FURIOUS Fabian Wilnis lost face in more ways than one as Coventry City's Michael Doyle wrecked his birthday by elbowing him on the chin.Former Celtic midfielder Doyle then rubbed salt in the wound by turning inside Wilnis to score City's equaliser, with the Dutchman getting a touch which deflected the ball past Town keeper Kelvin Davis.

FURIOUS Fabian Wilnis lost face in more ways than one as Coventry City's Michael Doyle wrecked his birthday by elbowing him on the chin.

Former Celtic midfielder Doyle then rubbed salt in the wound by turning inside Wilnis to score City's equaliser, with the Dutchman getting a touch which deflected the ball past Town keeper Kelvin Davis. Doyle clearly swung his arm back to poleaxe Wilnis, who thought he had broken his jaw and still needed an ice-pack hours later.

He said: "Everyone in the ground must have seen it except the officials. He nearly fractured my jaw, he caught me so hard.

"I don't know why he was having a go at me but he was constantly kicking me instead of the ball and slapped me in the back of the head as a ball was going out for a throw."

The 33-year-old Wilnis last night admitted he did not feel much like celebrating his birthday on Saturday night after another disappointing draw at home.

He said: "I knew Doyle was left-footed so went to stop him going down that side but he turned inside and hit it with his right. To make matters worse as I tried to block his shot I just caught it and that took it wide of Kelvin who would probably have saved it otherwise. I was pretty miserable afterwards I can tell you."

Marcus Bent snatched his first of the season with a left foot drive from 16-yards.

He said: "It was good to get off the mark and hopefully I can go on and score a few more now. Hopefully all the forwards can get off the mark and start scoring."

Chris Makin's lofted cross was muffed by Steve Staunton who appeared to handle but Darren Bent laid it back for the predatory Marcus, whose silver left boot rarely makes contact with the ball.

He said: "I don't care how it went in it went in. I didn't think about where to put I just hit it when it came to me."

He was less effusive about the controversial officials but backed Wilnis.

He said: "The referee has made a few decisions, which we can argue about but everyone is a human being and everyone makes mistakes

"When you are out there on the pitch and you are not getting the decisions it is frustrating. Perhaps we should have had a few more handballs and a few other things but the game has ended and there is nothing we can do about it. Hopefully referees and linesmen will see those sort of things in the future.

"Fabian did not go down for nothing and he had to have an ice-pack on his chin at half time and after the game."