On a day when the attendance of 1,501 was slightly above the season's average and the local BBC station offered full match commentary increasing the club's profile, Coventry managed to blow it.
From a first half of almost total control - Cov contrived to lose an eminently winnable game. And how.
Leading 17-8 at the break, Coventry were cruising. Three first-half tries - all from their forwards, including lock Oliver Hodge's maiden try on four minutes, seemed to have earned a match-winning platform.
Coventry showed a sense of adventure at the start of the game. Fly half Myles Dorrian spurned a kickable 30-metre penalty and instead opted for a catch and drive that led to Hodge breaking free from the maul for the unconverted try.
Newbury dragged themselves back into the game and laid siege to the Coventry line. Only solid tackling kept the visitors at bay but eventually flanker Doug Abbott finished off Newbury's replication of Coventry's try. Tim Walsh took a penalty kick which led to a catch and a drive before Abbot claimed the try. Walsh was off target with the conversion attempt.
No 8 Laurence McGlone's fourth try in as many matches - the Kiwi enjoying a fine run after a slow beginning - on 29 minutes was added to by flanker Henno Venter on 36, another catch and drive after a close-range penalty, while Ben Russell converted McGlone's try. Tim Walsh's 40-metre penalty just before the break seemed to be little more than a consolation effort.
How displaced such confidence proved, however. Newbury's replacement at the break was flanker Isao Damudamu for hand-injury victim Sebastian Perks. Damudamu's arrival re-invigorated the visitors.
Walsh, now playing with whatever wind advantage there was, missed a 42nd-minute penalty before Coventry pressed the self-destruct button four minutes later. Having been awarded a scrum on their own 22, control and calm should have been the message.
Instead the ball squirted out the back of the scrum at a rate of knots, Newbury flanker Chris Morgan snapped it up and advanced to just stretch and plant the ball over the line.
Walsh converted then crafted a try on 52 minutes by easing through Coventry's soft centre to set up Damudamu to cross. Walsh converted to give Newbury the lead for the first time. They were not to lose it.
Even the yellow card for Morgan on 63 minutes - Morgan transgressing offside at a ruck once too often as Coventry hit back - failed to swing the game back Coventry's way. Coventry were kept at arm's length and rarely threatened to wrest the game back.
Coventry's Kurt Johnson said: "We played well in the first half to lead 17-8 but it didn't quite happen in the second half, not through a lack of trying, we just didn't seem to be able to put any points on the board.
"Getting the three tries in the first half, we really wanted to go for the jugular in the second half. We really wanted to go for the fourth try which would have given us a bonus point, but it just didn't happen. On reflection maybe we should have gone for the three points and kicks when they were on offer."
