Football: BRICK WALL; Cardiff 0 Coventry 0 Adams fear tactics stop Bluebirds from soaring.

Byline: By KEN GORMAN 

COVENTRY boss Micky Adams said he had been scared to death of Cardiff before actually facing them at Ninian Park yesterday.

Adams changed his formation to 3-5-2 to bolster his defence and pack the midfield, having watched Cardiff slaughter Crewe 6-1 two weeks ago.

The decision left Cardiff banging their heads against a Sky Blue brick wall, and Coventry themselves never looked likely to end their own dire away form.

Coventry have not won away from home in eight months and 15 matches but Adams insisted he was satisfied to come out of Wales unscathed.

"Tactically we got it right," said Adams. "I watched Cardiff play against Crewe and Norwich and they scared me to death, so I paid them the ultimate compliment by changing formation.

"And I was very pleased with the effort and the attitude from my players. They got it spot on."

While Adams expressed his satisfaction with the result his opposite number Dave Jones was less pleased after missing out on a chance to break into the play-off places, and what would have been the club's highest league position in more than 20 years.

Cardiff's misfiring strikers have now failed to find the net in the last four matches and Jones said: "It's frustrating. I am disappointed because we had the opportunity to shoot up the table. But I cannot fault my players because it is the first time since I have been at the club that we have dominated for the full 90 minutes. But it was still up to us to break them down."

The visitors were severely limited in their approach to the game and Jones reckoned his goalkeeper, Neil Alexander, could have spent the afternoon reading the Sunday newspapers, such was Coventry's lack of threat.

Jeff Whitley, Kevin Cooper and Jason Koumas all survived fitness scans to take to the field for the home side but on-loan striker Michael Ricketts was laid low by a virus.

Coventry, meanwhile, made three changes to the side which lost to Stoke four days earlier with Gary McSheffrey returning from suspension at the expense of Deli Adebola and Richard Shaw covering for the banned Michael Doyle.

CAPTION(S):

JUMP TO IT: Cardiff's Jason Koumas fails to make his mark with a free kick as (below) Richard Shaw battles with Jeff Whitley