COVENTRY CITY'S plight is such that they remain thankful for small mercies. They will unquestionably regard a draw against a team which had won its three previous games as something akin to a significant achievement but, in truth, this was hardly a night for the purists at Goodison Park.

Everton - again without Duncan Ferguson, this time because of injury - and Coventry combined to produce an undistinguished affair, characterised throughout by wretched finishing and poorly channelled efforts.

Coventry do not travel at all well. In fact, they do not do anything particularly well. They started like a team with one eye on an exercise in damage limitation, that is to say: they were scrapping for their lives inside the opening minute.

Mick Barmby's free and unselfish running always seemed likely to be too much for them and with possession came chances, a glut of them. The surprise was that all were missed.

Kevin Richardson, an Everton favourite for a different generation of fans, twice saw thunderous drives from distance fall narrowly wide of the mark.

The opening half had died a slow, painful, almost ugly death when added time yielded the goal which Everton must have feared would never come. Rather controversial it was, too. Although Barmby's shot clearly struck Richardson's arm, it did so only after ricocheting at speed off his hip.

Significantly, the award of a penalty was made not by the referee but by one of his assistants. Graham Stuart scored but, to a man, Coventry continued to protest not only Richardson's innocence but also that their goalkeeper, Steve Ogrizovic, had been impeded in the build up. The argument held more than a little water.

This perceived injustice did little to enhance Coventry's chances of recovery. Their football was even more threadbare, even less convincing after the interval and simply by injecting more pace into their football, Everton threatened to run away with it.

Gary Speed struck the base of a post with a fine drive and Barmby would certainly have rounded off a most satisfying debut in style had he not confusingly chosen to delay his shot on the hour.

And then, improbably, Coventry drew level in the 68th minute courtesy of only their second League goal away from home all season. Gary McAllister breezed in from the left, sweeping in a shot which appeared to take a slight, but significant deflection off the body of Speed.