A late penalty brought Lichfield City’s ten-game unbeaten run to a disappointing end at Coventry Copsewood.
Confidence was high for Paul Holt’s men after their midweek heroics at Walsall Wood. But they struggled to find their feet in the early stages of this fixture as the home side made a bright start.
Fabian Spence was first to test Lichfield’s resilience as he fired narrowly wide, before Paul Covier headed straight at City keeper Craig Johnson.
The visitors were dealt a blow on 25 minutes when leading scorer Liam Holt was stretchered off with a shin injury that looks likely to keep him out long term. Kyle Minto was sent on in his pace as Lichfield looked to get a grip on the game.
The first chance for City came when Jacob Snape forced a fine save out of Scott Furlong in the Coventry goal. But it was only a brief respite as the hosts continued to dominate, Spence denied again by Johnson as the centre forward sprung the offside trap.
Holt’s half-time words clearly had some effect on his players as Lichfield regrouped and made a lively start to the second period. Jacob Snape was guilty of a glaring miss from six yards while Olly Budd’s teasing run and cross somehow evaded everyone as it fizzed across the face of the goal.
Despite their improvement after the interval, City fell behind when Spence’s effort found the top corner on 65 minutes.
But Lichfield didn’t lick their wounds for long and were level soon afterwards when Snape burst through. His first effort was saved by Furlong, but the former Blackwood man was on hand to tuck away at the second attempt.
The visitors pushed forward looking for a winner, Minto somehow heading wide from two yards out, while Todd Perry also sent an effort off target.
They were unable to find a breakthrough though and it looked as though they would have to settle for a point. But as the game entered its 94th minute, Snape was robbed inside his own half and Peterson Gordon headed for the Lichfield goal, only to be brought down by a desperate Perry. The City defender was lucky to escape with just a yellow.
There was to be more drama though, as Coventry sent forward keeper Scott Furlong to take the penalty. He made no mistake in sending his opposite number the wrong way to condemn Lichfield to a first away league defeat under Holt.