Mark Robins accused his Coventry City players of being too “timid” in some of their play after going down 2-1 against in-form Ipswich Town. The Sky Blues trailed 2-0 at the break and spurned the opportunity to get themselves back into the game when Matty Godden missed a penalty ahead of a late consolation own goal from Brandon Williams.

“They are a good side and up there for a reason,” said Robins, speaking after the defeat at Portman Road. “They play good football and have been together for 18 months and you could tell the difference.

“We just said in the dressing room that it felt like us last season. You could see the connections have been made between the players, for instance, Conor Chaplin and Wes Burns, with George Hirst off the back.

“They have got pace and power within the team and they keep the ball pretty well and make it difficult for you. And if we’d have stayed in the game for longer rather than conceding so early it might have been different.

“But there were a couple of moments in the game where we got it wrong, the first was the goal after six minutes and the second was a worldy goal, although you can’t put that down to anything other than a brilliant technique and a great finish, although there were things we could have done to stop it and we didn’t

“We got to half time and made some changes and I thought we were OK without being good enough with the ball, so the changes we made the players needed to be better with the ball for it to work properly, and that didn’t really work for us in the first half. We grew into it more after the break when they had plenty of possession.”

Half-time substitute Tatsuhiro Sakamoto won the 73rd minute spot kick and fellow sub Godden stepped up to take it.

“The penalty obviously came and went, and he hits the underside of the bar and it’s just one of those things I’m afraid,” said the City boss. “Had we taken that chance it puts them on the back foot and puts them under pressure, 100 percent. But for me, really, we’re still growing into a really good team and we’re just shy of that at the minute.

“Don’t forget we’re Coventry City Football Club, a big club ourselves who go after teams and we don’t step back. You give teams the respect they deserve but don’t back away. You have to go after them and we just looked like we were a bit timid at times.

“When I say that I don’t mean in terms of the aggression but more in terms of a firm pass or good, penetrative passes that take teams out. Our shots were a little bit wasteful as well, whereas they came onto the ball and hit it true and it put us under pressure.

“We were OK but it’s one of those games where we have to learn from it and take something from it, where we don’t back away and go with a purpose and meaning. And be ruthless.”

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