Coventry City have suffered an injury blow to Ben Sheaf ahead of their clash with Ipswich Town, which could damage Leeds United’s chances of automatic promotion
Ben Sheaf, a midfielder for Coventry City, sustained a serious injury before to their Tuesday night matchup against Ipswich Town.
Kieran McKenna’s club and Leeds United are now tied for points in the Championship standings. Both teams are vying for a spot in the top two and automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Despite their terrible 4-0 loss to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, the Whites are still in second place after Ipswich and Hull City were held to a 3-3 tie.
Leeds’ goal differential edge of plus-seven separates the two teams, although Ipswich still has a game in hand—they take on Coventry on Tuesday night. The last weekend of the season will see Leeds entertain Southampton at Elland Road and Ipswich host Huddersfield Town.
Before the match at the Coventry Building Society Stadium, Sky Blues manager Mark Robins disclosed a significant injury setback for his team. Sheaf, a crucial midfield player, was forced to miss the team’s most recent 0-0 tie against Blackburn Rovers. Following the match, his manager gave an update on his fitness.
“He tried to train on Friday but couldn’t, so he was out,” Robins said before he was pushed for more details but was reluctant to reveal specifics regarding the setback. “It’s a muscle in his body,” he added. “I’ll tell you when I need to. I don’t need to talk to you about it yet. He’s struggling.”
center-back The team did not include Luis Binks, as Robins continued, saying, “Binksy is still out with his Achilles issue.” We can’t scan it yet, so I’m not sure how serious it is. It is evident that the two of them were having difficulty; we simply need to address his symptoms and monitor his progress.
During the tie, defenseman Liam Kitching was also given a straight red card and will miss the next weekend’s match against Ipswich due to suspension. With just two healthy center backs available to play against McKenna’s team, Robins’ chances of supporting Leeds in the fight for automatic promotion may be significantly diminished.
