McAllister's enduring class puts City back on track

Coventry 3 Derby County

Coventry supporters were overdue a pay-back after witnessing only one win in seven home matches before last night, but would have happily settled for three points without the generous slice of seasonal entertainment served up at Highfield Road.

Unlucky Derby were far from outplayed in a contest of two closely matched rivals but had no answer to the triple helping of high quality goals that gave Coventry their decisive edge.

The first two – from the cultured feet of Gary McAllister and Craig Hignett – were of the highest quality, lighting up a first half shaded, ironically, by the visitors, who still see themselves as play-off contenders despite their current mid-table berth. The third, superbly set up by Hignett and finished crisply by Jay Bothroyd, made certain Derby would go home empty-handed.

Coventry, equally, believe they are good enough to aim for a top-six finish and so long as player-manager McAllister maintains his fitness and enthusiasm they cannot be discounted, especially if the veteran former Scotland captain keeps up his impressive scoring rate.

The superb volley with which he gave his side a 30th-minute lead means he will celebrate his 38th birthday on Christmas day with eight goals to his name so far this season, although it is hard to imagine he will score one to better this one, delivered with such brilliant technique from 25 yards out that it looped over goalkeeper Lee Grant and then dipped under the bar just as it seemed it was going over.

It was tough luck on Derby's Warren Barton, whose attempted clearing header could have fallen more invitingly for McAllister. Five minutes later, however, it was clear that the ball was bouncing kindly for Coventry when Chris Riggott teed up Hignett for a strike that was almost as sensational.

Riggott's header at the edge of the Derby box sat up perfectly for Hignett to deliver a stunning volley that flew into the top right-hand corner off the underside of the bar with poor Grant left helpless a second time.

By this time Derby had seen a header by Riggott at the other end scooped off the line by Barry Quinn, a Craig Burley free-kick flash just wide and a seemingly goal-bound flick by Lee Morris palmed away magnificently by Coventry goalkeeper Morten Hyldgaard. Clearly it was not their night.

Derby began the second half still evidently believing they might stage a comeback and had Malcolm Christie's 49th-minute effort not been ruled out for offside might have done so. Instead, when Bothroyd drove home Coventry's third from Hignett's measured pass after 54 minutes they effectively gave up the ghost.