Robins: Spurs made it tough

Mark Robins admits his Coventry team faced an uphill struggle in their FA Cup clash with Tottenham from the moment the hosts' team was announced.

For Sky Blues fans, the White Hart Lane tie was a poignant reminder of one of the greatest days in the club's history - their 1987 Cup final victory over Spurs- although they were unable to pull off such a result on Saturday.

Robins, who played in a Manchester United Cup winning side 23 years ago, said he was well aware of the difficulty of the game with big names in the Tottenham line-up.

"We always knew it would be difficult but it got more difficult when we saw the team sheet," he said.

"When you come to places like this you always hope the team you play against has a bit of a dip and that they take a few liberties, but they didn't.

"Spurs were magnificent today. Scott Parker led it and everyone followed suit. Whenever we got the ball, they were quicker than us and they got it back. It was a shame we didn't get a goal to take some heart from."