Mark Robins expressed his relief after Coventry earned their first victory of the season with a last-minute 3-2 Championship win at home to Oxford United.
Haji Wright scored a brace – including the winner, five minutes into second-half stoppage-time – either side of Milan Van Ewijk’s fierce strike.
Robins said: “It’s a relief and I’ve said it in years gone by, but this year might be the year I have a heart attack if we’re going to play like that.”
Oxford had twice come from a goal down through Ciaron Brown and Mark Harris before Wright’s last-gasp winner sent the visitors home empty-handed.
“I think we deserved it,” said Robins. “They were really good and pushed us all the way. We took control of the game early on and got a brilliant goal, great ball, great header.
“I thought Haji was brilliant all night. I think the team played really well apart from the two goals, they were really avoidable and really poor, but if we can win a game and concede those goals then fine tonight, but we will come unstuck if we can’t defend and keep clean sheets.
“It’s difficult to be critical tonight because of the way they played with the ball, the possession and everything we asked of them – they delivered.
“We were really aggressive and on the front foot for the most part. There are still elements we can improve on which are normal.
“They’re a good opponent, they’re tough and it’s really difficult playing against promoted teams.
“You’re expected to win anyway which is mad, because they’ve done so well, they play a really good brand of football and they’ve got hard-working players.
“Their tails are up and they’ve looked every inch a Championship squad.”
Oxford manager Des Buckingham admitted football was a cruel game as his side suffered their first loss back after 25 years in the English second tier.
Buckingham said: “Football is a cruel game, if anyone was trying to show a clip of what a cruel game looks like, it’s that.
“As frustrating as it is, I’ve just said to the players ‘I couldn’t be prouder of what I’ve seen over two games back in the Championship. If we stick true to that over the next 44, we’ll put ourselves in the best position to get more results’.
“It’s one thing the quality of the team Coventry have, it’s also the atmosphere that’s created here.
“I thought the atmosphere was extremely good, so to come and perform under that just shows how far we’ve come as a club in a very short space of time.
“We’ve developed the group, added depth to the group, we know we’re going to come up against teams in very different places than we are. We’ve moved far but we’ve still got a long way to go to where we want to be.”
It was Will Vaulks’ misplaced back pass that allowed Wright in to round Jamie Cumming and tap into an empty net.
Buckingham added: “He was the first I grabbed on the pitch. He’s obviously disappointed with it, but I said ‘keep your head up’.
“We’ve brought him here to be a very important part to how we play. We understand he’s going to misplace passes, tonight’s a very unfortunate time and position to do it, but he must continue to get on the ball and show what he’s showed for us in the last couple of games.”
[(Shimizu S-Pulse) Weakness]: 1. Shimizu S-Pulse are 13th in the J1 League table. Facing 2nd-placed Kashima Antlers, they will find it hard to win this match due to their declining form, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Yuji Takahashi and forward Sena Saito will miss this league game due to injuries.3. Shimizu S-Pulse were winless with 2 draws and 3 losses in the last 5 g...
Liverpool table fresh Guehi bidAccording to The Athletic, Liverpool have submitted a fresh bid worth £35 million ($47m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The Reds had earlier seen two bids rejected by the Eagles, but they remain hopeful that this time the offer will be accepted.Fenerbahce eyeing move for EdersonTurkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are eyeing a move for out-of-favour Manc...
Roma medical for Liverpool fullback TsimikasAS Roma are holding a medical for Kostas Tsimikas today.The Liverpool fullback is leaving Anfield after finding himself third-choice this season behind fellow left-backs Andrew Robertson and Milos Kerkez.La Gazzetta dello Sport says the Greece international is expected in Italy today to finalise his move.Tsimikas will undergo a medical ahead of signing a...
FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-FULHAMMarco Silva has demanded an explanation from the Premier League after lambasting three "shocking" refereeing decisions in Fulham's 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.WHAT HAPPENED?The Whites thought they had taken the lead against their west London rivals Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was chalked off by referee Rob...
[(Shonan Bellmare) Strength]: 1. Shonan Bellmare are one of the bottom teams in the table, taking 25 points and being in the relegation zone. They are strongly motivated to grab points.[(Shonan Bellmare) Neutral]: 1. Shonan Bellmare drew the last 4 home games, revealing mediocre home performances.[(Shonan Bellmare) Weakness]: 1. Shonan Bellmare lost 1-0 to Fagiano Okayama on the road in the last g...
Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Chelsea have completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.WHAT HAPPENED?Garnacho has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal worth a fixed £40 million fee ($54m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause, Goal understands. The 21-year-old ha...
Marc Guehi Crystal Palace 2025-26Liverpool have launched a fresh bid for Marc Guehi as they hope that Crystal Palace will finally accept their proposal and agree to sell their star defender before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The Reds have been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer and the champions are determined to secure his signature.WHAT HAPPEN...
West Ham United v Lille OSC - Pre-Season FriendlyAston Villa are close to signing West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta on an initial loan with an obligation to buy next summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Villa are on the brink of agreeing a £47 million (€54m/$63m) package for Paqueta which includes a loan fee and add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. The report also states the 28-year-old has ac...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus currently have only 28 points and are near the bottom of the league table. To avoid relegation, they need to earn points.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya Grampus' 7 successive games ended with OVER.[(Nagoya Grampus) Weakness]: 1. Nagoya Grampus lost 2-4 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last Emperor's Cup game, with poor performance.2. In the lates...
Cody Gakpo Liverpool 2025Premier League champions Liverpool have confirmed that star attacker Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract, which has extended his stay at Anfield beyond 2028. The Dutchman who joined the club in January 2023, during the Jurgen Klopp era, has established himself as a regular starter under new boss Arne Slot and has now committed his future to the Reds...
