DAVID Hopkin cursed City’s shortcomings in both penalty areas as a home loss to Rochdale dropped them to second-from-bottom in League One.

Rochdale won 2-0 with two late penalties from Ian Henderson – but the Bantams blew several gilt-edged scoring chances.

George Miller had most of them, missing a one-on-one just two minutes before Rochdale’s opening goal, and Anthony O’Connor put a late header over the bar.

Hopkin said: “It’s what you do in both boxes.

“Most managers will tell you that what goes on between each box is irrelevant. It’s how you get there and how you’re going to do it.

“I don’t think there was much in the game for 80 odd minutes. Both sides were cancelling each other out.

“We then conceded a very soft penalty. You can’t let players pick the ball up and run 10 yards at your three centre halves.

“Before you know it, you give the referee an opportunity.

“Then the second one was just one of those when you’re chasing the game and you give the ball away.

“But sometimes you’ve got to do better with the chances.

“We’ve been one-on-one (with the keeper), we’ve had a free header, we’ve had shots at goal.

“If you’re not taking them and you’re giving away penalties at the other end, you’re not going to get the result.”

To add to City’s problems, defender Kelvin Mellor was stretchered off with a broken bone in his foot after 15 minutes.

Coventry visit Valley Parade on Tuesday and Hopkin admitted: "It's another massive game and I've got get the players lifted for that."