FOOTBALL: THE FINAL whistle at the Ricoh Arena was met with joy and celebration by Sky Blues fans, but for manager Russell Slade he breathed a huge sigh of relief after finally landing his first league win since taking charge back in December.
Slade had failed to pick up three points in his previous nine league matches with the Sky Blues languishing at the bottom of the table and seemingly looking destined for relegation to the fourth tier of English football.
But Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Gillingham has lifted the mood both amongst supporters and more importantly in the City camp.
And Slade admits it does feel like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders as he prepares his side for another big clash against relegation rivals Swindon Town.
“It was a relief for all of us really to get that first league win,” Slade told the Observer.
“I felt it had been coming, especially after the game at Wimbledon so I kind of had mixed feelings afterwards because I feel we should have registered more points.
“I’m pleased for the lads and everybody, the fans, that we managed to get a result and end that streak of 15 games without a league win.
“Adrian Pennock (Gillingham manager) actually said that they could have been four or five goals down at half-time.
“In the first half we created opportunities which was pleasing and we took those opportunities. I thought also that we played the pitch well in the first period. Our decisions to go long or short were pretty decent.
“The second half was all about being resolute and then being more polished on the transition in the counter attack. We could have added to our goals and put the game well beyond them.”
Confidence in the Sky Blues camp is high following Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Gillingham. (s) Photo by Shaun Reynolds.
Having lost a total of seven points after conceding goals in stoppage time under Slade’s watch, there was every reason for supporters to feel on edge when the fourth official confirmed five minutes of added on time.
But there was to be no repeat of previous matches and Slade feels those recent experiences of conceding late will make his young side stronger in similar situations in the future.
“You want to get over the line and because we hadn’t got over the line on more than two or three occasions, it was almost inevitable that there would be a bit of nervousness which comes with any team that’s not won in a while in the league.
“The important thing was we got there in the end, we did get over the line and that feeling of getting over the line can only positive.”
A first league win since November 1 has pulled the Sky Blues back to within nine points of safety, and they do have a game in hand over Bury who sit one place above the relegation zone.
There is still a huge challenge ahead to retain the club’s League One status with 14 games to go, but Slade remains confident he can guide the club to safety and is eager to kick on should he remain in charge next season.
He added: “I came here to keep the club in League One. We’ve still got a lot of games to go.
“Success is strange, it comes in lots of different ways really. Sometimes success is actually staying in the league that you’re in.
“It would be a good starting point for me to keep us up. A big achievement. We’ve never wanted to be in this situation as a club but it is what it is. It’s about dealing with it.”
Read more from Slade tomorrow as he looks ahead to Saturday’s crunch clash against relegation rivals Swindon Town.
