Mark Robins believes his Coventry City side should have taken the full three points at Barnsley.
The Sky Blues boss felt his players let the Tykes “off the hook” in the goalless draw at Oakwell where centre-half Leo Ostigard went closest to scoring with a powerful header than bounced off the underside of the crossbar, with Callum O’Hare unable to get on the end of the loose ball.
“Listen, any point away from home is a good point in the Championship, so it’s a brilliant point,” said Robins, reflecting on the 0-0 scoreline.
“I don’t think we played brilliantly. Having said that, I thought we let them off the hook in the first half.
“Barnsley are an out of possession team and one of the best pressing teams I have seen outside the Premier League and they really come after you, and you know it’s coming.
“They have had a year at the level previous to this and it’s a little bit harsh because these were to all intents and purposes relegated last season had it not been for the Wigan thing, so this is a totally different season and set of circumstances and you have to take into account what they are good at.
“And their strengths, really, we negated them, so from my point of view I thought we created chances in the first half and were really unlucky and let them off the hook because we didn’t take one of them.
“They don’t give too many chances away to opposition teams and we created more of those opportunities than any other team we have seen so far this season, and the fact that they weren’t able to press us like they have done to other teams is testament to the lads and the way we move the ball around.”
(Image: PA Wire)
Robins felt the conditions played a part after the break.
“I think it was a bit more of a leveller in the second half. The temperature dropped, being up north where it’s a lot colder than down in Coventry,” he said.
“The wind got up and it made conditions a lot more tricky but again, they are a decent side who are a year in front of us and had a year prior to that when they were relegated before, so they are a good side.
“We managed to contain them and I thought we were on the back foot too much but we are not quite there yet, and I have said we won’t be there for a while longer yet.
“So we have to take the point and be reasonably happy with that.
“I think the work-rate was there but I just felt we were a little bit on the back foot and it was a little bit scrappy in the second half. We got into good positions to create opportunities and then the final ball wasn’t brilliant. But I will take it and move on.”
