It was an awfully quiet mid-week Sky Bet Championship from a Yank’s perspective, as once again, only two Americans played any minutes. Haji Wright finally ended his goal drought, while Duane Holmes and PNE suffered another massive defeat.
Coventry City 1 – 0 Blackburn
It only took Haji Wright 13 minutes to find the net for Coventry, coming off the bench in the 72nd minute to score the only goal of the match to push his team over the top.
Just past the half-hour mark, Coventry owed their level score to goalkeeper Ben Wilson, who managed to deflect a rising effort from James Hill with his fingertips, preventing it from hitting the top of the net.
Prior to this, the home team faced a setback as their captain, Liam Kelly, hobbled off due to an injury. He was substituted by Yasin Ayari.
In the opening minute of the second half, Matty Godden came close to breaking the deadlock as he swiftly connected with a cross, sending it crashing onto the underside of the crossbar. Bobby Thomas also had a close call when his sharp near-post volley from a corner struck the woodwork.
However, it was Wright who secured the victory with five minutes remaining, as he skillfully headed in the loose ball after Yasin Ayari’s attempt had hit the underside of the bar. This win marked Coventry’s first consecutive victories of the season.
Wright finally ends his seven-game goal drought with a much-needed score, not only helping his side but also boosting his confidence. Coventry’s record signing has been used as a substitute for the past few matches, and this moment was huge for him as the season wears on.
Watch the highlights here:
Leicester City 3 – 0 Preston North End
After conceding four to West Brom on the weekend, Duane Holmes’ Preston gave up three more goals this week to Leicester, while still failing to score themselves.
Stephy Mavididi delivered an excellent ball to Dewsbury-Hall in the box, but his attempt was thwarted by an exceptional block from Liam Lindsay. That proved to be as close as Leicester got before the break, despite commanding 75% of the possession.
Ndidi sent a header over the crossbar early in the second half, while Dewsbury-Hall’s 25-yard curler, from a pass by Ricardo Pereira, narrowly missed the target.
Preston had a near-miss when Holmes unleashed a 25-yard shot just past the hour mark, but Mads Hermansen deflected it past the post. This remained their sole on-target effort.
Following Dewsbury-Hall’s opening goal, he and Ndidi combined to set up Iheanacho, who was subbed on for Jamie Vardy, for an easy finish from six yards.
This left Preston facing a potential second consecutive defeat after their 4-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished when Dewsbury-Hall stylishly concluded another impressive Leicester and comfortably winning 3-0.
Despite Preston’s poor game, Holmes was proficient in his own performance, and was perhaps a bit let down by his teammates. The American created the most chances of the match and earned himself the highest rating in the PNE squad according to the statistical tracker, FotMob,.
Watch the match here:
Notes
Jonathan Tomkinson finally made it back into the Bradford City squad, but was an unused sub in their 2-1 loss Tranmere Rovers.
Charlie Kelman was an unused QPR sub as they lost to Leeds United 1-0.
Lynden Gooch was not included in the Stoke City squad due to an injury suffered in his previous match aagainst Bristol City.
Kristian Fletcher started and went 77 for Swansea City’s U21s in their 4-4 draw against Watford’s academy.
Vaughn Covil didn’t feature in either the Hull City senior or development team this week.
Josh Sargent and Daryl Dike are both still recovering from their injuries.
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