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.”
Fiorentina 2-2 Napoli: Kvaratskhelia keeps visitors' slim European hopes alive
Dethroned Italian champions Napoli's hopes of playing European football next season are hanging by a thread after they played out a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday.
Napoli took the lead in the eighth minute through defender Amir Rrahmani, who nodded home a corner by Matteo Politano.
Cristiano Biraghi levelled for Fiorentina in the 40th minute from a free-kick, before M'Bala Nzola put the hosts in front two minutes later when he fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia responded with another stunning free-kick early in the second half to rescue a point for his team.
Eighth-placed Fiorentina, on 54 points and with a game in hand, are five points behind Lazio in seventh.
They can still earn a Europa League spot either by leapfrogging the Rome side or by winning the Europa Conference League final in which they face Greece's Olympiakos on May 29.
Ninth-placed Napoli, on 52 points, still have a slim chance of making the Europa Conference League playoffs.
Data Debrief
Fiorentina left-back Biraghi has now scored six goals from direct free-kicks since the start of 2021-22, which is behind only James Ward-Prowse (seven) - now of West Ham and formerly of Southampton - as the most across Europe's top five leagues in that period.
Kvaratskhelia also levelled via a direct free-kick, making this the first Serie A match in which both teams scored via that route since Fiorentina against Lazio in April 2018 (Jordan Veretout and Luis Alberto in that case).
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Marc Skinner signs Manchester United Women contract extension
Marc Skinner has signed a one-year contract extension as Manchester United Women head coach with the option of a further 12 months.
The 41-year-old guided United to their first major silverware last weekend with victory over Tottenham in the Women's FA Cup final.
United are fifth in the Women's Super League with one game to go - a massive drop on last term's runners-up finish - but Skinner will stay on.
"It's an honour to extend my stay at Manchester United," Skinner, who was appointed in 2021, told United's official website after the news was confirmed on Friday.
"I've always felt at home here, with our excellent players, staff, and fans.
"Being able to secure the team's first major trophy at Wembley was a real career highlight for me and another sign of our continued growth, on and off the field."
United conclude their campaign on Saturday against Chelsea, who lead Manchester City on goal difference entering the final day.
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