City boss pleased with his players' efforts and is optimistic about the future despite defeat against Scunthorpe at Glanford Park…
Coventry City manager Steven Pressley says that his side gave their all after playing with ten-men for over an hour as the Sky Blues lost 2-1 to Scunthorpe United.After going ahead through a Frank Nouble strike, captain Reda Johnson was dismissed after an off-the-ball altercation. Paddy Madden and Lyle Taylor completed the turnaround that saw City taste defeat for the first time in eight matches.
However, Pressley remained upbeat and was even disappointed that the side didn't take anything from the game.
"I really could not ask anymore from the players tonight," he said, "they gave it all. I'm actually disappointed even after the sending off, that's how much belief I have in these players. We nearly got the equaliser at the end, and we worked hard right until the final whistle.
"Reda made a mistake tonight and he admits that. He's got to learn from it, he's cost us here, but he will move on as will we. The fact that we will miss him for three matches hurts, it's not just missing him for an hour tonight."
Despite the red card, Pressley was quick to ring praise for his captain, highlighting the positive aspects of his play since his arrival in the summer as well as his replacement for the night, Seb Hines.
The City boss continued: "Reda has been exceptional since he's been here, he's such a big player for us and will continue to be.
"Seb acquitted himself really well when he came on, he's going to be a great acquisition for us if he plays as well as he did tonight."
City have the chance to get back to winning ways next time out against Rochdale and Pressley is confident that his side can recover from losing their unbeaten run.
He added: "We have such a fantastic group, and we are all working hard for each other.
"We have a chance to get back to winning ways on Saturday, we will refocus and we will work hard to achieve a positive result."