Coventry City 0 Sheffield United 0: Simonsen lauded after keeping clean sheet to earn Blades point

The Sky Blues dominated, mustering 17 corners and 21 attempts on goal compared to the Blades' six and four respectively.

However, Simonsen was there time and again to deny them and Gary McSheffrey hit the bar twice with free-kicks and blazed over a late chance.

Blades boss Adams admitted his side had enjoyed good fortune but was delighted with the overall defensive display.

Adams said: "We rode our luck at times but in terms of defending, when we had to we were excellent, particularly from corners and free-kicks and especially in the first half.

"In the second half I thought we came into the game a little bit and probably had the best chance of the game to nick it – and it would have been nicking it, to be fair.

"I was delighted Steve Simonsen kept a clean sheet because it is demoralising for a keeper to keep seeing the ball in the back of the net."

Despite failing to win any of his first four games in charge Adams believes United, who are a place and two points clear of the Championship relegation zone, can stay up.

He added: "We need to grind out results. It isn't going to be pretty between now and the end of the season but I have seen enough of this group to say that we're good enough to stay in the division."

His opposite number Ady Boothroyd said: "I think we have provided fantastic entertainment and created numerous chances – enough chances to win five games – and we played very well but we didn't take the chances.

"I think we mixed our game up well. We created loads of chances and their goalkeeper was their best player. We also hit the bar two or three times – I lost count in the end.

"We asked a lot of questions of them and they had to defend for their lives because they didn't have much of the game."

On his side's winless league run, which has now been stretched to seven games, Boothroyd added: "I'm getting all our players back from injury. Obviously I'm disappointed with the result but I'm really pleased with how things are going.

"The first thing you look at is each other's results and the league table but I think my job is bigger than that."

Coventry City: Westwood, Keogh, Cranie, Wood, O'Halloran, Baker, Gunnarsson, Doyle, McSheffrey, Eastwood, Jutkiewicz (Platt 86). Unused substitutes: Ireland, Clingan, Bell, Clarke, O'Donovan, Cameron.

Sheffield United: Simonsen, Parrino, Bartley, Ertl (Cresswell 77), Mattock, Williamson (Britton 84), Montgomery, Quinn, Lowry, Ward (Bogdanovic 77), Evans. Unused substitutes: Long, Yeates, Kozluk, Lowton.

Referee: C Webster (Tyne & Wear).

Man of the match: S Simonsen.