Both Barton and Maddison pick up two yellow cards each in Boxing Day defeat...
Coventry City could not extend their unbeaten run in the league to five matches after falling to a 2-0 defeat to Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Two first-half goals prevented City from making it a fourth Boxing Day without losing in a game which also saw both Adam Barton and James Maddison sent-off for two yellow cards each - the first time City have been reduced to ten men since September 2003 away to Preston North-End.
The hosts took the lead after just two minutes following a good spell of early pressure, when Harry Forrester's cross from the right was powerfully headed in by Andy Butler at the back-post.
Despite falling behind the Sky Blues dominated possession and could have had a penalty when Maddison tangled with Richie Wellens in the area, despite there being contact, the referee booked the 18-year-old for diving.
But Rovers doubled their lead on 22 minutes, when Forrester drove at pace into the penalty area and curled a lovely effort in off the far right-hand post from ten-yards. Barton then picked up his first yellow for a foul on Forrester.
City kept the ball well for large spells but didn't create anything of real note in the first-half and the second 45 minutes began in a similar vein
The hosts should have made it three after a moment of magic from Forrester again, as he nutmegged Jim O'Brien on the left-hand side and chipped a lovely effort against the post from a tight angle.
On 64 minutes Steven Pressley made an attacking change in the form of Simeon Jackson coming on for Jack Finch.
Frank Nouble then came on for skipper O'Brien in another attempt to salvage something from the game, but that was undone when Barton picked up his second yellow card for another foul on Forrester, which saw City reduced to ten-men.
The Sky Blues fell down to nine-men when Maddison received his second booking for an innocuous foul on the half-way line which rounded off a disappointing Boxing Day for the Sky Blues.
Teams
Coventry City: Allsop, Pennington, Martin, Webster, Haynes, Barton, Finch (Jackson 64), Fleck, O'Brien (Nouble 72), Maddison, Madine.
Unused subs: Burge, Willis, Thomas, Swanson, Tudgay.
Doncaster Rovers: Johnstone, Furman, Robinson (Main 79), Forrester (Whitehouse 85), McCullough, Butler, Stevens, Keegan, Wellens (De Val 77), Wabara, Coppinger.
Unused subs: McCombe, Main, Marosi, Wakefield, McKay.
Yellow cards: Maddison, Forrester, Pennington, Barton.
Red Cards: Barton, Maddison.
Attendance: 6916 (898 away)
Referee: C. Kavanagh
Referee: C. Kavanagh