COVENTRY 2 CITY 0

FORGET Good Friday. This was Black Friday for City as relegation back to League Two was confirmed.

After six years away, the Bantams once more face a fixture list featuring the names of Cheltenham, Crawley and Stevenage.

No trips to the likes of Sunderland or Coventry after the Sky Blues effectively turned out the lights by inflicting a seventh-straight defeat.

With the early kick-off time, it almost seemed fitting in this mess of a campaign that City only officially learned their fate on the team bus back to Yorkshire. Draws later on for Scunthorpe and Southend finished the job.

But the damage had not been done in the glorious Warwickshire sunshine – it was just down the road at Walsall; at Gillingham; at home to Wycombe; at home to Doncaster; at home to Blackpool. The list is depressingly endless.

The Coventry music man mischievously played “The Last Waltz” as the teams warmed up before kick-off but City had disappeared from the dance floor long ago.

They have been out of step since the hotch-potch recruitment policy of last summer. A season where they have performed for the majority with two left feet has been the inevitable consequence.

Gary Bowyer is as keen as the rest of us to fast-forward through the remaining three games and begin the much-needed summer overhaul.

Bowyer has tried to mix things up in recent weeks – some might call it rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

This time he made a big call in goal where Richard O’Donnell’s ever-present league record bit the dust. Ben Wilson got his third outing and did OK to be fair – he could not be fingered for either Coventry goal.

There was also a shuffle in formation as Anthony O’Connor’s return meant a switch to three centre halves at the back – until just before half-time anyway when Nathaniel Knight-Percival was sent packing.

Lewis O’Brien should have put City in front inside two minutes after Coventry keeper Lee Burge and defender Dominic Hyam got in a mess dealing with Connor Wood’s low cross.

The ball popped loose to the midfielder but he failed to lift his shot at the inviting net and Tom Davies made a sliding block.

There were shades of Bristol Rovers last week as City made the early running – but then succumbed to the first goal after 10 minutes.

Jordy Hiwula had scored the Bantams’ opener on their last visit in 2017 when Coventry were going down.

Mark Robins was making his debut in the Sky Blues dug-out that day but the tables were completely reversed for the manager’s 100th league game in charge.

Hiwula, now Coventry’s top scorer, picked up Liam Kelly’s pass, cut into the box and fired past Wilson to leave his former club teetering.

Coventry almost had another within a minute as Luke Thomas burst away but the keeper just about stopped him at the near post.

Sean Scannell’s return has provided a flicker of hope in these desperate times and the winger fashioned a response with a powerful drive that Burge did well to tip round his post.

But Coventry were straight back up the other end to rattle Wilson’s woodwork through Bright Enobakhare as a chorus of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” rang out from the travelling fans.

Scannell’s efforts could not be questioned and the winger carved another glorious chance for O’Brien. But a heavy touch from the winger’s cutback in the box spoiled the opportunity and he could only fire straight at Burge.

The Bantams had managed five shots on target in the opening half hour and Scannell continued to look a threat going forward showing a willingness to run at defenders and take them on. He forced a succession of corners, none of which came to anything.

Hiwula clearly fancied his chances of adding to his early goal as half-time approached and chested down a deep cross before getting off a shot that Wilson smothered.

But City’s woes continued as they were reduced to 10 men before the break. Referee Lee Swabey punished Knight-Percival for blocking off Amadou Bakayoko off the ball with a second yellow card and he was on his way.

It was City’s sixth red card of the season and the central defender’s second – I’d be surprised to see him involved again.

George Miller, who was controversially dismissed when the sides met at Valley Parade in October, replaced the anonymous Eoin Doyle for the second half.

But it was Coventry who were a whisker away from scoring again after Thomas nicked the ball away from Anthony O’Connor in the City box. Enobakhare’s clever back heel found Hiwula unmarked but he somehow failed to hit the target and shot inches wide.

As Coventry’s pressure increased, Wilson denied Hiwula again before clutching a close-range header by Bakayoko.

The home fans were content to belt out protest songs against hated club owners SISU and landlords Wasps as they face the prospect of another nomadic spell on the road.

There is no such doubt about where City are heading next season and the travelling support sat in stony silence as their team’s fate was settled.

Coventry continued to knock on the door. Conor Chaplin, Hiwula again and 18-year-old defender Sam McCallum all went close to increasing their advantage.

But the 10 men suddenly had a great opportunity of their own as Anthony O’Connor’s headed down a corner into the path of sub Jermaine Anderson looked to be creeping in – only for Davies to clear off the line.

By now, Paudie O’Connor had become the seventh different player to wear the captain’s armband. But there was no rescuing this ship from sinking.

Danny Devine prevented further punishment with a superb goalline block to thwart Dominic Hyam before Davies lashed the rebound over the City bar.

A second Coventry goal had been coming though and Enobakhare lashed home from 10 yards from Kelly’s pass. But again it had been too easy.

Miller had one last chance for a consolation with the final attack of the game but fired high and wide – it was an appropriate epitaph.