The Welsh winger stepped off the bench and, 339 days on from suffering an ACL injury at Liverpool back in January, produced a cool finish (83) to follow up Jack Clarke’s deflected opener (72).
A quickfire double over the Sky Blues means that Town have closed the gap on the table toppers to 10 points heading into 2026.
“It’s a brilliant moment,” smiled McKenna. “One of the best moments of the season, maybe my time here to be honest.
“I’m delighted for Wes, for his family. I’m delighted for the staff, the medical team who worked really hard with him. It’s really nice for the supporters because obviously they’ve got a great affinity with Wes. It’s great for his team-mates, who have really missed him. As a manager you enjoy all goals, but one like that is a little bit special. It’s a moment to cherish.”
More: Numerous stand-outs in a top Town display – AJ’s player ratings from 2-0 Coventry win
Town dominated a goalless first half, but it felt like momentum was tipping in Coventry’s favour before Clarke struck.
“It was a really good performance. I think that was clear,” reflected McKenna.
“First half we showed real confidence, real composure, really took the game on, controlled the game and had some really good chances. There was loads to enjoy and it showed real growth in the team – and that’s missing some important players as well.
“We knew at half-time the whole game wouldn’t be like that against a team this strong with the home record they have. We knew we would have to stay strong in the second half and we managed to do that before getting the goals that clearly the performance deserved.”
On what this result could do for his team’s season, McKenna said: “Six points against a good team are appreciated, of course. I think the performances across both games (a 3-0 win at Portman Road earlier this month), but especially tonight, renews belief among the players of what I see – a group that’s working hard to improve and are making steps forward. I think the group feels that as well, but results against good teams helps with that.
“The reality is that it’s just another three points though. The challenges of this division, for us as a club, are really, really different. The same three points are available on Thursday against an Oxford team that are going to come and try and make the game really hard for us (at Portman Road). They’ve just beaten Southampton and beat us in December, so that’s a completely different challenge and we need to be good in those situations as well.
“Tonight’s a good win, a good performance, shows growth, but we have two more really tough games coming up this week (Town go to Portsmouth on Sunday) in a completely different context. We’ve got to fight for the points in the best way we can.”