CHRIS Coleman is hoping Coventry's luck in front of goal turns for what he describes as tomorrow's "monster" game at St Mary's.

Since Coleman took charge at the Ricoh Arena, he has done a decent job of the shoring up the defence, the Sky Blues having kept six consecutive clean sheets at home.

But it's eight successive league defeats away from home and goals being hard to come by - only three in those eight games and two of them were penalties.

Coleman, who was Saints fans' favourite to replace George Burley when the latter left for Scotland back in January, said: "This is an absolute monster.

"I love the big games and maybe this is for the wrong reasons being at the wrong end of the table.

"They have just come off the back of a 5-0 hammering and we have got to go there and be mean defensively and improve away from home.

"The performance at Sheffield United (City lost 2- 1 a fortnight ago) was good but we never won, so somehow we have got to play well and win.

"Our home performances have been very good with two wins and two draws, but we have got to improve our away form and that has to start tomorrow.

"I am sick of coaches coming in to me after the games and saying, I can't believe we got a point'. I don't want to hear that. I want to see coaches with long faces saying we played well and deserved it.

"We need to be killing teams off because in the four home games (since Coleman replaced Iain Dowie) we should have had 12 points.

"The performances deserve 12 but we haven't put away our chances.

"We have had four clean sheets (at home) and that's not putting extra pressure on the strikers because they know, and we know, that we have got to be doing better in front of goal.

"It is as simple as that. If we are to get out of the position we are in then it needs to improve."

Coleman is wary of the threat posed by former Sky Blues favourite Stern John, Saints' leading marksman with 16 league goals.

"Stern has scored a lot of goals for them but it is going to be quite nerve wracking for them because they are at home after a hammering, especially if the game is tight," he said.

"If one or two passes go astray, we have to capitalise on that. We are prepared 100 per cent and go down there with a good mindset and mentality.

"We have a lot of bodies in that last attacking third. The system is OK but we are just a bit shy in front of goal and lost a bit of confidence at the worst time because we are in a relegation dogfight," added Coleman.

"That can only come back when someone wants to take the bull by the horns and put the ball in the back of the net.

"I don't care how they do it, but I am convinced that when we do that and get another three points and some confidence we will go on and get the points we need."