Sky Blues boss displays 'obvious' disappointment as City twice come from behind but leave Valley Parade empty handed after dramatic defeat
Coventry City boss Steven Pressley could not hide his disappointment after his side twice fought back from a goal down in their season opener against Bradford City only to concede a last-gasp third which handed the Bantams all the points at Valley Parade.
Sky Blues skipper Reda Johnson netted a brace on his club debut to cancel out a James Hanson header and then Alan Sheehan's penalty in the 88th minute.
Hanson though popped up with another header immediately after Johnson's second to provide the game with another dramatic twist.
Pressley said: "Obviously I'm disappointed with the way that the game ended because the committment of my players today was first class. There were some really pleasing aspects of our play and we showed real determination to get back into the game.
"We put alot of pressure on Bradford in the second half, it finally told and after Reda had scored his second I felt we were going to go on and win the game but to concede so soon affter scoring is something we're going to have to learn from.
"I know people have been concerned about our ability to create the same level of opportunities or play with the same level of excitement as last season and we certainly demonstrated today that we can do both of those. I am pleased with aspects of our performance but at the same time football is about winning games.
"It was a lapse of concentration after getting back into the game and to be fair it was a typical Hanson header. It will be disappointing considering how hard we worked but we can take a great deal from this game and people should be genuinely encouraged."
Pressley went on to say that John Fleck's last minute penalty claim which could have handed City a third equaliser was legitimate and one which did not warrant a caution for simulation but he also added his thoughts on his skipper who became onlyn the seventh player in the club's history to net twice on his debut.
"I said when we signed Reda that he could be a fans' favourite. He's very aggressive in both boxes and he will be a terrific captain for us. I said to him before the start of the season that I think he can get into double figures on the goals front and today was certainly a good start for him."