Reflecting on a third consecutive defeat, the manager took consolation from dominating the opening of the match.

"Our two central midfield players - Diego Leon and Brian Howard - were dictating the game, our wide men were involved and our defenders looked secure," he said. "Then they scored against the run of play."

Goals by Freddy Eastwood and Julian Gray brought Coventry a 2-1 in the first game of the season at Oakwell.

Barnsley skipper Brian Howard netted to make it 1-1 before Gray hit a second-half winner.

Barnsley's Iain Hume was sent off.

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Davey added: "We've played three games and we should have won all three.

"The senior players know their luck will change, they know that it can't happen; they can't play that well and keep getting beat."

Coventry boss Chris Coleman backed Barnsley to bounce back.

"Manager Simon Davey has brought some good players to this club. Coming into this game, we knew it was going to be hard," he said.

"In the second half we started better.

"We stopped making individual errors, our passing was better and we are delighted to come here and get three points. Teams will come here and lose points.

"It's always been a difficult place to come. They've got a good record here. Once they've settled they'll be a decent team.",

Davey and Coleman were young players together at Swansea.

"I know Chris very well, he was in the same class as my wife at school," Davey explained.

"When we offered him the match DVD afterwards, he said 'just left me have the second half'."

Hume will serve his one-match suspension next Saturday when Davey takes the team to Birmingham.

Hume is in the Canadian squad to play Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier on Wednesday in Toronto.

n Meanwhile, James Beattie fears he could struggle to win an immediate recall to Sheffield United's starting line-up, despite making remarkable progress in his battle to overcome an injured knee.

Beattie, the former England international who scored 22 goals during his debut season at Bramall Lane, is scheduled to return to full training this week after receiving the all-clear from doctors.

But Kevin Blackwell revealed how Beattie acknowledged he may have to put his ambitions on hold after watching Billy Sharp claim a hat-trick during Saturday's 3-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers.

"Beatts has astounded me with the speed of his recovery," the United manager said. "He's been itching to get involved again and he's due to start doing football work again in the next few days.

"He's been doing lots of fitness routines in the gym. The medical staff examined him and told us that he's ready to join in with us properly.

"I'd written off Beatts until October at the earliest but, at the rate he's going, it could be the end of this month.

"Mind you, he watched the game against QPR and told me afterwards 'The way the rest of the lads are doing, I don't expect to come straight back in'."

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