THIS week’s Observer Fan’s View has been sent in by Matthew Roper who looks back on an eventful away trip for over 3,000 Sky Blues fans at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.
“What a day it was in Blackpool! Over 3,000 of the ‘Sky Blue Army’ packed into the away end made for a vociferous atmosphere.
“Despite our recent sequence of poor results, we were in party atmosphere from the first whistle and it certainly had an impact on the players down on the pitch.
“With countless renditions of Coventry City chants reverberating around the stadium, we watched our side do enough to beat a poor Blackpool team. It wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing game of football, but importantly it was a game of football that we won.
“The state of the pitch caught everyone’s eye on arrival and it certainly had an impact on how the game played out.
“Unsurprisingly, the ball spent a lot of the time in the air with The Seasiders looking to pump it long at every opportunity, but City’s defence stood firm and we more than matched their physicality.
“Marc-Antione Fortune had spoken about the need to ‘man up’ prior to kick-off, and that is exactly what the players did.
“As I stated after the game, we haven’t dug in to grind out enough of these scrappy wins. At this stage of the season who cares how you get the three points? We may have scored a fairly fortunate goal to win the tie, but I and the other fans aren’t complaining.
“Throughout the game, the central defensive pairing of Jack Stephens and Aaron Martin were exceptional.
“The duo played with each other briefly at Southampton’s Under-21s and they certainly looked comfortable and efficient alongside each other on Saturday.
“Reice Charles-Cook also commanded his area well and the full-backs marshalled the wings competently. This gave us a foundation.
“Going forward we looked relatively dangerous, sticking to our principles and keeping the ball down.
“Admittedly, we didn’t create too much in the way of chances, but we did work the ball around well on an uneven surface.
“Fortune was again superb, and his link-up play brought our other attacking players into the game. His relentless efforts off the ball were appreciated also as he looked to thwart any potential Blackpool attacks at source.
“In my opinion, it was a really solid display. At no point did I feel that we would concede, and thankfully we didn’t.
“We commanded the game without having to do too much and the win should boost confidence within the side. We have a mini campaign now, let’s get behind the lads. The season isn’t over yet!”
