Coventry will host National League South Maidstone in the fifth round of the FA Cup after Callum O’Hare netted a brace in a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

The fourth-round replay signalled the third meeting between the sides in 17 days, the first of which was marred by racist abuse directed at Sky Blues midfielder Kasey Palmer.

Palmer wasted no time in opening the scoring against the Owls before Mark Robins’ men were pegged back by Bailey Cadamarteri’s strike inside 10 minutes.

But three goals in eight second-half minutes, including two from O’Hare and one from Haji Wright, means Coventry will host Maidstone, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition.

The Stones became the first club from outside the top five tiers of English football to reach the FA Cup fifth round since Blyth Spartans in 1978 when they beat Ipswich 2-1 at Portman Road in one of the great recent cup upsets.

Coventry got off to a fine start as Viktor Torp nipped in to dispossess Bambo Diaby inside three minutes and slid in Palmer, who waltzed unchallenged into the Wednesday box before slamming home.

Danny Rohl made nine changes to his Owls side who were hammered 4-0 by Huddersfield at the weekend and they responded well to going behind when Mallik Wilks scuffed off target before Michael Ihiekwe’s header was diverted wide.

A mix-up in the Coventry box led to the Wednesday equaliser after Wright’s clearance hit the midriff of Josh Eccles, and Cadamarteri reacted quickest to pounce on the loose ball and squeeze in the equaliser.

Eccles was heavily involved in Coventry’s best chance to reclaim their lead before the break, winning possession high up the field before Wright poked agonisingly wide.

O’Hare also went close to putting the Sky Blues ahead for a second time when his curled effort rattled the stanchion behind the goal.

After the break came the devastating spell that killed the game.

After netting the opener, Palmer picked out O’Hare and the midfielder had time to turn and slot his effort past 18-year-old Pierce Charles to re-establish Coventry’s lead less than five minutes after the restart.

The former Aston Villa midfielder had his second of the evening seven minutes later when he latched onto a loose ball and bent a fantastic effort into the far corner.

Less than 60 seconds later the tie was over for good when Wright met Jay Dasilva’s tantalising cross and glanced his header into the far corner to secure the Sky Blues’ place in round five of the FA Cup for the first time since 2018.

Southampton forward Sekou Mara’s quickfire second-half double in the 3-0 FA Cup replay victory over Watford booked a fifth-round trip to Liverpool.

The Championship high-fliers extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 24 matches when Che Adams teed up the 21-year-old Frenchman in the 52nd minute.

Mara, who had been linked with Sheffield United in the January transfer window after making just one league start this season, doubled his tally six minutes later with his fifth goal in nine appearances, before Adams wrapped things up 14 minutes from time.

Coventry coasted to a home tie against non-league Maidstone after three goals inside nine second-half minutes dispatched Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday 4-1.

Kasey Palmer’s early opener for the hosts had been cancelled out by Bailey Cadamarteri’s 10th-minute equaliser but the game turned immediately after half-time as Callum O’Hare scored twice, with Haji Wright adding the fourth.

Swansea interim head coach Alan Sheehan was proud of his side after Liam Cullen’s last-gasp free-kick earned a 2-2 draw at Coventry.

Liam Walsh had put Swansea ahead in the seventh minute before they were pegged back by Haji Wright.

Ellis Simms then fired the Sky Blues in front before Cullen’s superb free-kick in the third minute of added time.

The point came after the Swans had been hammered 5-0 by former head coach Russell Martin and Southampton on Boxing Day.

Sheehan said: “We had to hang in there at times but how we finished the last 10-15 minutes I really liked and I think we deserved a point.

“They just kept on fighting and that’s the proudest thing I can say about them.

“We wanted a response, a lot of things have gone against us in the last couple of days in terms of the result, sickness running through the camp with a lot of lads up all night sick.

“The manner of the goals conceded is incredibly disappointing but for large amounts of the first half I saw a team that I really like watching.

“We just wanted a reaction, to draw a line under it, show how we get better, can we start building a structure? I thought for large amounts of the first half and as we went into the second you saw a real identity to what we wanted to do today.”

Swansea have been without a head coach since Michael Duff was sacked on December 4, as Sheehan took charge of his sixth match.

He added: “They’re looking for the right person. Different clubs do it different and they appoint straight away but there’s a lot of people interested in this job.

“I think it’s very important the club and board get the right person to drive this club forward.

“I’m enjoying it, it’s hard and a really difficult time in terms of travelling and time away from family, a lot of sacrifices but I believe our work has been meticulous and we at least deserved a point for that.”

Despite the last-gasp equaliser, which prevented Coventry from making it three straight wins, manager Mark Robins claimed that it was a point gained for the Sky Blues.

“You don’t gain anything until the final whistle, so we’ve gained a point,” said Robins.

“The goal was poor, the wall was not set quite right, there was too much of a gap there and he just played it through it.

“We’ve played pretty well, at times we’ve had some good moves, created good chances, took some really good chances and then just maybe a little bit more concentration sees us through.

“We didn’t have enough control in the game for the last five minutes or so, there were times in the game where we did and we started to get on top and we got our noses in front.

“We conceded the goal early on but the reply was really quick, a really incisive move and a really good finish from Haji.

“The second half was too open but then the changes that I made had an impact.

“We’re disappointed that we’ve conceded that goal. Firstly the free-kick in the first place and then letting them have the gap to hit the corner.

“It was a consequence of the weight of the pressure because we didn’t get hold of the ball in the front area which allowed them to keep picking it up and keep coming at us, so that’s frustrating.

“They’ve worked really hard, the third game in a really short space of time and we were a couple of minutes away from three points.”

Liam Cullen’s stoppage-time free-kick earned managerless Swansea a 2-2 draw at Coventry.

The Swans had earlier been ahead through Liam Walsh’s first goal in almost four years, before Haji Wright and Ellis Simms put Coventry 2-1 in front.

Swansea had been thrashed 5-0 by former head coach Russell Martin and Southampton on Boxing Day, but Cullen fired in a last-gasp set-piece to give his side a hard-fought point.

Former Coventry loanee Walsh put Swansea ahead in the seventh minute after he latched onto a poor touch from Jamie Allen and picked out the bottom corner, his first strike since scoring for the Sky Blues in January 2020.

It was just the ninth goal that Coventry had conceded at home this season.

They were ahead for just three minutes before Wright was played in by former Swansea loanee Kasey Palmer.

The American was confronted by Bashir Humphreys, but shifted the ball onto his left foot before arrowing his effort into the far corner beyond Carl Rushworth.

Palmer’s powerful effort was then tipped over by Rushworth in the Swansea goal before his free-kick cleared the crossbar.

Swansea had been without a permanent boss since December 4 and interim head coach Alan Sheehan handed a senior debut to 17-year-old Sam Palmer, who almost teed up Yannick Bolasie to put the Swans ahead but he could only lift over the bar with his outstretched right foot from close range.

Walsh also came close to putting Swansea ahead when he forced Brad Collins to palm away his free-kick.

Japan international Tatsuhiro Sakamoto scored a brace in Coventry’s 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day and saw his effort blocked on the line following a clever corner routine as Coventry looked to get their noses in front.

Simms had been introduced as a substitute and scored his first goal at home for Coventry to put the hosts ahead with 25 minutes remaining.

Callum O’Hare picked out Wright at the back post and his looping header looked goalbound before Simms poked in to net his first goal since September when the former Everton striker netted a brace against QPR at Loftus Road.

Cullen had also been introduced from the bench and stepped up in the third minute of added time to whip his free-kick into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, extending Swansea’s unbeaten run against the Sky Blues to 17 matches, dating back to 1981.

Mark Robins admitted Coventry still need to improve if they are to climb the Championship table following a 1-0 win over Plymouth.

The Sky Blues’ second consecutive win came through record signing Haji Wright, who turned in Milan van Ewijk’s cutback with 15 minutes remaining.

Argyle, who remain without an away win this season, left the CBS Arena furious after they believed the ball had gone out of play in the build-up to Wright’s controversial winner.

“I’m pleased with the win, pleased with the three points,” said Robins.

“I thought we were better in the first half than the second half, I thought we were OK with the ball, we could have just done with a little more zip, bit more oomph.

“We’ve got to be better than we were to climb the table. Three clean sheets on the bounce, we’ve looked a threat more so than we had done previously, although I still think that we have been really unfortunate in terms of results.

“We’ve created good chances again and been a little bit wasteful.

“We need to do things a little bit quicker, we had Franz Beckenbauer playing at centre-half today where they were dribbling with the ball and then losing it where we have to be better than that.

“It’s building blocks at the moment and we’re a way from where we’re going to be, where we want to be. But to get there is a process. There are some really good signs, we play some really good football, we just look a little bit unsure from time to time.

“If that ball had been over the line, the referee would have given it. I don’t think there’s any way that ball was over the line. I have no idea and I don’t care. Those are the things that happen during a season.”

Argyle boss Steven Schumacher claimed the officials had cost his team a chance of a point as they were condemned to their sixth defeat in nine away games this season, despite not playing at their best.

Schumacher said: “Disappointed. I feel like we’re saying this too often coming into these press conferences after games and we’re talking about things we shouldn’t be.

“We should be talking about two teams who give 100 per cent effort to win a game and we’re not once again because of a poor call.

“The linesman is right there, it’s on his side so it’s not as though a post or anything is in his way and in these instances he’s got to get them decisions right because they’ve cost us the game.

“Both sides weren’t at their fluent best, we weren’t and Coventry probably the same and that one decision has been the deciding factor.

“When the linesman says to me at the end of the game only half the ball is out it’s not, clearly.

“Gutted about that but thought the performance wasn’t really our best, we didn’t really show enough quality to score or create enough big chances so that’s on us and something we need to do better at.

“It’s a big call once again that’s gone against us and how many times have I said that over the last few weeks?

“We’re not getting the rub of the green on these big calls and in these big games which are so tight and when we’re up against it against these good teams we need those decisions.”

Coventry manager Mark Robins has urged his side to build on their second-half showing against Preston despite going down 3-2 at Deepdale for a fourth straight loss.

The Sky Blues missed out on promotion a year ago in extra-time of the play-off final against Luton but have found life tougher this season, sitting 20th in the Sky Bet Championship.

Defeat to Preston, who ended a run of seven without a win, will not help, but they almost salvaged something thanks to Haji Wright’s double.

It was not enough though, with Coventry now winless at Deepdale on their last 21 visits in the league.

Robins said: “I think there was definitely nervousness. What happened was the first half we were pretty poor, couldn’t really get out and they had a lot of the ball and their intent was clear.

“Ours wasn’t, we couldn’t move it, we turned the ball over too much, but then we took the lead probably against the run of play.

“The second half was chalk and cheese really, it was a proverbial game of two halves, and we showed the intent that our team shows generally and has done for years and we’ve got to hold on to that.

“The second-half performance was pretty good, apart from the goal that we conceded.

“The three goals we conceded were soft, they were poor, so that’s got to improve, but we looked better.

“We’ve broken that duck of not scoring away from home and then we’ve ended up with two from Haji which is good for him and his confidence.”

Coventry hit the front against the run of play when Wright opened the scoring after 33 minutes, but they were 2-1 down by half-time.

Duane Holmes levelled for Preston before Alan Browne fired home from the spot after Kyle McFadzean was adjudged to have brought down Milutin Osmajic.

Osmajic then gave Preston breathing room after 71 minutes, but Wright got his second seven minutes from time, leaving the home side sweating.

Preston boss Ryan Lowe believes that on this form, Coventry will turn things around.

He said: “What I will say about Coventry is they’re well coached and have got a fantastic manager and they’ve got some fantastic players and they’re in a false position as we speak.

“I said that to Mark at the end, ‘keep going because you’ve got some players and a good team’.

“Of course it’s a bit of a relief when you get that third goal but they’re never going to lie down, they were play-off finalists last year and they’re not just going to roll over and say take the three points.

“They’re going to keep fighting and that’s what they did so we had to show a different side to us again.

“Their second goal I’m disappointed with because it shouldn’t get to that, but I said to the group about management in-game and what we need to do and how we do it, and they know, they take it on board.

“A two-goal cushion is fine for a while and then they get one back. But I’m just pleased for the lads, they’ve been working hard.

“The performances have been good but the results just haven’t been, so to take three points off a good team in Coventry is pleasing.”

Haji Wright headed a late winner as Coventry made it consecutive wins with a 1-0 victory over Blackburn.

The Sky Blues had hit the crossbar three times on the night, firstly through Matty Godden and Bobby Thomas, before Yasin Ayari’s effort rebounded off the woodwork only for Wright to nod home five minutes from time.

The American’s second Sky Blues goal since his summer arrival from Antalyaspor condemned Rovers to their fourth straight defeat, with Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men having conceded 12 in the process.

Rovers hit the crossbar themselves in the first half through on-loan Bournemouth defender James Hill, while Sammie Szmodics saw an early effort curl wide of Ben Wilson’s goal after good work from Tyrhys Dolan.

Mark Robins’ Sky Blues pipped their visitors to a play-off place by one point last season, but the two came into the clash languishing in 14th and 18th in the league table after slow starts to the campaign.

Hill went closest in a subdued first half when he crashed his thunderous effort against the crossbar, in what would have been a memorable way to mark the 21-year-old’s first league start for Rovers.

Ellis Simms had opened his Sky Blues account with a brace against QPR in a welcome 3-1 win for Coventry at the weekend, but was kept quiet by the Rovers back-line which included former Sky Blue Dominic Hyam.

Injury-plagued Coventry skipper Liam Kelly hobbled off 25 minutes into the contest and was replaced by Brighton loanee Ayari, who could have opened the scoring immediately for the hosts.

He was picked out in acres of space in the box by Jay Dasilva, but scuffed his effort.

Coventry rattled the crossbar for the first time merely 30 seconds after the restart when Sweden international Ayari cut back for Godden, but the Sky Blues’ top scorer could only lift his effort against the woodwork from close range.

Blackburn had the ball in the net shortly after as Brighton loanee Andrew Moran celebrated what would have been his first career goal to a chorus of boos from the home crowd.

However, after consulting his assistant, referee Jeremy Simpson deemed Moran had fouled goalkeeper Wilson by kicking the ball out of his hands and tapping home, keeping things all square.

The goal in front of the traveling support was living a charmed life as Thomas was next to hit the woodwork, latching onto an out-swinging corner and firing his effort against Leopold Wahlstedt’s crossbar.

Substitute Arnor Sigurdsson should have ended Coventry’s unbeaten home record when he found himself through on goal with two for company, but his tame effort was straight at the chest of the Sky Blues stopper.

But on 85 minutes Coventry got the luck they felt they had deserved.

Ayari’s effort rebounded off the crossbar before the Sky Blues’ record signing nodded home to secure Coventry’s second home win of the season.

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.