Jake Bidwell scores first Coventry goal in home draw with Bristol City

Posted Monday, January 02, 2023 by PA

Jake Bidwell’s first Coventry goal earned the Sky Blues a 1-1 draw with Bristol City at the CBS Arena.

The defender joined Coventry from Swansea in January 2022 and was on hand to nod in after Max O’Leary clawed his initial effort off the line.

Antoine Semenyo scored an equaliser for Bristol City just before the half-hour mark but the draw leaves Nigel Pearson’s men with just one win in 10 Sky Bet Championship matches.

Kasey Palmer was greeted by boos by the away support after leaving the Robins in the summer but almost made his former club pay inside the first three minutes when his clever reverse pass picked out Martyn Waghorn.

The striker had returned to the starting XI for the first time since October, but his effort was well saved by O’Leary.

However, the Sky Blues opened the scoring after 12 minutes through Bidwell’s first goal since October 2021.

A neat one-two between Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres sent the former to the by-line and his low cross was met by Bidwell, whose first effort was clawed away by O’Leary before the former Brentford full-back nodded the rebound in from close range.

Only Reading had conceded more goals away from home than Bristol City before their trip to the West Midlands, whilst only three sides had scored more on the road.

They went in search of their leveller and were in luck on 28 minutes, when Nahki Wells’ shot rebounded off Jonathan Panzo and Alex Scott before Semenyo was in the right spot to place his left-footed effort into the bottom corner.

Buoyed by their leveller, Pearson’s men went in search of a second as they pressed Coventry high up the pitch, forcing both Panzo and Callum Doyle into giving the ball away in dangerous areas.

Top scorer Gyokeres had proven deadly inside opposition boxes this season, notching 12 times in the process, but it was his brilliant defending that prevented a second goal for the visitors as he diverted Kal Naismith’s acrobatic effort over the crossbar.

Coventry, who extended their unbeaten home run to seven games with a second draw in succession, came out stronger after the break and Palmer fed Waghorn once again, but the forward dragged his effort past the post.

O’Leary had to be alert again to deny Gyokeres as he rushed out to stop the Swede lifting his effort over him to take the lead.

Andi Weimann could also have given Bristol City all three points, but he failed to bundle over the line inside the six-yard box and was booked in trying to hand the Robins a first win of 2023 by punching the ball over the line.