A makeshift Stoke side suffered their first IFA defeat of the season against a Coventry side that, overall, deserved the three points.
Coventry, missing players of their own, started the game well and piled early pressure on the Stoke goal before the defence finally cracked midway through the first half when a ball down the middle was pushed past the Ramblers debuting keeper and into the net.
The Ramblers finished the half on top and some neat interchanges put youngster Joe Haynes in on goal on three occasions but he was unable to bring the scores level, forcing the home keeper into one full length save to tip the ball round the post.
The second half started with Ramblers quickly equalising when a move down the right between the Ramblers other debutant Jason Amison and right back Dan Buxton ended with the latter sending over an inviting cross to the back post for midfield general Duckmanton to head home unmarked from 6 yards.
The game then went from end to end and whilst Haynes couldn't find the luck to finish when played in on goal by his team mates he created his own luck in chasing down the keeper but, after doing the hard work and charging down the attempted clearance, he then spurned the open goal by waiting for the keeper to recover and get into position before seeing his effort saved by the man between the sticks.
Coventry were far more clinical in front of goal and a mazy run from the winger was finished by another Coventry player inside the area before the points were secured with fifteen minutes to go when a corner caught the Ramblers keeper out and went straight over his head and into the net.