Coventry 7 Plymouth Albion 13

Coventry's season continues to self destruct at an alarming rate leaving a post match dressing room of deep despondency as they fail to overcome a robust and well-drilled Plymouth side who claimed their first away win of the season.

For a side in such a precarious position before the game - they were third from bottom - the first half must have been an intense disappointment for the Coventry coaching staff and their supporters.

Plymouth started the stronger and established a supremacy they barely looked like losing. Coventry in that first half were awful. Passes in good position went to ground and players in position lost control at crucial times.

Plymouth were not much better than Coventry but they defended to a man and made Coventry work for every yard gained.

Argentinian flanker Martin Schusterman looked a yard quicker than any Coventry forward and was eager to take the ball on at every opportunity.

Schusterman's try in first half injury time was just reward for his work the Argentine crossing wide out after good work by centre Keni Fisilau.

Plymouth's clinching try on 73 minutes a typical modern day tactic of a close range line-out from a penalty kick, Albion marshalled by coach Graham Dawe a few minutes earlier, leaving Captain Danny Thomas claiming the close range try.

Lock Ben Gulliver showed the way for Cov on 50 minutes as he stretched over the line to claim the only Coventry try, James Moore converting.

At least Coventry finished strongly, during the ten minutes of second half injury time, the game almost finishing after sunset, Cov had four close-in penalty line-outs. Sadly for Coventry each throw from Coventry hooker Maafu Pale went to a Plymouth player, lock Tom Hayes claiming three of the throws.

It was a game that could ended in a Coventry win but whether that would have been deserved is open to debate.

Second half replacement Kurt Johnson came on to a big cheer on his 150th Coventry appearance summed up the game honestly.

"We didn't get any points in the first half and that really turned around at half time. Without scoring any points in the first half it wasn't good enough. If we had scored then we wouldn't be looking at another defeat."

Johnson continued: " Plymouth played very well for the first 20 minutes they started very brightly and had all the possession.

"We had to get some points on the board early in the second half. We can take a positive from a bonus point but it's six defeats in the first part of the season and we are running out of excuses now."

The season is starting to look very difficult for Coventry and with trips to Newbury, twice, once in the league and once in the cup, and then to improving Nottingham.

Matters are beginning to assume crisis proportions and very soon a battle against relegation could be all that's left for Coventry after a preseason of promise.