Coventry City: Sky Blues need ‘grit’ to end tough start, says Ben Sheaf

The match at Elland Road was Sheaf’s first start since the final game of last season following an ankle injury and, after playing just over an hour, the midfielder said he “felt good physically” but knows match-fitness “is going to take a little bit of time”.

“I’m happy to be out there, it’s been a frustrating time for me personally,” he said.

Sheaf also knows now he is back in the fold, his role as skipper – along with that of the other senior players in the squad – is key to City finding their form to ease pressure on boss Mark Robins.

“We had a good chat after the game – some positive bits came out of it,” Sheaf said.

“We need to remember we do this because we love it. The gaffer said ‘it’s a Saturday afternoon, what do you want to be doing?’

“The games are going to get tough – that’s when you want to dig deep and relish those moments.

“We need to fit a bit more grit and more quality on the ball. There’s lots of things we can do better.”