CAPTAIN fantastic Paul Robinson's 37th-minute winner moved Albion within three points of securing a play-off place and sent what is believed to be the club's biggest away following for 13 years home happy.
The 6,411-strong travelling support, decked out in Irish dress as a tribute to Republic duo Paul McShane and Dean Kiely, lapped up the glorious sunshine at the Ricoh Arena and the Baggies' third win in four away games.
Albion's task was helped by Sky Blues centre-half Ben Turner being red-carded on the stroke of half-time for a late tackle on Kevin Phillips.
But the hosts showed a steely determination after the break and threatened to spoil the visitors' party.
However, the Baggies backline, featuring the outstanding Chris Perry, stayed solid to record their first clean sheet in 13 games.
But Albion's afternoon ended on a sour note when top scorer Diomansy Kamara received his marching orders in the second minute of stoppage time for a second bookable offence.
Robinson's winning header - his second goal against City this season - completed Albion's fifth double over a Championship side this term.
Boss Tony Mowbray made three changes as Sam Sodje returned from a foot injury to partner Perry at the heart of the defence, with Paul McShane shuffling across to right-back in place of Martin Albrechtsen.
Richard Chaplow and Phillips were also restored to the starting XI, with Robert Koren and Nathan Ellington dropping to the bench.
After a scrappy opening, the first serious effort on goal did not materialise until the tenth minute when Zoltan Gera beat Stephen Hughes in the air to meet Jason Koumas' left-wing corner with a thumping header, which sailed just wide of the near post.
Two minutes later, Kamara ghosted past Isaac Osbourne to get to the left-hand byline before cutting the ball just behind Chaplow, who would have had the easiest of tap-ins.
Ninety seconds later, the Sky Blues threatened for the first time when Michael Mifsud was lucky to battle past Perry to get in on goal, but Robinson intervened with a superb last-ditch challenge.
Albion had a scare in the 18th minute when Sodje needed treatment for what seemed to be a recurrence of his foot problem.
After a brief chat with Mowbray on the touchline, the Nigerian international soldiered on.
Stand-in skipper Robinson whipped in a dangerous left-wing cross in the 28th minute but Kamara could not stretch quite far enough from a tight angle at the back post to guide it into the net, allowing Turner to hack the ball away.
But the Baggies finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute.
Koumas found Phillips with a superb left-wing cross and the unmarked ex-Sunderland man rattled the crossbar with a ten-yard header.
And the marauding Robinson showed predatory instincts to head home the rebound for only his third-ever Albion goal.
Not for the first time this season, the Baggies almost shot themselves in the foot three minutes before the break when Sodje inexplicably headed Dean Kiely's miscued goal-kick back towards his own goal.
It gave Mifsud the freedom of Albion's right flank but the pint-sized forward failed to make the most of the opening and was eventually crowded out by the recovering Baggies defence.
The first-half action did not end there.
Teenage defender Turner marred his first League start for Coventry when he was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Phillips in the 45th minute.
Both sides made substitutions at the break.
Ten-man City replaced Hughes with Liam Davis, who slotted in at left-back, with ex-Albion triallist Marcus Hall shifting to centre-back.
Mowbray was forced to replace the injured Sodje with Albrechtsen who was deployed at right-back, with McShane moving to central defence.
The Baggies had a golden opportunity to double their lead in the 51st minute when Jonathan Greening slid a delicious ball through to Kamara.
But the Senegal pace ace could not beat Andy Marshall, who saved with his legs at his near post.
A minute later, City forward Dele Adebola powered towards the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a fierce drive, which Kiely brilliantly turned onto his right-hand post at full stretch.
Adebola then beat McShane to a diagonal ball but horribly mishit his shot, allowing Albion to clear.
Seconds later, the visitors gifted possession to Mifsud and needed Perry to produce a well-timed challenge in the box to avert the danger.
But Albion regrouped and created several chances to kill the game off.
Gera again went close with a near-post header from a Koumas corner in the 58th minute.
And Robinson was denied his second goal of the afternoon when he connected well with Greening's right-wing corner and saw a right-foot volley cleared off the goalline by David McNamee.
Phillips had a glorious chance to put Albion 2-0 up in the 75th minute when Albrechtsen picked him out with a pinpoint cross from the right, but the ex-England international headed over.
Koumas then found Robinson out wide and the left-back stepped inside before unleashing a goalbound shot which was deflected wide.
Kamara turned McNamee inside out in the 81st minute before flashing a 15-yard shot inches wide of the far post.
In a controversial end to the game, City boss Iain Dowie was sent to the stands by Merseyside official Chris Foy following a touchline protest in the 86th minute.
Kamara became the third man to see red when he was sent off in the second minute of injury time for a second bookable offence after tripping McNamee.
COVENTRY (4-4-2): Marshall; McNamee, Ward, Turner, Hall (Birchall 75); Osbourne, Doyle, Hughes (Davis HT), Thornton (Tabb 79); Mifsud, Adebola. Subs not used: Steele (gk), Kyle.
ALBION (4-4-2): Kiely; McShane, Sodje (Albrechtsen HT), Perry, Robinson; Gera, Chaplow (Koren 88), Greening, Koumas; Phillips (MacDonald 81), Kamara. Subs not used: Daniels (gk), Ellington.
GOAL: ALBION - Robinson (37).
BOOKINGS: COVENTRY - McNamee (foul 87). ALBION - Kamara (foul 80).
SENDING-OFFS: COVENTRY - Turner (foul 45). ALBION - Kamara (second bookable offence, foul, 90+2).
REFEREE: C Foy (Merseyside).
ATTENDANCE: 26,343.
ALBION STARMAN: Chris Perry.
(PICS BY LAURIE RAMPLING)
