Coventry City have been handed an injury boost ahead of their clash with Sunderland on Saturday after Jamie Allen made a major step towards a return to first-team action last night.

The midfielder, who joined the Sky Blues for an undisclosed fee from Burton Albion in June, featured in the club's 3-0 defeat to Nuneaton Borough in the Birmingham Senior Cup.

Having started the game for Coventry, Allen was eventually substituted in the 61st minute with Jack Burroughs being brought on as a replacement.

According to the Coventry Telegraph, the midfielder emerged unscathed from the clash and is now edging ever closer to being able to make his first-team debut for the Sky Blues after missing the start of the season due to a thigh injury.

In Allen's absence, Coventry have kicked off the 2019/20 campaign in style under the guidance of manager Mark Robins.

Currently third in the League One standings, the Sky Blues will be aiming to launch a sustained push for a top-six finish over the coming months.

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Set to face Sunderland on Saturday, Coventry could close the gap between them and the automatic promotion places by securing all three points at the Stadium of Light.

In their most recent clash with the Black Cats in April, the Sky Blues secured a dramatic 5-4 victory on their travels thanks to goals from Bright Enobakhare, Amadou Bakayoko, Jordy Hiwula, Jordan Shipley and Conor Chaplin.

The Verdict

Having provided 8 direct goal contributions in League One last season for Burton, Jamie Allen will be determined to replicate this success when he finally makes his bow for Coventry.

Given that he is slowly building up his match fitness, it would not be at all surprising if the midfielder is called upon by Robins during the upcoming Christmas period.

Providing that Allen hits the ground running at St Andrew's, he could end up playing a key role in helping the Sky Blues achieve a relative amount of success during the remainder of the 2019/20 campaign.