The Sky Blues still in search of first win under new boss Mark Robins, as two first half finishes are enough to clinch the points...
Beginning the tie full of confidence, and looking more like the home side, Southend opened the scoring inside the first two minutes.
Jordan Turnbull hesitated on the ball, before ex-Lincoln City winger Theo Robinson pounced and exploited the space vacated by Turnbull down the left. His square pass found the feet of frontman Nile Ranger, who calmly slotted home from six yards.
A spell of relative parity ensued after the goal, where neither team really threatened the opposition penalty area, before the visitors lead was rather fortuitously doubled.
Ryan Leonard and Anthony Wordsworth were over a free-kick in the 20th minute, conceded needlessly, and the former found the back of the net via a wicked deflection. The shot carried enough pace to beat Lee Burge in the City net, despite changing route as it cannoned off a Sky Blue shirt.
Ryan Haynes created a rare bit of forward momentum for the home side on the stroke of half-time, as he broke down the left and whipped an inviting ball in to the area. Tudgay and Beavon awaited the delivery, but were unable to connect, before the referee called time on a woeful 45 minutes.
City boss Mark Robins reacted to a lacklustre first half with the introduction of Kwame Thomas in place of Turnbull, and the change fashioned the home side’s first sight of goal.
Callum Reilly hit the eventual shot, using the decoy run of Thomas to work a yard of space, with Ted Smith belatedly called in to action.
Robinson forced a further save out of Burge in the 68th minute, with neither side gaining much of a foothold in the half. City looked more of a threat going forward, without really testing Smith, who made a couple of routine catches from crosses.
The scoreline remain unaffected, as Southend travelled back to Essex with all three points in their continued quest for a play-off spot.
Yellow: Kelly-Evans.
Attendance: 7,646 (449)
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Teams
Coventry City: Burge (GK), Rawson, Turnbull (K. Thomas 45'), Clarke (C), Di. Kelly-Evans, Haynes, Bigirimana (G.Thomas 61'), Stevenson, Reilly, Beavon, Tudgay.
Subs: Charles-Cook (GK), Stokes, Gadzhev, Reid, Lameiras.
Southend United: Smith (GK), White, Coker, Wordsworth, McLaughlin (Nouble 83'), Atkinson, Leonard, Robinson (McGlashan 78'), Inniss, Ferdinand (C), Ranger (Fortune 70').
Subs: Bishop (GK), O'Niell, Mooney, Amos.