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When it eventually arrived, it was well worth the wait. It was fitting that Ephron Mason-Clark was the provider of the decisive moment of quality, perhaps the most important goal of his career to date, to stretch Coventry’s lead at the Championship summit to five points.
With full-time just four minutes away, Mason-Clark left the floor acrobatically to meet Ellis Simms’ flick-on and send 3,300 Coventry fans into a wild dance. In a match played at a ferocious pace and in acres of space, he had provided the missing ace.
The winger was left floored by Stoke’s Junior Tchamadeu and eventually was stretchered off looking dazed. It summed up Tchamadeu’s afternoon – he had spent much of it trying to halt Coventry’s left winger but always arrived a fraction too late.
Those in the blue corner did Mason-Clark’s celebrating for him, a rendition of Dean Martin’s Sway containing their No 10’s name filling the night air for several minutes. Frank Lampard watched on calmly, arms folded, from the technical area. But even he had allowed himself a celebratory jig with his staff at the goal and why not? His doubters, and there were many, are not so audible now.
This was not classic 2025/26 Coventry, all free flowing and even freer scoring. They were in a battle and they knew all about it. “It was crying out for that bit of extra skill or it would have petered out into a nil-nil,” Lampard said after. “Our approach was what I really liked as it showed a side of us that had a real focus.”
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Peterborough climbed off the bottom of the table with a remarkable 5-0 victory over high-flying AFC Wimbledon, Harry Leonard and Gustav Lindgren scoring twice each, while Huddersfield were 3-1 victors against struggling Plymouth. Victory for Lincoln would have seen them draw level on points with Stockport but they were beaten 3-0 by Rotherham: Reece James, Ar'jany Martha and Denzel Hall on the scoresheet.
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Northampton returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Mansfield. Rhys Oates crashed in the opener but the Cobblers turned things around in the second half as Jack Perkins levelled before Tom Eaves won it from the penalty spot. Davis Keilor-Dunn scored the winner as Barnsley defeated Doncaster 2-1 while Exeter and Wigan drew 1-1. PA Media
All afternoon, clear openings were scarcer than direct answers from politicians. Early on, Brandon Thomas-Asante went to ground in the area. Ben Wilmot had simply stroked his shoulder, and John Busby quite rightly deemed the contact to be hardly contact at all. Later, Haji Wright had a similar request turned down. The outstanding Wilmot’s challenge was spot on.
Victor Torp saw Viktor Johansson deny him twice and Ashley Phillips also blocked his first-time hit. The Dane might have expected to score at least once: his six previous Championship strikes this season have come from an xG of just 1.7.
The game’s only goal, by the way, came from a Milan van Ewijk long throw, proving that their popularity is not restricted to the Premier League. ‘We’ve come to the home of a long throw and scored from a long throw,” a smiling Lampard said. “But it was more about Ephron’s skill level.”
Spare a thought for Mark Robins. A year and a day since he was unceremoniously sacked by the visitors – proof that even miracle workers are afforded little grace – he must have thought a point had been hard-earned.
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“Nip and tuck, not much in it,” a disappointed Robins said. “Disappointing to lose like that. It’s chalk and cheese from last season, so we’ve got to take a little bit of a breath and a bit of realism.”
Robins is right. Stoke, who slipped to third, showed enough to suggest that their resurrection is still on. Their ground is once more a boiling pot of intimidation after eight seasons spent barely at a simmer.
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They defended resolutely and looked to break swifty via Million Manhoef and Sorba Thomas. The former had Stoke’s best two openings but was twice thwarted by the sound defence of Jay Dasilva.
Manhoef looked primed to meet a teasing first-half cross at the back post, only for Dasilva’s vital touch to cause the ball to bounce off his face and to safety. Offside was suspected but the flag remained bodyside and, given the lack of video assistant referee, it would have stood.
Staying on video technology, Thomas found fortune in its absence. “My bad, my bad”, he mouthed when swarmed by blue shirts after he kicked the twisting Tatsuhiro Sakamoto near the touchline. It was mistimed not malicious but he wore a guilty face.
In the second half, a cleverly weighted Bae Jun-ho pass set Manhoef through but Dasilva pushed him wide before throwing his body at the shot.
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ShowThe pure, unbridled optimism that was palpable pre-game had dissipated a touch for the 24,000 home fans by their departure.
But for Coventry, whose supporters serenaded the absent Mason-Clark long after the final whistle, the feeling grows that their wait for a top-flight return may soon come to an end. Twenty-five years is an awful long time.
