Hartson relishes chance to silence critics

John Hartson last night promised to silence those doubters who had put him on the Premiership scrapheap.

The injury-plagued Wales striker's on-off move to Highfield Road, completed under a unique £250,000 per game deal, saw yet more scorn heaped upon his shoulders.

But 21 months after claiming his last top-flight goal for Wimbledon, Hartson is now back in the list of Premiership scorers and this time he is fired by a sense of injustice. Hartson said: 'I think a lot of people were out to nail me when I moved to Coventry.

'The truth is that I've worked ever so hard to get fit. I got my head down because I want to show everybody just what I can do.' Hartson's first goal for Coventry was not a thing of beauty, the big frontman swinging his left boot and getting the slightest of touches to steer Marcus Hall's cross past the erratic Sasa Ilic. Yet, it was enough to earn Gordon Strachan's side their first home point since New Year's Day, while his partnership with Craig Bellamy showed sufficient promise to persuade the Scot to relent and let them join the Wales squad for this week's get-together in La Manga.

Hartson said: 'The gaffer wasn't going to let us go but he's told Mark Hughes we can come if he works us both as a pair.

'He was worried about us not having enough time together to get an understanding but we'll be working on the training pitch. The fact that we've both scored in only our second game is a good sign.

'If we could get 12 between us by the end of the season, that might be enough. When I came I said we needed six wins and two draws. We've got the two draws, so we've just got to get the six wins!' Coventry drew first blood after Bellamy had punished an Ilic error.