MARK Robins felt Ipswich Town reminded him of his Coventry City side which reached the Championship play-off final last season.
The Sky Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat at Portman Road as Wes Burns’s wonder goal proved decisive after George Hirst opened the scoring while Brandon Williams put through his own net at the death.
And with Ipswich flying high in second place following their promotion from League One last season, Robins feels the Tractor Boys are similar to his Coventry side which came within one game of returning to the Premier League last term.
Robins said: “It was a reminder of us last season.
“With the understanding, they’ve got understanding, they’ve got links between the players, they know where they’re going, they know what they’re doing, and they’re doing it seamlessly really.
“Tactically, we had to be spot on with it because of the way that they are and the competence that they’ve got and the fact they’ve been together for 18 months and you could tell that.
“We’ve got to make sure that we are in a position to be in the game, do not step back, when you’re in the game when you’re playing, if you’re not on the front foot in your head, then you end up coming away from them giving them a little bit space and too much space or too much respect.
“Whilst you give people respect you work together to go and win the ball back and that’s just where we’re a little bit lacking in that for me.”
After a disappointing first-half display, Robins opted to make three half-time substitutions with City unlucky not to come away with a point after Matty Godden hit the bar from the penalty spot.
Robins added: “It was something I felt that we had to do in terms of energy [three changes]. We needed that energy and you’ve got to have that physicality and the energy to go and match these.
“They had a lot of the ball as we expected them to do which they turned it over a lot as well, but we just didn’t do enough with it in the first half.
“In the second half, we looked a little bit better, and I just said, we’re Coventry City stick your chests out puff your chest out and believe and when we can go after the game, don’t hesitate.
“Second half, we’re a bit better and we could have come away with a draw at the end of it had we converted the penalty, but it is it is what it is I’m afraid.”
Coventry are next in action at home to Birmingham City on Friday, December 8 with kick-off at 8pm at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
