Sideways Sammy

Tayo Adaramola

Appearances: 1, Minutes Played: 66 Goals: 0, Assists: 0

Just what the reason was for Tayo Adaramola’s loan spell being cut short after just one appearance – in the League Cup, against Bristol City – hasn’t been made entirely clear. Whether the youngster had, or was given, unrealistic expectations of playing time with an established, senior player ahead of him at left wing-back, or he simply struggled to adapt from off-the-pitch on his first spell away from an established support network at Crystal Palace, or for some other reason, has not been made public. In terms of on the pitch, Adaramola cannot be judged for his performance in a game where just about everyone else in Sky Blue struggled. Whether he was ever good enough to provide competition for Jake Bidwell at left wing-back will not be known until his next loan spell, likely to be in this coming season.

Jake Bidwell

Appearances: 50, Minutes Played: 4,308, Goals: 1, Assists: 5

Jake Bidwell entered the campaign with a point to prove, having struggled in the shadow of Ian Maatsen after signing for the club in January. Apart from being caught out for Sunderland’s opening goal in the very first game of last season, Bidwell very quickly ended any discussion over his suitability for the starting spot at left wing-back with a series of sturdy performances, chipping in with the odd assist. Over the course of the season, Jake Bidwell pretty much maintained that level of performance, for better and worse.

The positive with Jake Bidwell’s consistency was that Mark Robins never had to worry about being let down on the left side of the pitch. It was telling that as soon as the season entered crunch mode in its final month, the manager opted for Bidwell at left wing-back over the more exciting Josh Wilson-Esbrand. However, Bidwell rarely hit higher heights than a par level of performance, this was occasionally an issue when the team needed inspiration outside of Viktor Gyokeres or Gustavo Hamer. The pursuit of Jay Dasilva in January, and his subsequent addition early into the summer, indicates that Mark Robins is looking for something more from the left wing-back position than Jake Bidwell is capable of offering.

Jack Burroughs

Appearances: 14, Minutes Played: 602 Goals: 0, Assists: 0

While Jack Burroughs already had a couple of league appearances under his belt for Coventry City, last year felt like a key season for him in determining whether he would make the step up to the first-team. Aided by the premature ending of Tayo Adaramola’s loan deal, as well as other injuries and sup-par performances in the wing-back positions, Burroughs’ ability to cover either side of the pitch proved valuable to Mark Robins over the winter period.

Equally as capable with either foot, that ability to attack in both lateral directions looks to be Jack Burroughs’ biggest asset as a wing-back. A key feature of his attacking play is that desire to cut inside from either wing, which led to some dangerous in-swinging crosses and shots, however, the defensive side of his game needs some refinement, with him being caught out positionally on a few occasions when he got a run in the starting line-up over the winter. Having showed he can compete at Championship level, Burroughs might well feel he was hard done by to have been usurped for first-team opportunities over the second half of the season by two young loan players. After a taste of regular first-team football last season, Jack Burroughs looks like he will have to work even harder for further opportunities over this coming campaign.

Fankaty Dabo

Appearances: 31, Minutes Played: 2,005, Goals: 0, Assists: 2

It is a shame that Fankaty Dabo’s time at Coventry City ended on the low of a penalty miss at Wembley that saw Premier League football slip away from the club. The bigger shame, though, is that his final season was where the impact of persistent injury issues over the past few years became truly apparent. Aside from a couple of performances, Fankaty Dabo never looked like the energetic, positive, thrusting presence at right wing-back that he had been even just a year before. Mark Robins probably has to take a lot of responsibility for that, having rushed Dabo back from injury a few too many times since the club returned to the Championship.

While Fankaty Dabo possesses good control and use of the ball, his physical capacity to thunder past opponents in one-against-one situations on the right flank is a big part of his game that has seemingly been robbed by him due to persistent injuries. Whether Dabo can get back to that level with an extended period of rest and recuperation, only he and any physiotherapist he works with will know. Sadly, it was a pretty straightforward decision from Mark Robins to let Fankaty Dabo go and look to find new players who can provide the team with the pace and running from right wing-back that Dabo previously did in abundance.

Todd Kane

Appearances: 10, Minutes Played: 314, Goals: 0, Assists: 0

As soon as Todd Kane fell out the starting line-up around 18 months ago, there had been little hope of him winning back a starting place. Having looked a decent option at right wing-back with his desire to get the ball into the box as quickly and as often as possible, Kane’s lack of precision with his crossing, shortage of pace to beat opponents in one-against-one situations, and poor effort defensively were a few too many shortcomings to be deemed acceptable for a Championship wing-back.

Used during the first part of last season as an extreme last resort, Todd Kane was sent on loan to Charlton Athletic in League One, where he proceeded to get injured in his very first appearance for the club. Swiftly released by Coventry City in the summer, it seems likely that Kane will be looking for opportunities at a lower level than the Championship for this coming season.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Appearances: 24, Minutes Played: 1,694, Goals: 0, Assists: 0

Brooke Norton-Cuffy struggled to convince for much of his time at Coventry City, even if he ended it fairly strongly. Whether it was a lack of confidence after arriving from an out-of-form and struggling Rotherham United side, or that he needed time to get up to speed with what Mark Robins was demanding from him at right wing-back, Norton-Cuffy was a pretty erratic performer, often struggling defensively and only occasionally making up for that with moments of quality pushing forward.

As Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s loan spell progressed, his level of performance became more reliable but there remained an erratic nature to his game. Defensively, Norton-Cuffy improved with his positioning and commitment in the challenge – aided by having Luke McNally to support behind him – which allowed his key strength in dribbling with the ball to move closer to the foreground. Those mazy, chaotic runs define Norton-Cuffy’s game, but he still needs to be more consistent in producing them and carry more certainty with his final ball, which was basically non-existent during this loan spell. That said, Brooke Norton-Cuffy is still an exceptionally young and inexperienced footballer for whom rough edges are to be expected. Having gone through an awkward bedding-in process at Coventry City over the second half of last season, it seems to make a lot sense to build on that by bringing him back for this new campaign.

Josh Wilson-Esbrand

Appearances: 14, Minutes Played: 736 Goals: 0, Assists: 0

Arriving in January having played for Manchester City in a couple of Champions League games last season, Josh Wilson-Esbrand only showed flashes to back up that reputation. It didn’t help that Wilson-Esbrand had an established senior player, in Jake Bidwell, ahead of him at left wing-back, but the player himself probably could have done more with the opportunities he was provided to have made the position his own. When the pressure was on at the back end of the season, Mark Robins opted for the solidity of Bidwell over the theoretical excitement Wilson-Esbrand promised.

The talent with Josh Wilson-Esbrand was nonetheless apparent, possessing excellent control of the ball and an ability to glide past opponents on the left wing. The frustration with Wilson-Esbrand is that he so often paused after doing good work to get in excellent positions, allowing opportunities to create or score chances pass him by. That may have been down to a lack of confidence, or having to adapt to playing as an overlapping wing-back, versus the inverted full-back role he was taught to play at Manchester City. With another half season under his belt, Wilson-Esbrand may have become the skilful, attacking presence from left wing-back that Mark Robins clearly desired, it is a shame that he arrived at Coventry City a few months too late.