MARK Robins was grateful for the stroke of fortune which put his side on the way to a 2-1 victory at Oxford United.

Scoring goals has been the big issue this season for Coventry City, who came into the game at the Kassam Stadium having netted just three times in six Sky Bet League One matches.

They rarely stretched the U’s in the opening hour of the game, but the deadlock was broken when Jordan Shipley’s shot took a deflection off John Mousinho just after the hour mark.

It wrong-footed goalkeeper Jonathan Mitchell, who appeared to have the effort covered, with the ball flying into the net.

Robins felt it was always going to take something out of the ordinary to open the game up.

The City boss said: “It was tight, really tight. There wasn’t a great deal in it and I thought we just edged it.

“We got a bit of luck, Shippers got himself in a great position and he got a shot away that’s taken a deflection and it’s gone in.

“That’s what you’re looking for when you’ve not scored too many goals, something to get you up and running.”

“Oxford are a good team,” he added.

“They’ve had a decent run of results and everyone has been talking about them turning the corner.

“It’s always a tough place to come.”