Despite a disappointing goalless draw with Hull, Coventry inched closer to promotion to the Premier League.
Early setbacks by promotion rivals Millwall and Middlesbrough mean Coventry need four more points to secure a return to the top flight for the first time in 25 years.
The Sky Blues were second best in the large spell at MKM Stadium and were lucky to avoid defeat. With five games remaining, they hold a 12-point lead on the Sky Bet Championship table.
They have the best goal difference in the league, so a home win against relegated Sheffield Wednesday would be enough to move them up in the standings, despite their first draw in 10 games.
Coventry are the division’s top scorers but had little threat of making a breakthrough against fifth-placed Hull, whose hopes of automatic promotion look to be fading on Easter Monday.
The Tigers, who have won just two of their last seven games, had their best chance early on when John Egan was denied a goal by Liam Kitching after the usually reliable Carl Rushworth fumbled inside the area.
However, the hosts lacked an opening goal against Frank Lampard’s side and are now four points clear of the top four, although they are five points behind seventh-placed Southampton, who have two games in hand.
Hull started brightly and Liam Miller, one of five changes to the starting XI from the 1-1 draw with Oxford on Good Friday, tormented Milan van Eijwijk on the left, but Cody Drameh twice missed the target.
Joe Gerhardt was given time and space to pick his position from 25 yards, but curled up and Rushworth spilled a cross from the left and a desperate block from Kitching prevented Egan from scoring.
Coventry endured a ferocious opening 15 minutes, but used their physicality to disrupt Hull’s momentum, gradually gaining footing and threatening with quick counterattacks.
Victor Tope, one of four changes to Lampard’s XI from the 3-2 win in Derby last time out, got behind the Hull defense but was dragged harmlessly wide and then forced into a low save by Ivor Pandur.
Gerhardt and Oli McBurnie’s headers lacked the power to properly test Rushworth, and Hull moved forward again after the break but were unable to produce a clear cut.
Matt Grimes was booked for a cynical foul on Amir Hadjiametović as Hull tried to push forward, while at the other end Tatsuhiro Sakamoto scored ahead of Coyle but his pull-back was thwarted by Egan.
Jack Rudoni, who scored twice in Coventry’s derby win, and Mohamed Beroumi, who scored for Hull against Oxford, were brought on as managers Lampard and Sergei Yakirović looked to find a late winner.
However, it had little effect on the flow of the game, with both teams emulating the result at Coventry Building Society Arena on the opening day of the season, although McBurnie headed wide late on.
managers
Sergei Yakilovich of Hull:
“I feel really good. We played against the best team in the league and we didn’t concede anything. They only had one shot on target. We were very aggressive from the beginning. We were very compact on the front foot. We created some chances, but we didn’t have enough last passes and we didn’t shoot enough.”
“I’m happy with this point. Every point is important in the last five or six games. It’s very important to get a clean sheet, the second game against Coventry.”
“Of course, it’s disappointing[not to score]. I remember John Egan’s chance. The goal was empty and someone blocked his shot. But it’s very important that we didn’t concede anything.”
“I say well done to the players because it was a really good performance in and out of possession and a good tactical game plan. We just need to be more clinical in the box to make better decisions and punish them.”
Frank Lampard of Coventry:
“I’m happy and I like it. It’s really difficult to play on that pitch and they play every other week. We got through well in the early stages against a really good team. The team’s determination to do what we had to do and get better control as the second half progressed was first rate with a clean sheet in that game.”
“This is just one of those games. We come to Hull away and they attack us a little bit. We made a few little mistakes but we defended the box really well. We just need to relax in the sense of having a little more confidence on the ball.”
“It was a missed penalty (for handball). It was a very obvious handball. Sometimes there is room for error and you can debate it, but once the arm is out there is no debate.”
“We just do our job. We don’t take anything for granted and we try to win the game in front of us. We know we’re close, but we have to do our job.”
