Coventry City 2 City 0
It would have been easy to get carried away by the excellent result against Norwich last week but I guess most City fans were not very confident that we had finally turned the corner, and how right they were not to be! Despite only two changes in the team it could have been an entirely different side that took on one of our rivals.
All week we had read how the team were up for this one and could we finally get the elusive two wins on the bounce? Anyone who has watched City this season – and the two previous ones for that matter – would know that they cannot be relied on to perform on any particular day.
The team was roared on by the largest travelling contingent in the Championship this season, not far short of 5,000, but sadly it did not repay that support. You could argue that the first goal – a hotly disputed penalty – was against the run of play, but Leon Best had already been causing all sorts of problems to the defence (although on many occasions he was flagged offside). The usually solid defence looked vulnerable and McAuley was adjudged to have pulled Best’s shirt. Despite his antics in the goalmouth Alnwick was unable to keep the ball out, although he did get a hand to it…..
The second half was very reminiscent of the Watford game – lots of City pressure but with little thrust – and then Coventry scored the killer second goal in the 79th minute. Apart from a Hume piledriver minutes from the end, which the Coventry keeper did well to push round his post, there were very few serious shots on goal. Even the normally effervescent Hume was subdued. So another huge disappointment.
Personally, I am getting rather tired of hearing what a big club we are and how we deserve to be higher in the league. We are not a big club, we are a medium-sized club which has sometimes punched above its weight, but we have never won the Premiership (or the League 1 title before the advent of the Premiership) or the FA Cup.
After 45 years of supporting City, I don’t think I have ever been so fed up and disillusioned with them. Do I really want to continue wasting my time and money supporting a team of players who do not put the effort into doing what they are paid very handsomely to do?
I like Ollie and respect his high standards and his enthusiasm, but he cannot go on defending the players when they put in such an abject performance.
Of the three substitutions, Mattock was the brightest but N’Gotty seemed unable to pass to a City player (perhaps the yellow shirts confused him?) and Hayles was almost invisible.
McAuley and Clemence were both booked, as were Thornton and Best for Coventry.
City:Alnwick 6, Chambers 6, McAuley 5 (N'Gotty 4), Kisnorbo 6, Clapham 6 (Hayles 4), Hume 6, Oakley 6, Clemence 4, Laczko 4 (Mattock 6), Campbell 6, Howard 5. Subs Not Used: Stearman, Fryatt
Coventry: Marshall, Osbourne, Ward, Hall, Fox, Tabb, Stephen Hughes (Thornton), Michael Hughes, Gray (Andrews), Mifsud, Best (Simpson).
Subs Not Used: Konstantopoulos, Dann.
Att: 23,129. Ref: Keith Stroud (Hampshire).
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation