New City boss Pressley impressed with display in away win over Scunthorpe United
Coventry City manager Steven Pressley hailed an excellent all-round display from his new side after they came from behind to beat Scunthorpe in his first game in charge.
His tenure didn’t get off to the best of starts when City fell behind to an Akpo Sodje header inside eight minutes.
But an equaliser from Carl Baker just before half-time and a 76th minute header from Leon Clarke saw the Sky Blues recover to win a club record 11th away game.
Pressley was pleased with the manner of the victory and will be looking for more of the same in the coming weeks.
“I am absolutely delighted with the players and the performance,” he said.
“I thought we were outstanding today after an opening ten-minute period where Scunthorpe came out the traps, they scored and put us under a lot of pressure.
“We then got to grips with the game and I thought our passing, at times, was terrific. But it wasn’t just when we were in possession of the ball, when they had possession we worked hard as a cohesive unit.
“I said to the players that if we get that effort every week then we have got a great chance here. All in all, it was a great afternoon’s work.”
Not only did City have to contend with a motivated Scunthorpe side but they also came up against some pretty difficult conditions at a sodden Glanford Park.
But Pressley felt his new charges dealt with that element of the task well too.
“We handled it,” he added. “We kept passing under pressure, we kept taking the ball under pressure and that’s how I want us to play.
“There were a couple of aspects of our play that we can improve on, given time, but I was delighted for our supporters today coming up here.
“After two-and-a-half hours in the car or on the bus on such a miserable afternoon, I hope we sent them back on a pleasant journey.”
The new manager also thinks the mental qualities demonstrated will stand City in good stead as they look to climb up the table.
Pressley said: “It is a sign of a team with real spirit, to be able to come back the way we did after going behind inside ten minutes.
“That shows the character and the desire of this group of players.”