Coventry City loan news from CoventryLive as 20-year-old goalkeeper Luke Bell received glowing endorsement after two-month spell at non-league Gloucester City

Rookie Coventry City goalkeeper Luke Bell has returned to the club with a glowing endorsement from Gloucester City where he “wowed” the fans with some of his saves.

The 20-year-old development player was recalled by the Sky Blues on Monday, a week shy of the end of his loan spell with the non-league club where he played nine first team games, having joined the Tigers to cover for injured first choice Jared Thompson.

With fellow Coventry Academy graduate Cian Tyler out injured and Frank Lampard’s number one, Oliver Dovin, out with a suspected serious knee ligament injury, Bell has been brought back to provide third choice cover in the goalkeeping department.

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And while disappointed to be letting the lad go, Gloucester manager Mike Cook – who came through City’s youth system himself back in the mid-late 1980s when he won an FA Youth Cup medal – is backing Bell to go from strength to strength in his career, claiming he’s the best reaction shot stopper he’s ever seen.

Speaking to CoventryLive, the 56-year-old former midfielder said: “Coventry wanted him back. He wasn’t due to go back until after the game on Saturday when the loan was officially up. But that’s fine and he has done absolutely fantastic for us, been very, very good.

“We are a bit disappointed to lose him but fair play to him, and hopefully he will get his chance over the next couple of seasons.”

Bell joined the Sky Blues in early 2020 from Wolverhampton Wanderers, first joining the the Under-16s before moving to Under-18s from the 2020/21 season. He signed a new one-year contract extension last summer.

Asked how he’s done and how much he’s impressed in his two month spell, Cook continued: “He’s impressed us a lot and been a pleasure to work with.

“In the past we have had Zach Jeacock from Birmingham City when he was 17/18 and he did really well for us and played a few non-league games for us and then got into the England U-18s/19s that season, and so I think he really benefited from his non-league experience, if you like.

“And that’s what we were trying to do with Luke, who has come on leaps and bounds. He has got a little bit more confident in the changing room being around experienced players. Even at our level we have people who have played 200-300 league games, so they know what it’s all about, and he’s been welcomed into that environment and taken to it.”

As for his qualities, Cook said: “I don’t say this lightly, but I think he’s got to be the best reaction shot stopper that I have ever seen from someone taking a very close range shot, header or deflection. He’s made three or four saves over the last six weeks that have been so good that people in the stand have gone, ‘wow, what a save that is!’

“So I would say the biggest compliment is his reaction time to saves from close range. His decision making is very good, handling, basics, fundamentals are all very good.”

He added: “The one thing he probably needs to work on, which he is aware of, is just to get maybe another 10-15 yards on his kicks, but apart from that he’s the full package, I think.”

In terms of Bell’s character, he said: “Yeah brilliant, a really nice lad. It’s not always the case that just because you’re a young lad that you’re going to be walking into the dressing room and be quiet and unassuming. Sometimes they’re not like that at all but he is a very likeable person. His mum and dad came to all the games and I got to know them over the last six or seven weeks and he’s just fitted in brilliantly.

“And if he keeps doing what he’s doing then I am sure he’ll have a very bright future in the game.”

FOOTBALL – Jamie Allen insists Coventry City must forget Sheffield United defeat and move on quickly

JAMIE Allen insists Coventry City must forget about their defeat against Sheffield United and move onto the next game quickly.

Allen captained the Sky Blues in the 3-1 defeat at Bramall Lane before making way for Ben Sheaf late in the second half.

Despite the defeat, the midfielder admits City feel confident they can win games at any point following their recent run of form.

Allen said: “We’ve won 10 out of 13 and that is not easy to do in the Championship. We just need to forget about this quickly now and focus on the next game.

“We want to win every game, and you know how hard this league is, it’s tough every game you go into, but we have the confidence that we can win at any point.

“100 per cent [we need a positive reaction], we need to work as hard as we have been doing throughout the season.”

Goals from Gustavo Hamer, Tyrese Campbell and Rhian Brewster put the Blades in command before substitute Jack Rudoni netted a consolation for the Sky Blues in injury time.

And Allen feels City lacked cutting edge throughout and admits the Blades were more clinical in front of goal.

Allen added: “I think they were just more ruthless than us. I thought we had spells in the game in periods of time, but we didn’t take advantage of that, and they’ve gone down to the other end and scored.

“All three of the goals were good finishes to be fair, the first one goes in the top corner and there’s not much we can do about that but they were just more ruthless than us.

“I can’t remember having many chances, but we were in their half quite a bit and just didn’t create that final bit.

“We probably [lacked cutting edge] from what I can think back to of the game, we didn’t get that final pass or final cross on the money.”

Coventry are next in action against Burnley on Saturday, April 5 with kick-off at 12.30pm at the Coventry Building Society Arena.