By Tony Leighton

Crunch time is approaching for Coventry City as the npower Championship's bottom club battles to avoid dropping down to the third tier of the English League system for what would be the first time in almost half a century.

After 48 seasons in the top two divisions the Sky Blues are in a precarious position, seven points below the safety places with just 22 points from 28 games and probably needing to accrue well over double that points tally in their remaining 18 outings to ensure that they retain their Championship status.

It's a tall order, but Coventry-born winger Gary McSheffrey - who last season returned to the club where he started his career after four years with Birmingham City - is convinced that his home-town team can indeed escape the drop.

The Sky Blues have won their last three home League games and aim to make it four in a row at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday, when they entertain an Ipswich Town team that have lost their last three away League games - though on Tuesday they collected a shock 5-1 home win against table toppers West Ham United.

McSheffrey, whose team lost at Blackpool in midweek, said: "We've had a few knockbacks this season, but we've responded well in the last few weeks and I'm sure we can do it again - we'll just go out on Saturday and get on with the job.

"Ipswich had a great win the other night and they'll have massive confidence from that, but we've had some great wins at home recently and Ipswich will know it's going to be a tough game for them.

"Once you get that lift [of winning games] it gives you such a boost of confidence - and that's the key word. It makes your adrenalin flow, you play with more energy and with a huge amount of determination.

"It's live or die, and a couple of wins get you that confidence to keep that level of play up - and I really do think that whoever is coming to the Ricoh from now on won't be confident of winning."

Home results will almost certainly be the key to survival for Coventry, who have the dreadful away record of no wins and only three points from 14 games on their travels.

McSheffrey added: "We feel that our home form can be the difference of getting out of the position we're in. The teams that we've got to play at the Ricoh (include) everyone who's involved in it, so if we beat those teams we're going to claw back three points off them all.

"We do need results to go our way, but at the same time it could be in our own hands if we beat the teams we need to beat."