City skipper Kevin Kilbane spoke to his club's official website ahead of his side's League One match against Carlisle at the Ricoh Arena tomorrow afternoon, Kilbane hoping to impress new Sky Blues boss Mark Robins:
“Our first training session was very good, I think he has made it clear to everyone that we have got a clean slate and everyone is looking to impress. But, I think we are all aware of the situation we are in, we have got to improve results and we have got to go out and impress the manager of course, but I think it is about turning the fortunes of the club around right now, and that is the position that we are all in.
“I think at Tranmere we were disappointed with the goals we conceded, there were spells in the match where we were on top and perhaps maybe should have got something from the game, but, it wasn’t to be. So, I think we probably took that through to the Shrewsbury match and obviously we were 1-0 down within a minute, we didn’t start well and we didn’t play well throughout the whole game after that. That is the disappointing thing in how bad we did play because it was our worst performance of the season, and we probably didn’t do ourselves any justice in the game.
“I think a new manager has to lift the squad, the club have taken their time over it, they have obviously interviewed candidates up and down the country from near and far. So, the decision has been made now and I think everyone is happy enough that we have got to go on and impress the manager, who has got a good record. So, it is a fresh start for everybody but I think the players are more than aware of the situation that we have got ourselves into, and we have got to take responsibility and get ourselves out of it.
“It is still early days in the season, of course we haven’t won yet in the league, we haven’t got off to a great start at all by any means but there have been signs in the games that we can score goals and we can create chances. So, we have probably got to draw on the positives and block out as many of those negative factors that have gone around us in these last few weeks and kick on from here really. We know we haven’t been playing well but we all have to improve as a team together.
“I have been a big admirer of Greg Abbott and obviously Graham Kavanagh that is in there as well, they have assembled a really good squad, a good team. Again they are a team, a close knit team, togetherness really is what they have done over the years. Very good performances over the season, season after season, they are very, very consistent, a top six team over the last few years. They just missed out on the play-offs last year which was disappointing for them, but they are a strong side and a very, very physical team, so it is going to be a very, very difficult game for us, but we have got to improve results and performances right now.”
In team news for the Sky Blues tomorrow they will be missing David Bell and Jordan Willis through injury. Right-sided midfielder Bell absent with a hip problem, while centre-back Willis is sidelined with a slight ankle knock. New Coventry boss Mark Robins does have three new players available though after wasting no time in making changes to his squad, Robins today signing Arsenal central midfielder Conor Henderson and Wolves left-back Jamie Reckord on three month loan deals, while also snapping up free agent midfielder Franck Moussa whose contract with Leicester City was cancelled by mutual agreement in the summer.
The referee for tomorrow afternoon's match is Patrick Miller from Luton in Bedfordshire and he will be assisted down the lines by Simon Barrow from Tamworth in Staffordshire and Steven Plane from Pershore in Worcestershire. Meanwhile the fourth official is Mark Howes from Birmingham.