Deep dismay for slapdash City; Sky Blues throw away advantage at Preston.

Byline: ANDY TURNER 

ANYONE who thought the Sky Blues were on the verge of turning a corner after such a monumental midweek showing against Sheffield United were brought crashing back down to earth at Preston.

But then it would be Coventry City if they didn't take one step forward and then two back.

The worst thing about Saturday's latest defeat at Deepdale - where the club have never won in the league and invariably lose - was that, after taking the initiative and the lead in stunning style, Chris Coleman's men got sloppy, making fundamental mistakes to allow the home side to turn what looked to be a perfectly winnable game for City into a thumping good victory for themselves.

That grit and resilience from Tuesday's Blades battle was nowhere to be seen as too many players went missing at a critical time early in the second half when North End set about their fightback, taking full advantage of errors of judgement to punish their opponents and send the travelling supporters home from Lancashire with an all-too-familiar feeling.

It had all started so well as the Sky Blues went into the game full of confidence, dominating periods of the first half and getting a deserved lead from a superb Goal of the Season contender.

Lining up a free-kick a good 30 to 35 yards from goal, Sammy Clingan launched it goalwards, where it hit the underside of the bar and flew in to give his side a 19th minute advantage.

That was swiftly followed by three decent chances by Leon Best to put the game to bed. The first saw him head straight into the outstanding Andy Lonergan's arms, before the goalkeeper snuffed him out twice from either side of his goal following excellent build-ups.

The first, albeit from a tight angle, was arguably the best chance but with the keeper committed to the deck Best went for power, hitting the ball hard and low when maybe a cheeky little dink over would have done the trick.

It was a let-off for the Lilywhites and one sensed they knew it as they suddenly began to assert themselves in an otherwise indifferent first 45 minutes from the home team, whose best outfield player had been left-winger Ross Wallace who put in a string of dangerous crosses.

But City stood firm with Stephen Wright, again deployed at centrehalf, and Marcus Hall desperately heading clear to ensure the visitors maintained their lead at the break. But half-time often begs the question as to what will you get from Coventry in the second half, and the answer, sadly, was all too predictable.

The re-start was barely four minutes old when another pin-point cross - an area City are highly de-ficient in - picked out centre-forward Chris Brown who was given time and space to control it, bring it down and thump it home in the box.

What followed was even worse when, just five minutes later, Preston turned a Coventry corner to their advantage. It started with a poor ball in from Michael McIndoe that failed to beat the first man. That was cleared out towards the halfway line where Wright had ample opportunity, but failed, to deal with it, allowing striker Neil Mellor to lay it off to the supporting full-back Billy Jones who evaded a desperate sliding tackle from Clingan to put him through to the right of goal. Mellor, meanwhile, had raced into the box for the return with Wright failing to close him down before slamming it past the keeper.

Far from throwing in the towel, City kept going but desperation had set in at the expense of composure.

Clinton Morrison was unlucky when he instinctively snatched at a half chance and smacked the underside of the bar, but the game was over after another individual error gifted the home side their third.

Keiren Westwood, who was once again under the watchful eye of Everton goalkeeping coach Chris Woods, got his finger tips to a Brown header to force a corner. But, in a rare slip up, the 24-yearold attempted to catch the set piece and dropped it into the lap of the former Sunderland striker who promptly volleyed it into the back of the net.

A tired Wright was then replaced by the returning Elliott Ward, who looks almost certain to get his chance in the side after such a poor defensive display, swiftly followed by winger Ashley Cain who went on for the spent legs of Jack Cork, and then Freddy Eastwood as a last throw of the dice, replacing full-back Martin Cranie.

Best and Morrison were again denied by the outstanding Lonergan before City's leading scorer took his tally to five with a late consolation goal deep in four minutes of stoppage time when he latched onto a poorly defended ball in the six-yard box.

The performance, perhaps, serves as a reality check that the Sky Blues are still far from the finished article that last Tuesday night's effort might have dared to suggest they were getting closer to. It is one thing getting a hardfought victory at the Ricoh, but quite another to get even a half decent result on the road.

CAPTION(S):

BEST IS NOT QUITE GOOD ENOUGH... Leon Best just shoots wide for the Sky Blues; and (left) Michael McIndoe battles for the ball with Preston's Billy Jones. PROMISING START... Ashley Cain goes past Preston's Eddie Nolan and (right) Sammy Clingan fires City ahead. ROAD TO RUIN... Sky Blues midfielder Jack Cork takes on Preston's Chris Sedgwick.