Coventry City 0 - 1 Scunthorpe United

[dutchman]

[dutchman]

Sky Blues lose unbeaten home record



Coventry City’s Ricoh run was halted when, after 14 undefeated matches at home, they were sunk by Josh Morris’s 14th goal of the season.

Mark Venus won’t lose too much sleep about missing out on a record but he will be distraught that his side didn’t get the result they deserved against a side sitting five points clear at the top of the table.

The Sky Blues more than matched their surprisingly one-dimensional rivals apart from a five-minute spell early in the second half when Graham Alexander’s side suddenly found some attacking initiative before stealing the points with a rare flash of quality. Following their cup detours to Morecambe and Wycombe, City showed three changes from their last league match against Chesterfield – Andy Rose, Andre Wright and Marvin Sordell replacing Kyel Reid, Jodi Jones and Ruben Lameiras.

Tom Hopper and Paddy Madden, rated doubtful by Graham Alexander 48 hours earlier, lined up at the sharp end of the Iron boss’s 4-4-2 formation when Kevin van Veen, pulled out ill after originally being declared as a starter. The opening exchanges were anything but cultured – the two teams initially indulging in a competition to see who could get maximum elevation on their up-and-unders – and although City were quicker into their passing rhythm it was Scunthorpe who nearly broke through in the ninth minute, Burge pulling off a superb reflex save when the ball ricocheted to Madden in prime position for a first-time volley.

It took City’s front three 15 minutes to get a sniff of goal but they made up for lost time as Sordell teed up Agyei for a charged-down shot and Wright’s two follow-up attempts were also blocked.

City almost suffered when select-group referee Jonathan Moss, who has been getting a lot of stick for his recent Premier Division performances, allowed play to continue after Holmes had clearly tripped Bigirimana in the home area. But they survived that crisis and created their best opening to date when Wright shovelled the ball back into the middle and Sterry fired in a volley that ricocheted wide of the far post.

Agyei was left thumping the ground in frustration when he collected Bigirimana’s diagonal pass on the right and brilliantly cut inside three defenders but, having done the difficult bit, miscued his left-foot curler well wide. Scunthorpe had to reorganise three minutes before the break when David Mirfin, the target of the home fans after a tussle with Ben Stevenson, hobbled off with a twisted ankle. And the subsequent injury time almost produced a home game as Sordell cleverly made room for himself and sent in a swerving shot that required a full-length Daniels save.

Scunthorpe were looking surprisingly unimpressive a team with such an impressive record this term but they conjured up two good chances early in the second half, Hopper heading over from Madden’s cross and Madden shooting wide when his strike partner returned the compliment moments later. Sordell crowned a good run with a shot straight at the keeper but Scunthorpe cracked the deadlock in the 55th minute when Madden whipped in a cross from the left and Morris timed his run perfectly to arrive first at the near post and lift it into the roof of the net.

Venus sent on Lameiras and Jones in the search for an equaliser and City soon had the Iron defence creaking, Lameiras dribbling a shot just wide of the post after fine work by Jones and Sordell before Sterry threatened twice in the space of a few seconds – finding direction but no power with his diving header from Page’s cross and then being denied by a last ditch Townsend tackle. But even though Reid was then added to the attack they couldn’t break down a Scunthorpe side who ran down the clock in the closing minutes.

Attendance: 9,737 (767 away)