Can Arsenal Loanee Ben Sheaf Help Coventry Stave Off Championship Relegation?
Ben Sheaf has made just two substitute appearances for the Arsenal first team in the Europa League and EFL Cup, so Gunners fans can be forgiven for not having him on their radar. He has spent this season out on loan once again with Championship strugglers Coventry City.
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After similar spells in the lower leagues with first Stevenage and then Doncaster Rovers, Sheaf has got vital experience and regular senior football at the third and second-tier level. A holding midfielder capped by England up to the Under-18s, he has played under Sky Blues boss Mark Robins who has taken the West Midlands outfit back from the brink.
Shortly after beginning his second spell at Coventry in the spring of 2017, the club dropped into League Two. Robins guided the side to two promotions in three subsequent seasons, however, putting the Sky Blues in a position where Arsenal was prepared to loan the likes of Sheaf out to them.
This must be something of a unique experience. Coventry has made Birmingham City’s ground, St Andrew’s, their temporary home. The Sky Blues will return to the Ricoh Arena, which they moved to from Highfield Road initially in 2005, from next season after signing a 10-year contract with stadium owners and rugby union club Wasps.
Championship football has been tough for Robins’s side. After 37 games of the campaign, Coventry has won less than a quarter of their league matches but drawn almost a third. Teams in and around them in the scrap for survival have lost more games than the Sky Blues.
Best of luck with @Coventry_City this season, @BenSheaf_ 🤝 https://t.co/6p2kDpmBt8
— Arsenal Academy (@ArsenalAcademy) September 4, 2020
In fact, only Stoke City and Millwall – established clubs at this level – have more draws than Coventry going into the run-in period of the last nine games. Although scoring goals has been an issue for the Sky Blues, there are five sides with worse defensive records in the division.
Sheaf has played in some notable Coventry performances, including victories over play-off chasing Reading, Cardiff City and Brentford. He also lasted an hour against runaway Championship leaders Norwich City in a famous 1-1 draw at Carrow Road back in November.
It’s clear that, on their day, the Sky Blues are capable of getting big results and that stands them in good stead in their survival bid. According to the latest Championship betting on relegation with bet365, Coventry is 4/1 to go down. With the Championship on the last leg, only time will tell what happens next.
There are enough winnable games on paper in their remaining fixtures, which Sheaf should be involved with provided he stays fit, for Robins to keep his side up. Even in the hectic, helter-skelter world of football, going from dropping into League Two to preserving Championship status in the space of four years looks quite remarkable.
Sheaf’s wild ride at Coventry contrasts sharply with another Arsenal loanee sent out to this level. Gunners full-back Jordi Osei-Tutu has spent five months of his spell at Cardiff City sidelined by a serious hamstring injury, but now looks ready to make a return for the run-in and bolster the Bluebirds’ bid for a play-off place.
