'I want to know why' - Mark Robins vents Coventry City frustration at decision in Preston North End loss

Coventry City boss Mark Robins felt his side’s goal ought to have stood in Saturday’s 1-0 loss at Preston North End.

The Lilywhites returned to action after the international break and saw off the Sky Blues - who remain winless in the league at Deepdale, in their entire club history. Emil Riis headed home the winning goal on 72 minutes, latching on to Robbie Brady’s effort and glancing the ball into the roof of the net.

For Coventry, it’s now 22 games without a league victory over Preston. Their slow start to the 2024/25 campaign continued at Deepdale, but Robins felt his side deserved to take something on the day. And, as for Haji Wright’s disallowed goal late in the day, the 54-year-old was chasing an answer post-match.

“I think if you take the game in isolation we have done very little wrong,” said Robins. “We spoke at half-time about winning challenges and tackles a little bit more and being on the front foot. It was just one of those games that we ended up losing, on the one time we ended up not doing our jobs properly. They had a chance at the far post and it was played back in - it came off his face and goes into the back of the net, so that was disappointing.

“We were through, two-v-two and the referee blows his whistle. It pulls us back and you don’t get the momentum that way. And the fouls are what you have to contend with, with these, because they disrupt the play. So that adds to it. I am really disappointed; I’m disappointed for the players, because they have played some good football and been in some decent positions to take the game to them - at a place where we have struggled to win. And today was just one of those games.

“The goal that was disallowed, I am going in to see the referee in a minute. Their manager is in with him at the minute and once he is finished, I will go in and see him because I want to know why that goal was disallowed. There’s talk of it being ruled out for handball but there was no handball, I am being told. So that’s a disappointment. At the moment you are just left scratching your head because there are fine margins and we are losing out to those fine margins.”