Coventry City are sweating on a new setback to midfielder Ben Sheaf after his return to action against Spurs on Wednesday night.
Coventry City looked to be on course for another cup upset as they led Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup last night.
Summer signing Brandon Thomas-Asante had the Sky Blues ahead as he netted just after the hour-mark and it seemed it would be Mark Robins’ side progressing to the fourth round.
However, a late rally from Spurs first saw Djed Spence equalize before Brennan Johnson fired home the winner in the 92nd minute. It marked late heartbreak for the Championship side, who looked set to claim another Premier League scalp in domestic competitions.
Despite the disappointment of the loss, the improved display will make for welcome viewing and the return of key midfielder Ben Sheaf will have pleased onlookers too.
Now though, Coventry City boss Robins has revealed that there could be a fresh injury concern regarding Sheaf after his brief outing.
As quoted by Coventry Live, Robins stressed that he hopes that the new worry is ‘nothing bad’, but Sheaf had to ice his ankle post-game, and they will await his status. He said:
“Ben was icing his ankle in the dressing room and I am hoping it’s nothing bad but I don’t know yet.”
Fingers crossed
After seeing his comeback delayed by a setback before, it would be a big blow for Sheaf to be cast to the sidelines again after picking up an issue on his Coventry City comeback.
The influential midfielder has been limited to just two appearances this season. Both of those have come off the bench in the Carabao Cup, with Robins yet to name him in a Championship matchday squad.
A successful return on Wednesday night likely would have seen that change against Swansea City this weekend, but a new concern could see him miss the visit of the South Welsh outfit too.
It will be hoped Sheaf hasn’t picked up a new blow or suffered a re-injury and was merely just feeling the strain of his return. Even then, it could be wise to lean on the side of caution if he is fit.
Looking to find form
Coventry City are enduring another slow start to the campaign. They’ve won just once in their first five Championship games as they look to improve on the 2023/24 season.
Ultimately, it was the poor start to the last campaign that hindered their late charge for the play-offs, so they must find form soon to avoid a similar fate this time around.
The absence of Sheaf does not help, but the Sky Blues now have a squad truly capable of fighting it out at the right end of the table. They now have to start showing that, starting with a result against Swansea City this weekend.
