Coventry City 3 Sheffield United 2: Morgan is backing Clough to be success if he lands Blades post

The Blades had shown all the old failings which leave them this morning bottom of League One with just one win all season.

Two goals from Leon Clarke and a predatory strike from Callum Wilson had Coventry 3-0 up on 48 minutes.

But United, galvanised by some harsh half-time words from caretaker-manager Chris Morgan and the introduction of substitutes Ryan Hall, Stephen McGinn and Lyle Taylor – the latter with two goals to open his Blades account – were unlucky not to snatch what would have been a deserved point.

It all leaves the new manager, due to be announced within the next 48 hours, with plenty to work with as the Blades showed there is fire in their stomachs despite their wretched run.

Clough is the clear favourite for the job and afterwards Morgan said: “We have got to step feeling sorry for ourselves, there will be a new manager in next week.

“I have heard a lot of names bandied around, one in particular, but if it is Nigel, he will come in and have the fantastic foundation of a football club to work with.

“It’s a good job to be coming into. I am not sure of the timescale. From the club’s point of view I am sure they want to get the new man in as quickly as possible. A new manager would want to come in and work with boys for a few days.”

Yesterday, there were surprise inclusions of England Under-21 goalkeeper George Long and Jamaica striker Marlon King, who had been expected to miss the game due to international duties.

Also back in the starting XI was Ryan Flynn, with on-loan left-back Simon Lappin dropping to the bench.

The match kicked off against the backdrop of 100 Coventry fans protesting on the hillside overlooking their temporary Sixfields home.

Whether they got much of a view of Coventry’s opening goal was debatable.

Blair Adams drove down the left flank and picked out Leon Clarke, whose sidefooted volley bounced beyond the despairing Long.

It was such a soft goal to give away and indicative of the Blades’ season so far.

King, playing up front with Jose Baxter, headed wide as United tried to respond quicklym but Coventry goalkeeper Joe Murphy was untroubled.

Pacy winger Febian Brandy earned a free-kick just to the left of the penalty box, but Baxter’s free-kick was whipped in and evaded everyone then a poor touch from Flynn saw his dangerous run come to nothing.

How the visitors would have loved the front two of Leon Clarke and Callum Wilson. The latter’s pace was the perfect foil for Clarke’s strength, and with captain Carl Baker providing a succession of chances it was no surprise when the hosts doubled their advantage.

Baker evaded two Blades players on the right-hand corner before picking out top scorer Wilson, who beat Long at his near post.

It should have been 3-0 when Leon Clarke broke the offside trap but failed to test Long, with a weak effort straight at the United goalkeeper.

The Blades had two 25-yard free-kicks from similar positions with which they could have done better. Baxter saw his effort fly wildly over the crossbar, the striker’s last contribution before he was substituted for Taylor with a thigh injury.

King then tried his luck from a set-piece – Andy Webster lucky not to receive a second yellow card – but his low shot was easy fare for Murphy in Coventry’s goal.

Harry Maguire was booked for bringing down Wilson, with the Sky Blues fans calling for a red card, as United finished the first half on the back foot.

The 966 travelling Blades made up nearly half the 2,078 crowd, and they showed gallows humour with chants of ‘We’re not very good’ as the second half kicked off.

Their team appeared to have the desire to live up to that billing as Leon Clarke picked up the ball from Wilson – with defenders standing off – before drilling low from long-range beyond Long.

United were staring at an embarrassing scoreline, but a second-half revival ultimately had the hosts clinging on.

There were ironic cheers from the away end when Brandy was denied by Murphy in a rare United foray in the second half, the winger then popping up with a far-post header.

But the Blades were finally producing sustained pressure with a series of corners. When Conor Coady was hacked down, substitute Lyle Taylor hammered home the resulting free-kick.

If Murphy was at fault for that goal, the Coventry goalkeeper rescued his team moments later when he denied Ryan Flynn from close-range.

There was an urgency now in the visitors which has been seen only rarely this season. Substitute Stephen McGinn delivered the Blades’ fifth corner of the second half and Coady was unmarked, but failed to keep his header on target.

At the other end, Long seemed to be sharing the new feel-good factor in his side as he produced an impressive save to deny rampaging Leon Clarke, who was hunting for his hat-trick.

Coady launched himself at 
Darryl Westlake’s teasing cross, but the midfielder hammered his header over Murphy’s crossbar.

Then McGinn was halted by a superb cover tackle from Aaron Phillips as the 24-year-old Scotsman looked set to shoot.

But the second goal United were threatening finally arrived when Taylor headed home in the 80th minute following a right-wing cross from Ryan Hall.

Six minutes of stoppage time – mainly due to an injury to Murphy in the second half – ensued, the impressive McGinn going close with a header from Hall’s teasing cross.

Leon Clarke skipped beyond Long, but saw his shot headed off the line by Maguire, in a rare Coventry outbreak after a one-sided second half which failed to bring Morgan’s battlers a merited equaliser.