The Sky Blues have beaten Exeter City 2-0 in SkyBet League Two with Devon Kelly-Evans grabbing the winner on his first league start.
City took the lead early in the second half when Jodi Jones’ cross was deflected off Grecian’s defender Troy Brown and into his own net.
The win makes Coventry the first side to beat Exeter this season, ending their seven-game unbeaten league run.
Mark Robins’ side were supposed to be unchanged for this one, but an injury to Stuart Beavon in the warm-ups meant that Devon Kelly-Evans came into the eleven, with Marc McNulty filling in on the bench.
It would be the 21-year-old, making his first league start, to have City’s first chance of the game. Jodi Jones found himself with room to run at Exeter defender Craig Woodman before finding Kelly-Evans with a cross but his snapshot was saved by Christy Pym.
Jones was a constant threat with his driving runs down the right and came close to finding the corner just as the board went up for added time. The teenager had been trying to find a way inside on his left all afternoon and was finally given his first glimpse at Christy Pym’s near post but the ‘keeper was able to collect.
Duckens Nazon scored City’s only goal last weekend against Cambridge. He had the final say of the opening 45 when he latched onto Kelly-Evans’ pass and beat his marker but his shot whistled just wide of the far post.
The breakthrough came just shy of the hour mark. Jones’ free-kick struck the wall and fell back to him giving him time to open up and drill a low cross through the area which, after a big deflection off Troy Brown, floated into the net. Jones wheeled away claiming it, but that one will go down as an own goal.
Moments later and City should have put the game well beyond Exeter. Nazon’s excellent first touch took him away from Craig Woodman but his effort rolled agonisingly just wide of the far post.
Chris Stokes has only scored on three occasions for the Sky Blues, but nobody new inside the Ricoh Arena would have guessed as he cut inside onto his weak foot and rattled the crossbar with a thunderbolt from range.
Mark Robins’ side did seal the win in stoppage time. Devon Kelly-Evans, who was only in for the injured Beavon, met Jones’ low cross at the far post to fire City two goals ahead and secure all three points at the Ricoh.
Yellow: Doyle, Tillson, Boateng.
Attendance: 8,340 (1,122)
Teams:
Coventry City XI: Burge (GK), Grimmer, Willis, McDonald, Stokes, Kelly, Doyle (C), Vincenti (Biamou 21'), Nazon, Jones, Dev. Kelly-Evans.
Coventry City Subs: O'Brien (GK), Davies, Shipley, Maycock, McNulty, Ponticelli.
Exeter City XI: Pym (GK), Sweeney, Woodman (Boateng 69'), James, Tilson, Holmes, Moore-Taylor (C) (Stockley 45'), McAlinden (Moxey 69'), Taylor, Reid, Brown.
Exeter City Subs: Hamon (GK), Archibald-Henville, Jay, Edwards.