The Sky Blues were forced to settle for a point at the Proact after a goalless draw against Chesterfield...
In what was a relatively quiet start to the contest at the Proact, Marc McNulty provided the first sight at goal for the Sky Blues. The strikers instinctive effort from the edge of the box was acrobatically tipped wide by Tommy Lee in the Spireites goal.
City continued to have the better of the first-half chances as Peter Vincenti went close. Jodi Jones recieved the ball on the right before breezing past Zak Jules. His floated cross found Vincenti at the back post, but he couldn't control a headed effort as it flew over.
The hosts best chance of the opening 45 minutes came courtesy of a set-piece. A Jack Grimmer foul presented Jordan Flores with an opportunity from 30-yards, and only a superb fingertip save from Lee Burge denied Chesterfield the lead.
Moments before half-time good fortune favoured Chesterfield, with a Grimmer tackle falling the way of Kristian Dennis, who would have been in an offside position had a teammate found him. He took one touch before firing straight at Burge, with the 'keeper tipping it over the bar.
After multiple attempts from distance in the first half, McNulty was close to opening the scoring at the start of the second half. Picking up on a loose ball just outside the area, he curled an effort towards goal, but Lee produced a wonderful one-handed save to tip it onto the crossbar.
With an hour on the clock, the home side were reduced to ten men. Robbie Weir, already on a yellow card, brought down Jones just outside the penalty area and was given his second caution of the game to make the Spireites' afternoon a little harder.
Making the most of their numerical advantage, the Sky Blues should have taken the lead with twenty minutes left in the contest. Marc McNulty escaped both centre-halves but through on goal could only slide the ball wide of the far post to the home sides relief.
City thought they had broke the deadlock soon after, but were denied by the linesman. A Peter Vincenti header beat Lee in the Spireites goal, but with the flag raised celebrations were soon cut short in the Sky Blue end.
Chances seemed to be coming regularly for City, but the finishing touch remained absent. Substitute Tony Andreu's drilled cross along the six-yard box was just behind McNulty, who could only divert a header wide.
Despite six minutes of injury time and City pressure, the home side held on as the points were shared at the Proact.
Attendance: 5,164 (1,443)
Yellow: Grimmer, Weir, Flores, Jules.
Red: Weir.
Teams:
Chesterfield XI: Lee (GK), Wiseman, O'Grady (Ugwu 72'), Jules, Evatt (C), Weir, Hird, Dennis (De Girolamo 78'), Flores, Briggs (Kellett 66'), Reed.
Chesterfield Subs: Anyon (GK), Maguire, McCourt, Sinnott.
Coventry City XI: Burge (GK), Grimmer, Willis, Davies, Stokes, Kelly, Doyle (C), Jones, Beavon (Andreu 66'), Vincenti (Nazon 77'), McNulty.
Coventry City Subs: O'Brien, Hyam, Maycock, Shipley, Biamou.