Coventry City star could miss Sunderland clash because of EFL rule

Coventry City are at risk of losing the services of one of their key players as they prepare to visit Championship leaders Sunderland on Saturday.

The Sky Blues are sat in the bottom half of the Championship table ahead of Wednesday night’s home game against a Derby County side sat level on points with them. However, Mark Robins’ men will go into the game on a bit of a high after they claimed an impressive 3-0 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon. Their cause was helped when Boro midfielder Hayden Hackney received a second yellow card on the midway point of the first-half - but Coventry made the most of their numerical advantage as Brandon Thomas-Asante, Haji Wright and Josh Eccles all found the net at the Riverside Stadium.

Speaking after the game, Sky Blues boss Robins admitted he was concerned that recent results hadn’t matched the performances his players had been producing in recent weeks and praised their attitude on Teesside. He told the Coventry Telegraph: “I’m pleased because it’s been a long time coming, but it’s always been there; the performances have been here but it’s just the results haven’t followed the performances, which gives people a bit of anxiety from time to time. What they did today, regardless of the numbers being reduced early on in the game, was that we started off brilliantly. The game became bitty and there was a bit of tit for tat in there. They were trying to get one of ours sent off, throwing themselves to the floor at every opportunity and the referee was dishing out yellow cards and I was a bit concerned that the numbers would be evened. But I thought we played really well when they had eleven.”

Robins will hope his players can build on their win over Boro when they host Derby on Wednesday - but there is one major concern for the Sky Blues’ boss as one of Saturday’s goalscorers will walk a suspension tightrope during the game. Midfielder Josh Eccles has received four yellow cards so far this season after being cautioned in defeats against Norwich City, Swansea City, Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday earlier in the season. That means Eccles will miss Coventry’s visit to Sunderland on Saturday afternoon if he picks up a fifth yellow card of the season when his side face the Rams.