as a substitute for the Sky Blues this season, made his first start for Mark Robins on Saturday – and he couldn’t have dreamt for a better start.
Bayliss put the Sky Blues a goal up after just two minutes when he found the back of the net to establish City’s early lead.
A further strike from Marc McNulty secured the Sky Blues a crucial three points as they remained seventh in the SkyBet League Two table.
Speaking after the game, Bayliss said scoring after two minutes on the pitch was a ‘brilliant feeling’ – six years on from when he first joined the club.
He said: “I found out I was starting Friday morning.
“We had a team meeting and the manager pulled me into his office and said ‘how does that make you feel?’ and I said I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m feeling confident and obviously I train with the lads every day so I know them inside out.
“It was a tough game, they were physical and it’s different to under 23s football and what I’ve experienced before but it was a good challenge and for the team to get three points at the end of it was the most important thing.
“You could feel the tempo difference to what I’ve played before, but after that I settled into the game and I thought as a team we did well.”
Bayliss hoped Saturday’s win can start a promotion push for the Sky Blues as the club aims to bounce back into League One.
He said: “It’s all about helping the team win and we’ve got to get higher up in the league – let’s push for promotion.”
He also reflected on the goal that granted him a dream start to League Two life.
“Just before the game, Jordan (Willis) said to me to be confident. The ball had just rolled to me, I hit it and it took a deflection.
“As soon as it looped up and then dipped under the bar, I didn’t really know what to do.
“Seeing Jordan (Shipley) do so well makes me hungrier. To get my chance to play alongside him was good.”
