Coventry City suffered a damaging defeat this weekend as struggling Oxford bagged a surprise 1-0 win at the Ricoh Arena, but Mark Robins was still full of praise for one of his players.

20-year-old Luke Thomas, currently on loan from Derby County, was denied twice by the Oxford keeper. That's a pattern Robins has seen all season, but he was still effusive in his assessment of his young star.

He even believes he could have eclipsed last season's leading scorer, 28-goal Marc McNulty, had he taken the chances he's had this season.

“He has just got to keep getting himself into those positions but just don’t shy away from it,” Robins told the Coventry Telegraph. “He has got into those positions all season and if truth be told he could easily be on 30 goals."

“He’s had a lot of good opportunities but hasn’t quite taken enough of them, but he’s young. When he finally unlocks it with his brain he will unlock a terrific player because he works his socks off and gets into great positions."

Thomas has got just four goals all season, the last of which came on January 12th against Wimbledon.

Saturday's defeat was a blow for the Sky Blues, who were looking to elevate themselves into the top six. Their defeat meant they missed that opportunity, although they're only two points behind Peterborough in the final play-off spot.

The Verdict

I'm not sure Thomas could have had 30 goals, although he has had 92 shots according to the data on ESPN.

He's a young player who will add attributes to his game as he develops, but he's certainly impressed for the Sky Blues even if he hasn't scored as many as he should.

He's been a driving force behind their climb up the table and he could have a big role to play at Derby next season.