Ellis Simms scored his first goals for Coventry as they stormed to a 3-1 victory at QPR.

The Sky Blues netted three times in the space of 12 second-half minutes, with Simms finding the target twice and Josh Eccles getting their other goal in a comprehensive win for Mark Robins’ side.

Kenneth Paal scored a consolation in stoppage time for the hosts.

The defeat continued a miserable run at Loftus Road for Rangers, who have won just once at home in almost a year and have lost four of their five matches there so far this season.

They were denied a first-half opener by City goalkeeper Ben Wilson superbly pushing away Lyndon Dykes’ glancing header from Paal’s cross.

Dykes sent another effort wide before the interval, but the visitors took complete control in the second half.

Striker Simms, signed from Everton during the summer, opened his account to break the deadlock after 56 minutes.

After Osman Kakay’s unnecessary foul on Jamie Allen, Jay Dasilva’s delivery into the box ricocheted off City’s Luis Binks towards Simms, who made the most of his good fortune.

Coventry also had luck on their side for the second goal, scored four minutes later – this time after a double deflection.

Matt Godden’s shot struck team-mate Joel Latibeaudiere to inadvertently tee up Eccles, whose shot took a deflection off Kakay to completely wrong-foot keeper Asmir Begovic.

City seemed to ride their luck once again when Rangers were not awarded a penalty, despite Wilson appearing to upend Sinclair Armstrong in the area just after the young striker had been brought on as a substitute.

And there was no way back for QPR after an emphatic finish from Simms made it three after 68 minutes.

Allen played an excellent ball in behind the R’s defence and Simms fired into the roof of the net.

Paal reduced the deficit after Armstrong pulled the ball back for the Dutch wing-back, whose goal was his third of the season, making him QPR’s top scorer.

Boss Robins will hope this fine win proves to be a turning point for last season’s beaten play-off finalists, who have endured a disappointing start to the Championship season.

However, the pressure is on his Rangers counterpart Gareth Ainsworth. Rangers were almost relegated under him last season and were widely tipped to struggle this term, with their home form a major concern.

New Huddersfield boss Darren Moore was impressed by his side’s spirit after they came from behind to draw 1-1 at Coventry.

Michal Helik’s dramatic added-time qualiser cancelled out Yasin Ayari’s opener and ensured Moore’s managerial return did not end in a Sky Bet Championship defeat.

“It’s been an incredible few days getting into the club and working with the boys,” said Moore, who left Sheffield Wednesday in the summer.

“They have taken a lot of information on over the past couple of days. The fighting spirit was incredible and they got their just rewards and something out of the game at the end.

“I’m really pleased with the boys and their second-half performance. I’ve seen enough there and there’s enough quality in the team to get more out of the players and I’ll look forward to working with the boys over the next couple of weeks.

“Once we grew into the game we had to throw caution to the wind and change things up. I thought the boys did that themselves by the way they controlled large parts of the second half and gave themselves confidence.

“Come the end we had to go all out to try and get something out of the game and I’m pleased we fashioned a really good chance and took it.”

The 49-year-old continued: “I’m pleased for the travelling away support that they’ve gone back up north with something to get hold of – and hopefully (there are) encouraging signs from the team.

“I’m looking forward to my first home game in charge against Ipswich. I’m looking forward to being back in front of the home fans.”

Mark Robins was frustrated after seeing his side – play-off finalists last season – concede late for a third successive game.

It means they have dropped nine points from winning positions, the most in the Championship, this season.

Robins said: “It’s so frustrating but you have to dust yourselves down and get on with it.

“We could have won every game we’ve played in, but we’re sitting here talking about eight points in eight games. It will turn around, but it’s painful getting there.

“It [conceding late] can start to become a thing. It’s about taking control of those situations.

“I think if you let your heart rule your head at times because you know that’s been the case and you know we’re within touching distance of winning the game, the game can kick you in the teeth if you make mistakes.

“They had bodies and a weight of numbers in their favour, but we have to do better. The defending wasn’t good enough.

“You can’t get that momentum if you lose some of your players. It’s not an excuse. We’ve got a small squad with some key individuals out. It’s going to take some time.”

Darren Moore’s first game in charge of Huddersfield saw them draw 1-1 at Coventry thanks to Michal Helik’s dramatic added-time goal.

Brighton loanee Yasin Ayari, 19, had seemingly ended the Sky Blues’ five-game winless run in the Sky Bet Championship with a first-half goal he knew little about.

However, Terriers defender Helik equalised five minutes into stoppage time to ensure former Sheffield Wednesday boss Moore avoided defeat in his return to management.

It meant Coventry stopper Ben Wilson’s string of fine second-half saves were in vain as he was eventually beaten, meaning Huddersfield are now unbeaten in four matches.

Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Moore, who got the South Yorkshire club promoted last season before leaving in the summer, made four changes as he took the helm for the first time.

There was a sedate start to the game before Ayari fired a speculative 25-yard strike wide of the mark.

Town caught the hosts on the counter attack and Mark Robins’ charges were indebted to Liam Kelly as he blocked Josh Koroma’s effort.

The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute as summer signing Ellis Simms, still seeking his first Coventry goal, saw his rasping drive tipped onto the bar by Town goalkeeper Lee Nicholls and bounce in off an unsuspecting Ayari.

Moore’s men finished the first half strongly without creating any clear-cut chances to equalise and they also threatened early in the second period without any end product.

Jack Rudoni created space to get a shot off from outside of the box, but his left-footed strike flew high and wide.

Minutes later the former AFC Wimbledon man squandered another chance as his scuffed effort, after being nicely teed up by Jaheim Headley, was easily saved by Wilson.

After a routine first save of the evening, Wilson was forced into a much tougher save to beat away Delano Burgzorg’s powerful strike.

Josh Eccles produced a last-gasp diving block to deny a Koroma strike after a spell of sustained pressure in the hosts’ box.

Wilson produced another fine save to deny substitute Sorba Thomas’ free-kick from the left-hand corner of the box.

Nicholls pulled off a super save from Bobby Thomas’ snapshot to keep the visitors in the game, before substitute Haji Wright poked the rebound over from close range, with just three minutes left.

That huge save was worthwhile as Helik took advantage of a scrappy clearance in the Coventry box and expertly found the top corner with his guided left-footed volley.

Cardiff manager Erol Bulut’s gamble on resting Aaron Ramsey paid handsome dividends as his side beat Coventry 3-2 to make it back-to-back home wins in the Championship for the first time since February.

Ramsey sat out the game against the Sky Blues having played for both club and country last week and Bulut did not want to push him too hard too soon.

“Aaron was rested because he had had a problem with his adductor muscle when he was away with the national team and he felt it again against Swansea,” said Bulut.

“I couldn’t risk him getting any more injuries, but he’ll be back for Sunderland on Sunday.

“He’s a great, great player who has enjoyed a great career, but the players who came in tonight showed that all the team is important, not just individuals.

“We have to be a team and we showed we are a team tonight against a good Coventry side. It was a good victory over Swansea, but we couldn’t celebrate too much because of this game.

“We had to rest, work hard and then put in 100 per cent effort for 100 minutes to make it back-to-back wins.”

Dimitrios Goutas and Karlan Grant each scored their first Cardiff goal, either side of Matt Godden’s equaliser. Kion Etete scored Cardiff’s clincher before Godden pulled another back in stoppage time.

After four successive draws, Mark Robins’ Sky Blues – play-off finalists last season – saw Cardiff overtake them in the league table as they slumped to 15th.

“We weren’t brave enough – for the first 20-25 minutes, we didn’t lay a glove on them,” said Robins.

“We are normally braver and better on the ball than that. We turned the ball over a lot.

“I also felt disappointed by the manner of the goals we conceded. We scored two goals away from home and gave three away – that’s not like us.

“We don’t normally concede like that, and certainly not from set-pieces. We have players in the side who are better than that.

“We have got good players in the side who can do the job but for two thirds of the first half we didn’t cause them any issues. We had a good spell at the end when Matt Godden got his second goal.

“We’ve got to dust ourselves down and go again. We’ve got good players who can do a job, but they need to communicate better.”

Dimitrios Goutas and Karlan Grant both scored their first goals for Cardiff as the Bluebirds made it back-to-back wins in the Championship for the first time this season.

Their 3-2 home win over Coventry pushed them into the top half of the table and saw the Sky Blues drop to 15th. Kion Etete polished things off for the home side with a goal with his first touch in the 84th minute.

Matt Godden scored twice for the visitors, levelling the scores in the first half and then heading home his second in the 95th minute.

Cardiff boss Erol Bulut opted to rest Wales skipper Aaron Ramsey after his two games for club and country last week but rewarded Ollie Tanner for scoring his first goal for the club in the 2-0 win over Swansea by giving him his first start at home in the Championship.

It had taken Tanner a mere 40 seconds to score with his first touch after coming on at the weekend and he was the first into the thick of the action for the Bluebirds playing in a wide right position as he tested the Coventry defence.

He flashed a header past the post in the fifth minute and then saw Greek defender Goutas follow in his footsteps three minutes later by scoring his first goal for the club as he powered home a free header from a Joe Ralls corner.

The home side were good value for their lead and almost got a second in the 33rd minute when a Ryan Wintle cross from the right edge of the box was turned inches wide by Ike Ugbo from the middle of the six-yard box.

Coventry arrived in the Welsh capital sitting two places above their hosts but on the same number of points. Having absorbed most of the pressure in the opening half-hour, they hit back in the 33rd minute from a corner.

Jak Alnwick punched the ball away from his goal, but only as far as the edge of the D. Milan van Ewijk immediately stroked a pass to his left to skipper Liam Kelly, whose first-time touch into the area found Godden to turn on the edge of the six-yard box and bag the equaliser.

It was his fifth goal in eight games to underline just why the Sky Blues were so keen to get him to sign a new contract last month.

All of a sudden there was a real spring in the step of the visitors and when Tatsuhiro Sakamoto was introduced eight minutes into the second half they got even livelier.

Cardiff, though, regained the lead just after the hour mark after they swept the play upfield and Ralls carried across field to give Tanner and Wintle the chance to combine on the right. It was Wintle’s measured cross that enabled West Brom loanee Grant to stoop low and head home from eight yards.

Alnwick had to be at his best in the home goal to stop Kasey Palmer from levelling in the 71st minute when he shot from 10 yards out.

Etete fired across goal to hit the left corner to make it a two-goal lead and though Godden scored his second of the night in the fifth of the 10 added minutes it was too little, too late.

Head coach Liam Rosenior challenged Aaron Connolly to maintain his promising early-season form after his equaliser earned Hull a late 1-1 draw at home to Coventry.

The visitors looked in control after Joel Latibeaudiere headed home in the first half.

But Republic of Ireland international Connolly had the final word with an enterprising header with three minutes remaining – his fourth goal of the new campaign.

Rosenior said: “Aaron’s capable of anything he wants in his career, if he stays on track.

“He’s not 100 per cent fit, which is scary.

“He’s a leader in the dressing room. He’s a massive influence and has really taken Liam Delap under his wing.

“Some of his runs and some of his movement are top level. He knows when he needs a rocket but he knows I love him as I’ve known him since he was 15.”

Hull, who have now lost once in 15 league games at home, appeared in trouble following a poor first half.

They continually gave away possession and were punished when unmarked defender Latibeaudiere headed home Josh Eccles’ near-post corner after 27 minutes.

Coventry, despite having to soak up plenty of pressure after the restart, rarely looked troubled in a fascinating game between two well-matched sides.

But Connolly was a constant threat and he equalised after 87 minutes with an artful, glancing back-header off substitute Tyler Morton’s lofted cross from the right.

Rosenior said: “I thought first half they had a bit of the upper hand.

“They’re a good side. I live 200 yards away from Mark (Robins) – he’s been really good to me in my coaching career – and they’re going to be up there at the end of the season.

“But for us to dominate in the second half like that, I’m proud of my players.

“To go a goal down and come back, I couldn’t be happier.

“I want to build a squad. We’re going to need that through the season so I’m going to have to be really smart with my team selections.

“I thought Tyler was magnificent when he came on and showed exactly why we worked so hard to get him to the club from Liverpool.”

Coventry manager Mark Robins accepted that a draw was a fair result.

He said: “I thought it was a really good game between two good teams.

“Both teams asked questions of each other through the game and we took a deserved lead.

“There were some really good performances from us, but it was disappointing to get our noses in front and then to have chances to score again.

“On balance, though, it was probably a fair result.

“Every time you come away and you get something, you think, ‘It’s a good point’, but it’s tinged with disappointment because of the timing of their goal.”

Robins added: “Their substitutions were good and had a bigger impact than ours.

“With the timing of the goal and the nature of the goal – it was really poor from our perspective, was disappointing.

“But the weight (possession) of the ball that they had – that keeps the crowd interested – we ended up dropping deeper and made silly decisions.

“It was a really good, hard-fought game, but, on balance, I probably think it was a fair result.”

Aaron Connolly’s brilliant late header earned Hull a 1-1 draw at home to Coventry.

The Republic of Ireland international glanced home Tyler Morton’s cross following a sustained spell of pressure to deny the visitors a hard-earned victory.

With Hull short of ideas, Joel Latibeaudiere’s first-half header looked to have been the difference between two evenly-matched sides.

The Jamaica international put the gloss on a fine individual performance after 27 minutes to claim his first goal since joining last year’s play-off finalists in the summer.

And though Coventry were organised from the outset, Hull’s late burst of energy resulted in a well-worked equaliser after 87 minutes.

Substitute Morton, perhaps more in desperation than with finesse, lofted a cross into the box in a central area.

But Connolly had the street-smarts to make clean contact and direct the ball into the bottom-right corner of the net with the back of his head.

Following their win at Leicester before the international break, a near-full house at the MKM Stadium expected big things from the Tigers.

But the hosts laboured for much of the game and would not have had too many complaints had they lost, despite having controlled possession for much of the second half.

They had their moments – Connolly flashed one wide from a difficult angle early on – but Hull were raw at the back and gave the ball away countless times.

Such uncertainty provided Coventry with momentum.

Excellent wing-back Jay Dasilva served notice of the visitors’ growing confidence after 25 minutes.

Yasin Ayari cutely teed up his team-mate inside the penalty area, but Dasilva’s radar was just off from an inviting position on the left.

Hull continued to give away possession and were punished soon after.

Josh Eccles’ near-post corner from the right was strong, but Jamaica international Latibeaudiere was still given an extraordinary amount of space to head home.

Hull manager Liam Rosenior demanded improvement, but it never came until after the restart.

Indeed, the home side should have been 2-0 down when Haji Wright misdirected a whipped pass from the right over the crossbar after 30 minutes, when it seemed far easier to hit the target.

Mark Robins would have expected from Hull a response in the second half. But aside from Scott Twine’s hit from distance – easily saved by Ben Wilson – it never arrived until the death.

Yet, despite the best endeavours of Coventry’s well-structured defence, a one-sided final 10 minutes offered Hull supporters hope.

And their optimism was rewarded when Connolly expertly scored a fourth league goal this season.

Watford manager Valerien Ismael heavily criticised referee David Webb after his side’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Coventry, describing him as the 12th man for the hosts.

The Sky Blues were awarded a controversial penalty after 20 minutes with Watford defender Ryan Porteous adjudged to have handled the ball.

Despite Matt Godden’s spot-kick being saved by Daniel Bachmann, Ismael did not hold back and felt his side were playing the game a man down.

“It’s a very good performance, especially when you play against 12 men with the referee,” he said.

“We had meetings with the referees before the season and they showed us exactly the same situation Ryan Porteous was in and they told us it won’t be a penalty.

“What is the rule? His arm is against his body so it can’t be a penalty. It’s very difficult to accept this but we fought well.

“The referee helped Coventry very strongly but we have a lot of positives, we scored three goals.”

Watford opened the scoring through Mileta Rajovic which was then cancelled out by a stunning free-kick from Milan van Ewijk.

A Matheus Martins goal and a second from Rajovic had Watford ahead twice more, but an own goal from Wesley Hoedt and a late strike from Godden secured a point for Coventry.

Despite not being able to hold on to multiple leads, the Watford boss remained positive.

“Compliments to the players, I think that’s a great reaction following the two games we lost,” he continued.

“We come to a very tough away game at Coventry and I think naturally we were strong. Until the second goal when we conceded on our own.

“But we came back into the game and showed great mentality. We scored a great goal and played great football and we wanted to have that bravery in our game.

“The attitude of the players was really good and we continue to move forward now and adjust the mistakes.”

Coventry manager Mark Robins recognised the mistakes that his side made but could not fault their bravery.

“There were too many decisions that we made that were wrong, but there were so many we made that were right,” he said.

“Defensively we got one or two things wrong. We became too open and ended up coming out when we shouldn’t have.

“Knowing that that’s the way they play, they try and suck you out to create space. They have got quality and they are rapid.

“If you want to sit in against them then fine, but you’re not going anywhere and they will pin you in.

“I thought we were good, I thought we were brave and went after the game all the time. We just got things wrong defensively.”

Last season both sides also shared the spoils in another thrilling encounter that finished 2-2, and Robins was excited by the threat Coventry posed this time.

“We created some brilliant chances, the football was scintillating and the crowd were magnificent and got behind us,” he continued.

“We’ve come back three times, but we’ve got to be a little bit more confident. Other than that we look at a real threat.

“Today has been a really difficult game but it’s the same as we had last year, we get a point.”

Coventry came from behind three times to draw 3-3 in a remarkable encounter with Watford.

Mileta Rajovic’s opener was brilliantly cancelled out by Milan van Ewijk to leave the score 1-1 at half-time.

Matheus Martins and a second from Rajovic had Watford ahead twice in the second half, but Wesley Hoedt’s own goal and Matt Godden’s late strike salvaged a point for the Sky Blues.

The game was end to end from the off with an entertaining start from both sides.

The opener nearly came after 20 minutes when Coventry were controversially awarded a penalty with Ryan Porteous harshly adjudged to have handled the ball. Watford were reprieved when Godden’s shot was saved by Daniel Bachmann.

The Hornets then made it 1-0 as Rajovic poked home Tom Ince’s cross from the right-hand side.

However, The Sky Blues hit back before the break with a sensational 30-yard free-kick from Van Ewijk into the bottom left corner.

Shortly after the restart, Watford regained the lead with Martins handed a clear run down the left-hand side before curling into the opposite corner.

After 63 minutes Coventry were gifted an own goal to equalise after a dreadful back pass from Hoedt ended up in the back of the net.

Another error from Watford almost put Coventry ahead, but Haji Wright ran into trouble.

More slack defending, this time from Coventry, saw Vakoun Bayo get onto the end of a back-pass and square for Rajovic to net his second.

The Sky Blues equalised in the 87th minute as Godden thumped home a cross from Wright to atone for his earlier miss from the spot.

The result leaves both clubs with just one victory apiece from their first five Championship games.

Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray is still waiting for his attack to fire this season after they ground out a goalless draw at Coventry.

Already without long-term casualty Ross Stewart, the Black Cats were also shorn of the injured Patrick Roberts, with Mowbray continuing to mend and make do with 17-year-old Jobe Bellingham leading the line.

Mowbray is hoping he will be able to bring in a striker before the transfer window closes on Friday in order to add a cutting edge to a side that frequently dominates possession.

In terms of chances created, it was Coventry who shaded matters and it required several good saves from Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson to preserve a point for the visitors.

Mowbray said: “The game panned out a little bit differently to what I thought.

“I thought we would come here and dominate possession, like we did last year against them, and they were good first half with the ball.

“I was disappointed at half-time and we readjusted a few things and I thought we were better in the second half.

“We got into some good positions and just the final ball wasn’t quite there today, as we can say in most of the games this season.

“The first three games we averaged 68 per cent possession and we got in behind teams so many times, but we couldn’t find the pass to put the ball into the back of the net.

“It was a bit like that in the second half today and yet you could always feel Coventry’s threat.

“They obviously played two strikers and a 10, they’re a menace and I thought the concentration was good defensively.”

The best chance of the first half came Coventry’s way after 44 minutes when Ellis Simms went through, only for Patterson to save well with his legs.

Sunderland looked bright after the restart and forced Ben Wilson into action twice in a matter of moments as he parried Dan Neil’s effort before also saving Dennis Cirkin’s follow-up.

Kasey Palmer then tried to force the issue for the hosts with a good run into the area, but his tame effort was comfortably saved by Patterson.

The clearest chance for either team to win it came in the 79th minute when Coventry debutant Yasin Ayari played in fellow substitute Haji Wright, who was also denied by the impressive Patterson.

Coventry boss Mark Robins said: “Across the backline, I thought we were outstanding.

“When we needed to, we threw bodies in front of it – I think Milan (Van Ewijk) has had his best game, Jay Dasilva has been really good today, Kyle McFadzean was a joke throwing himself in front of things.

“Then on the flip side of it, we’ve played some really good football.

“We got through them, we got into wide areas, they sat deep and tried to play on the counter-attack against us – they had three players there to try and break out at any given moment, and that’s why they’re dangerous.

“They dropped bodies in, we tried to open them up and if we don’t get it right because there’s no space, it means that as soon as we turn it over, they’re on a counter.

“That put us on the back foot in terms of coming out and being really aggressive.”

Coventry and Sunderland had to settle for a point as two of last season’s Championship play-off semi-finalists played out a 0-0 draw at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

It was a point that is likely to be more welcomed by the Black Cats as they continued to recover from losing their first two games of the season.

Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson was the goalkeeper who was called upon more often as the Sky Blues, still adjusting to the loss of key players during the summer, made it three games unbeaten.

Sunderland began brightly, with Bradley Dack miscuing wide after working his way into a good position before Trai Hume launched a long-range effort off target.

There were no clear openings, however, with the final pass lacking from both teams, although Kasey Palmer’s through ball meant for Matty Godden required Patterson to quickly come off his line and gather.

A ricochet from Ben Sheaf’s shot then presented half an opening for Godden, but he could not get any power on his effort and Patterson saved easily.

It was one of the few occasions either goalkeeper was called upon as chances remained at a premium, with defences very much on top.

An opening was finally fashioned by Coventry in the 44th minute when the ball was played through for Ellis Simms and the former Everton striker was denied by the legs of Patterson.

Both sides were hoping for more after a tepid first half, however, and it was Sunderland who made a lively start to the second as they worked Coventry keeper Ben Wilson for the first time after 49 minutes.

Dan Neil’s shot from just outside the area was parried out as far as Dennis Cirkin, who also found his route to goal blocked by Wilson.

Palmer then tried to force a breakthrough for the Sky Blues at the other end, but his shot on the turn from the edge of the box never looked like finding the target.

There was a much better tempo to the game now, though, and Palmer looked sharp again during a good run into the Sunderland area, only to shoot tamely at Patterson.

A raft of substitutions from both sides unfortunately hurt the flow, but Sheaf tried to seize the initiative for Coventry as he snatched a shot from outside the area wide.

Two of the Sky Blues’ substitutes then combined for the clearest opening of the match after 79 minutes as debutant Yasin Ayari, on loan from Brighton, played the ball through for Haji Wright, who was denied by a fine save from Patterson.

Mark Robins expects Coventry to be Championship promotion contenders again this season once his new signings hit the ground running.

The Sky Blues were left frustrated by Swansea in their third Championship game of the season as the sides played out a 1-1 draw in south Wales.

Record-signing Haji Wright spurned a number of chances in the first half before Matty Godden gave the Sky Blues a lead, but Jerry Yates earned a point for the hosts.

Coventry lost several key players – including Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer – following last season’s play-off final defeat to Luton, with Wright, Ellis Simms, Milan van Ewijk, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Bobby Thomas, Jay Dasilva and Joel Latibeaudiere among those to join the club this summer.

And Robins believes his new-look team can ruffle plenty of feathers once the squad has had sufficient time to gel.

“I think we’re going to be good, but at the moment we’re just working our way through,” he said.

“Everybody needs to be patient. We’ve got brilliant supporters and they understand.

“But we’ve got to pick up points while we’re going, that’s the key.

“When we’ve worked together a little bit longer, I think you’ll see a different side with more confidence, more fluidity and hopefully more goals and more chances.”

United States international Wright was off target with a number of efforts in the first half as the hosts ended the contest with more shots on goal than Coventry.

But Robins still felt his troops deserved to clinch all three points.

“We should have won but you can only win games if you defend properly,” he added.

“We didn’t readjust quickly enough after we scored. The fact we conceded more or less straight away is really disappointing.

“The determination to try and play through them was there. I just think we tired and the fact I’ve not got the players I need to change things took its toll really.”

Swansea boss Michael Duff praised goalscorer Yates for earning the hosts a point.

The striker joined from Blackpool in the summer and has now netted in each of his two home appearances for the club.

“The one thing he does do is pop up with a goal – that’s two in two,” said Duff.

“He lives for goals and he gives you everything, whether he scores or not.”

Despite failing to win any of his first three Championship matches as boss, Duff remains confident that his early struggles at former clubs Cheltenham and Barnsley prove the Swans need to stay patient.

“The same things happened at my last two clubs,” he said.

“I didn’t win a game for 10 games at Cheltenham, 18 months later we won the league.

“The same thing happened at Barnsley. We were eighth or ninth in the league for the first three months, then we were the most in-form team in the country from November on.

“It’s never going to happen overnight. I want to win as much as anyone else. I also understand there’s a process.”

Swansea summer signing Jerry Yates bagged his second goal of the campaign to earn his new side a 1-1 draw with Coventry in the Championship.

The visiting Sky Blues were wasteful in the first half but took the lead through what was one of their only two shots on target in the game as Matty Godden netted in the 39th minute.

But Yates, who arrived from Blackpool for a reported £2.5million this summer, equalised two minutes later with his second goal in as many home appearances for the Swans.

Having been lacklustre for the majority of their 3-2 defeat at West Brom a week earlier, Swansea boss Michael Duff urged his side to play with more zip against Coventry.

The hosts certainly took his words on board and started on the front foot as Jay Fulton drilled just wide after neat play from Joel Piroe.

Coventry soon settled and created openings of their own as club-record £7.7m signing Haji Wright was off target with three efforts in the space of seven minutes, the last of which fizzed inches wide of Carl Rushworth’s goal.

Mark Robins will undoubtedly have been pleased with the control his side had on the game as Coventry’s sharpness continued to pose problems.

But Swansea registered the game’s first effort on target just before the half-hour mark. A corner from Charlie Patino – on his first start since joining on loan from Arsenal – found Harry Darling who headed straight at Ben Wilson.

Coventry took the lead six minutes before half-time as the lively Tatsuhiro Sakamoto squared to Wright who teed up Godden to rifle home his third goal of the season.

It sparked wild scenes of celebration in the away end, but the Sky Blues were pegged back within two minutes.

Harrison Ashby latched on to Darling’s ball over the top on the right flank before crossing to Yates who nodded over Wilson to ensure the score was level at the break.

The second half proved to be a slow burner until Coventry duo Bobby Thomas and Kyle McFadzean headed over from corners in quick succession.

Piroe and Yates then combined on the right to send Fulton into the visitors’ box, but the midfielder could only drill straight at Wilson from an acute angle.

Duff sent on Liam Cullen, Joe Allen, Azeem Abdulai and Josh Ginnelly late on while Wright was replaced by Ellis Simms as the contest remained finely poised.

But Coventry were unable to trouble goalkeeper Rushworth following a barrage of set-plays as they remained without a win at Swansea since 1981.

Manager Mark Robins believes Coventry are a club with a new lease of life despite the loss of key players in the summer after they impressively picked up their first win of the season against Middlesbrough.

Last season was the Sky Blues’ most successful in a number of years, following Doug King’s takeover of the club.

It ultimately ended with the heartbreak of defeat on penalties against Luton in the Championship play-off final at Wembley, a long-awaited return to the Premier League so near and yet so far.

They have since seen Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer depart for Sporting Lisbon and Sheffield United respectively, but their display against the team they beat in the play-off semi-finals in May suggested a bright future.

Robins said: “It was an important game today for the players and for the supporters as well, not least because we’ve got a load of new players in.

“That feeling of winning at home is really important, the dressing rooms have changed – the owner has spent a load of money on the stadium, on the pitch, in the changing room area.

“It’s absolutely fantastic, it feels so much better, the training ground pitches have been done, so the whole club feels like there’s a breath of fresh air running through it and that’s brilliant.

“The two players that have left have obviously given us a headache but also an opportunity and that’s been backed by Doug as well.

“Thankfully we are in the throes of a recruitment drive and now we’ve lost Gus we’re looking at what we can do next to fill the void but also to give us the squad depth that we crave.”

Coventry were ahead after 11 minutes when Josh Eccles’ shot deflected into the path of Matty Godden, who instinctively finished into the bottom corner.

Middlesbrough were poor in the first half, but enjoyed a good spell after the break, with Isaiah Jones shooting into the side netting before Sammy Silvera somehow blazed Morgan Rogers’ cross over from close range.

It was one of Robins’ new recruits who doubled the Sky Blues’ lead in the 70th minute as USA international Haji Wright smashed in his first goal for the club following Kasey Palmer’s corner.

An excellent afternoon for the hosts was rounded off in stoppage time when Boro defender Darragh Lenihan deflected Godden’s cross into his own net.

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, who looks set to lose 29-goal top scorer from last season Chuba Akpom in the near future, said: “It obviously wasn’t a 3-0 game.

“We’ve done a number of good things during the game, they’re obviously a good team, it was a tight game for spells, and they had a little bit extra in the end.

“Obviously, goals change games and we weren’t quite able to take the chances we created.

“We’ve got to be better but at the same point the first one was a deflection that fell to him (Godden), the third goal was a deflection and the corner’s the corner we need to defend better.

“There’s a balance between judging a game and knowing where we’re at and being disappointed and knowing where we need to improve, but at the same point the bigger picture is it’s a long
season.

“We’ve got long enough to put things right.”

USA international Haji Wright opened his account for Coventry as they beat Middlesbrough 3-0 to pick up their first win of the season at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

It represented the perfect start to life without Gustavo Hamer for the Sky Blues after one of the key figures of their run to last season’s Championship play-off final departed for Sheffield United on Friday night.

It was Hamer’s goal that defeated Middlesbrough in the semi-finals of those play-offs back in May and this was another day where Michael Carrick’s side fired blanks as they fell to a second straight loss in the new campaign.

A perfectly timed challenge by Coventry centre-back Bobby Thomas on Morgan Rogers got the home crowd on their feet in the early stages, after Hayden Hackney’s tame effort had been blocked.

The noise levels only increased when the Sky Blues took the lead in the 11th minute, with Josh Eccles’ shot deflecting into the path of Matty Godden, who steered the ball into the bottom corner.

With the hosts’ tails up, Jay Dasilva tried to add a quick second but could not direct his effort from outside the area on target.

Godden then almost doubled up when his low curler had to be pushed out by Middlesbrough goalkeeper Seny Dieng, with Milan van Ewijk putting the follow-up wide.

Middlesbrough struggled to find a reply, with the sight of Coventry skipper Kyle McFadzean easily brushing off the advancing Sammy Silvera summing up the balance of play.

Ellis Simms had a chance to put the Sky Blues two ahead when he was picked out in the area by Eccles, only to shoot straight at Dieng, but it was a deserved lead for the home side at half-time.

It was almost wiped out just over three minutes into the second half, however, when Rogers shot wide after a dangerous run that took him into the 18-yard box.

That moment began a much better spell for ‘Boro, with Isaiah Jones shooting into the side netting before Silvera should have equalised when he blazed Rogers’ cut-back over from close range.

Finnish striker Marcus Forss was brought on by Carrick and almost struck with his first touch when he poked Paddy McNair’s cross straight at Coventry ‘keeper Ben Wilson.

Wright had also been introduced by this point and it was he who doubled Coventry’s lead in the 70th minute, against the run of play, when he blasted home after Kasey Palmer’s corner was cleared into his path.

A terrific afternoon for the Sky Blues was then embroidered in stoppage time as Godden was found in space out on the right and his cross was deflected into his own net by ‘Boro defender Darragh Lenihan.