Coventry City owner Doug King has given his honest assessment of Saturday’s goalless draw against Northampton Town, describing it as a “solid building block” while admitting the team still needs more attacking threat.
The Sky Blues, now back in the Premier League under manager Frank Lampard, faced a competitive Northampton side in their second pre-season friendly and were good value for the 0-0 result.
Doug King’s Post-Match Verdict
Speaking after the game, Doug King reflected positively on the performance:
“It was a good afternoon’s work. We’re thankful for Northampton for bringing a good test for the boys. It was another very good exercise out of possession and that’s been our focus at the start of pre-season.”
King praised the attitude and organisation shown by the players:
“First and foremost we are trying to build a team that is hard to beat and I think you saw some signs of that today. You saw the quality of Northampton and how they’re able to use the ball, but the effort and the attitude of the boys was terrific. It’s a solid building block for us.”
Focus Shifting To Attacking Play
The Coventry owner acknowledged that the early pre-season emphasis has been on shape and defensive structure, but that will now change.
“We’ll start drip-feeding in the football more and more because I want the boys to be brave and courageous with the ball and go and play with it. Hopefully you will see more signs of that as we go through the next few weeks and months.”
On the lack of goals so far in pre-season, King was realistic:
“We need more goals in the team and central areas are key. Every manager has their own ideas when they inherit a new squad but it doesn’t happen overnight. I’m really pleased with where we’re at and there’s work to be done to help the boys further. I want as many headaches as possible when it comes to picking teams.”
Doug King also shared his enjoyment of watching the team from the sidelines:
“I’m really looking forward to getting as many bums on seats as we can and it’s our job to create a good team that fights and scraps for three points every week. I’m really looking forward to getting started for real but there’s a lot to do before then.”
Coventry City will continue their pre-season preparations with tougher tests ahead as they gear up for their return to the Premier League.
