DARING PULIS POTS POINTS; Sub move leaves Sky Blues facing drop.

Byline: LEE CORDEN at the Ricoh Arena 

STOKE City manager Tony Pulis ignored the advice of his physio - and the decision has left Coventry on the brink of the Championship drop zone and put the Potters within touching distance of the Premier League.

Pulis was told to leave highly-rated midfielder Liam Lawrence out of the 16 by Dave Watson such is the severity of a groin injury the 26-year-old is carrying.

But the Stoke boss used him as a substitute and threw him on with 24 minutes remaining and Lawrence fired the winner to get the Staffordshire side's promotion charge back on track.

Coventry had been in control in the first half and led through an Elliott Ward penalty only to see Stoke hit back from the spot in the second half thanks to Ricardo Fuller.

Both teams had chances to win before Lawrence coolly slotted into an empty net from outside the box after a brave save from Kasper Schmeichel.

Pulis said: "Liam was fantastic. We couldn't play him from the start because he has a serious groin injury and the physio didn't even want him to be on the bench.

"He's such an enthusiastic character and we're getting so close to the line that he wanted to play his part.

"He and Fuller have got 15 goals each and over the last six weeks we have not had them in the same team and they are massive, massive players for us."

Those two proved to be the difference for the visitors as Coventry failed to build on their first-half domination and missed chances.

The defeat heaps pressure on to Chris Coleman's team before their match at relegated Colchester next week - three points at Layer Road are a must.

Coleman said: "We are bitterly disappointed.

We could have been coming at half time 2-0 up but instead it was only 1-0 and the only word I can use for the second half is that we choked.

"I told them at half time that we could not sit on a one-goal lead - not against this team because they are physical and get the ball forward quickly and we cannot play them at their own game.

"There is no point in me browbeating our players because they know the position we are in and they are the ones who are going to have to save us.

"It hasn't been a very good campaign but we have three games left to rescue it.

The pressure is there but we can't ship all of the players out and bring new ones in."

After just two-and-a-half minutes, the home team almost led as Thornton fed Tabb on the left and the little winger whipped in a cross which Thornton glanced against the visitors' crossbar.

The Potters had to substitute injured Ameobi on 25 minutes. He was replaced by Mamady Sidibe.

Three minutes later, Coventry full-back Danny Fox's long shot was deflected out for a corner. Fox's delivery led to a scramble in the Stoke penalty area and Thornton was upended, leaving referee Uriah Rennie pointing to the spot.

Centre-back Elliott Ward sent Nash the wrong way to give Coleman's team the lead.

After offering nothing for the first halfhour, Stoke suddenly came into the game. Sidibe shot wide when he should have done better with Carl Dickinson's cross and Rory Delap hacked a shot off target from the edge of the area.

At the other end, Tabb picked out Thornton after out-stripping Andy Griffin and the young midfielder saw his shot tipped over by Nash. After the move, Griffin was stood holding his face and it led to Ryan Shawcross replacing the skipper.

Stoke's late flurry in the first half continued as Fuller came close to equalising in the 50th minute. He turned Ward 20 yards from goal but his low shot was parried clear by Kasper Schmeichel.

In any case, the visitors levelled within four minutes. Fuller went on a driving run into the Coventry area, was fouled by Danny Fox, and Rennie awarded his second penalty of the game. Fuller fired crisply into the bottom corner - Schmeichel guessed the right way and was within millimetres of reaching it.

The visitors had a great chance on 74 minutes but Leon Cort headed wide when in acres in space. Then Best wasted a great chance as the ball dropped to him in the area but he lifted it over the bar from eight yards.

Within 20 seconds, Stoke grabbed the lead. Richard Cresswell broke free of Coventry's defence, was foiled by a marvellously brave save by Schmeichel but the ball broke to Lawrence and he finished superbly from 20 yards - lifting it over Schmeichel and past Isaac Osbourne guarding the goal.

COVENTRY CITY: Schmeichel; Osbourne, Dann, Ward, Fox; Mifsud (Hines 84), S Hughes, Doyle, Thornton, Tabb; Best (Simpson 84). Subs not used: Marshall, Hall, Gray.

STOKE CITY: Nash; Griffin (Shawcross 41), Cort, Riggott, Dickinson; Cresswell, Delap, Pugh, Pearson (Lawrence 66); Fuller, Ameobi (Sidibe 25).

Subs not used: Simonsen, Bothroyd.

STAR MAN: Kevin Thornton (Sky Blues); Ricardo Fuller (Stoke)

CAPTION(S):

TWISTING AND TURNING: Coventry's Jay Tabb takes on the Stoke City defence