Five years ago Gordon Strachan lost his first game as Sky Blues manager in the Worthington Cup.

Roland Nilsson avoided the same fate by the narrowest of margins and at last stopped the rot which had set in at the club this season.

Coventry should overcome a Division Two mid-table side like Peterborough but these are not ordinary times and any victory will be gratefully grasped however streaky.

Nilsson made four changes from the side which had lost so disappointingly on Saturday, although three of them were enforced through injury.

Julian Joachim partnered Lee Hughes for the first time this season and Youseff Safri was given a debut in midfield and performed well.

The Sky Blues had the better of a well meaning, but poor quality first half. David Thompson went close early on while Lee Hughes saw three good chances go begging.

The clearest opportunity came at the stroke of half time when he ran on to a pass from Thompson and found himself in masses of space. He probably didn’t realise quite how much time he had and tried to lob Mark Tyler but sent his effort over the bar.

In the final seconds of the first period he also bulleted a header just wide after a fine Thomspon cross.

They finally got it just right 10 minutes into the second half when Thompson finished with the side of his foot after Lee Hughes had headed a Marcus Hall cross back across goal.

Peterborough, however, showed their pluckiness throughout and within a minute they were level when Richard Forsyth’s persistence paid off and he was able to shoot in past Magnus Hedman.

The other clear cut chance also came Coventry’s way when Gary Breen struck woodwork from a Lee Carsley corner just after the hour. Extra time looked a certainty until, with just four minutes left, Magnus Hedman tried to punch a Tom Williams corner out from his six yard area and directed it into the back of Marcus Hall. He was helpless as the ball bounced back and across the line.

Memories of Saturday’s defeat came flooding back but, to their credit, Coventry went right back on to the attack and in the dying seconds Carsley was able to ram the ball home after a lay-off from sub Jay Bothroyd.

Extra time belonged to City, and penalties would not have been needed but for the skill of keeper Tyler who denied Thompson and Joachim.

Thompson, Hughes and Bothroyd hit the first three penalties as the home side managed just one. Then, for some reason, Hedman took a spot kick and totally fluffed it. That gave Boro hope but Carsley extinguished it in emphatic style.

It is a win and that is the only thing Nilsson needed from his first game.

PETERBOROUGH (4-4-2):
Tyler; Joseph, Edwards, Rea, MacDonald (Williams 13); Danielson (Green 76), Bullard, Forsyth, Farrell; Fenn (Clarke 66), McKenzie
Subs not used: Connor, Cullen

COVENTRY CITY (4-4-2):
Hedman; Nilsson (Shaw 90), Breen, Konjic, Hall; Thompson, Carsley, Safri, Quinn (Bothroyd 71), Joachim, Hughes
Subs not used: Delorge, Goram, Strachan

GOALS: Thompson (55), Forsyth (56), Hall (86, og), Carsley (90)

REFEREE: ?

BOOKINGS:
Peterborough - Joseph (foul 20), Rae (foul 104)
Coventry - Thompson (foul 9), Safri (foul 12), Joachim (foul 117), Carsley (foul 119)

ATTENDANCE: 5,729

COVENTRY MAN OF THE MATCH:  Lee Carsley - vital intervention