Shea Charles capped a remarkable first few weeks with an injury time winner set up by a bursting run through the weary Coventry defence from substitute Anthony Musaba after Djeidi Gassama levelled-up Jack Rudoni’s first half opener.
The game saw moments of ill-temper and a number of ‘professional fouls’, with a total of seven yellow cards brandished by referee Dean Whitestone; three to Wednesday and four – including three in the space of five minutes – to Robins’ home side. The Owls made 17 fouls to the home side’s 12.
Robins, who played 15 league matches for Wednesday towards the end of a distinguished playing career, described his side’s performance as ‘not good enough’ and made reference to what he felt was a physical display from the visiting side. He was disappointed the Sky Blues weren’t able to impose themselves on the game and that they weren’t able to make the most of the periods of the match they had the best of.
He said post-match: “There were giveaways, we were pushed off the ball and there were a lot of niggly fouls in the game, a lot of things that went on that were the usual things – disrupting the game, disrupting the flow of the game. You know when you play against them, you know that’s what you’re going to get. You’re not going to get it all your own way.
“When you don’t get it all your own way and you don’t impose yourselves – and we had 30 minutes towards the end where it looked like we were going to go on and win the game – they were still dangerous, they were still a threat. You’ve got to deal with that, you’ve got to go and pick the ball up. For the most part we were, they started kicking the ball away to us and we were building attacks. But for whatever reason, individual decision-making, individuals on the ball, they made the wrong choice.
“They’re athletic enough to go and run through you and that’s what happened at the end of the game. It absolutely kills you. I’d have been disappointed with a draw. We’re not sat here talking about us getting a point, taking a point and moving on. Even then it would have been disappointing and the fact that we’ve got nothing from the game is hugely disappointing. It’s just where we’re at at the moment; a really good win on Tuesday night and a really poor defeat today.”
One fiery moment came with three minutes to go when Akin Famewo was embroiled in a tangle with Coventry attacker Brandon Thomas-Asante. The Owls defender ended up shirtless in the fracas, which saw James Beadle drag the Sky Blues man away from the flashpoint. Both Famewo and Thomas-Asante were booked.
Asked about the late melee, Robins said he hadn’t seen the incident close enough but gave his own theory of what may have happened: “I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t see it and I haven’t looked at it back. It’s probably the usual when somebody grapples the other one, they’re down on the ground and they grab hold of them and keep them down so they can’t get up and score. That’s something that happens regularly.”
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