John Fleck went close in the dying moments with a carbon copy of Franck Moussa's effort in this fixture last season as City fell to defeat...
Coventry City were unlucky not to take a point from Deepdale as they lost 1-0 against Preston North End.
City fell behind after 28 minutes, when Paul Gallagher picked the ball up on the edge of the area and clipped a delightful right-footed ball to the back post where Davies was lurking to head in the opener from eight-yards.
Lee Burge then made a great stop to keep it 1-0, when Gallagher's cross from the left was touched by a North End man just outside the six-yard box, but the keeper tipped the ball over the bar spectacularly.
But that was the last significant action of a first-half with very few chances.
City came out stronger in the second half and had a wonderful chance to equalise on 57 minutes, when Luke Williams did well to win the ball on the right, and he found Frank Nouble eight yards out but he blazed his shot well over the bar.
Adam Barton then went close for the visitors as he hit a superb half-volley from 25-yards which forced Johnstone to palm the ball away. Nouble went off injured to be replaced by Marcus Tudgay, before Academy striker George Thomas came on for Andy Webster who was also injured.
City were much the better side in the second-half but couldn't make their possession pay dividends, but they came so close on 90 minutes when John Fleck picked the ball up 30-yards out and he hit an incredible effort which rattled the crossbar.
That was it though as North End did the double over City this season.
Teams
Coventry City: Burge (GK), Pennington, Webster, Martin, Willis, O'Brien (C), Barton, Fleck, Williams, Nouble, Samuel.
Subs: Charles-Cook (GK), Haynes, Tudgay, Thomas, G. Thomas, Turgott, Tudgay.
Preston North End: Johnstone (GK), Wiseman, Clarke, Huntington, Woods (Brownhill 17), Laird, Kilkenny (Garner 66), Johnson, Humphrey, Gallagher (Welsh 66), Davies.
Subs: Stuckmann (GK), Wright, Welsh, Reid, Garner, Ebanks-Blake.
Referee: M Brown
Attendance 13,363 (629)