Differing opinions of Thorn and Cotterill

Last updated : 13 April 2011 By Covsupport News service/RD

Speaking to the press after Coventry City 's impressive 3-0 away win at Portsmouth last night, the two opposing managers had differing opinions on the game.

While Thorn was delighted with the result and his players, his opposite number, the Pompey boss Steve Cotterill was left fuming.

The win lifts City to 17th place, 12 points clear of the relegation zone and although not mathematically safe from relegation, it would take a spectacular collapse from the Sky Blues and an equally spectacular rise in fortunes of those club in the bottom three to see City relegated.

Thorn was pleased with the performance and with his players and said, "It had been coming, and we had a lot more steel about us. Portsmouth are a good, strong side and we stood up to them. We needed men and we got everything."

"Everybody was fantastic. We've had four away games out of five now and we've acquitted ourselves really well. It's time to go home and put a show on for our fans now."

With is win added to the draw at derby and the win  over Watford last week, Thorn is pushing his side to finish as high as possible in the Championship table.

He continued, "When we came in after my first game at Burnley, I said we're going to believe in the way we play and we're going to believe in the players. If we keep doing the right things, we will pick up the points we need to climb the table.

"No one wants to be looking down. We want to be going up. We have five games left and we want to be kicking on now and going on a run we can take to the end of the season and into next."

Cotterill was left to rue his sides missed chances and resorted to the old tactic of complaining about the referee.

His side conceded two penalties, one for a Rocha foul on McSheffrey and one for a deliberate handball which saw the culprit Mullins sent off.

Cotterill fumed, "There was no way we should have lost that game 3-0. But there was one obstacle we couldn't overcome, and it wasn't Coventry City. It's very difficult."

"It's bad enough when you don't get one or two decisions, but when they come as thick and fast as that, it's very, very difficult for players not to get frustrated."

"(The Mullins incident) was not a penalty. It hit Hayden Mullins absolutely square on the thigh. It was belted at him, it hit him on the thigh and then it hit him on the hand. There is no way that is a penalty and a sending off. We will be appealing that very strongly with, I think, a rock-solid case."

"If anyone gets an opportunity, look at it on slow-mo or on Sky and you will see that should never have been a penalty."

He continued,  "Unfortunately it will say in tomorrow's papers Portsmouth 0 Coventry 3 and that's all anyone will be interested in.

"I would be absolutely delighted and rubbing my hands if I was Andy Thorn on the way home. He will be loving it because he knows 3-0 flatters them."