Crewe Alexandra 2 - 1 Coventry City

[dutchman]

[dutchman]

Sky Blues lose to the bottom of the table side at Gresty Road despite a second-half fightback



A red card for teenager Jack Finch rubbed salt in Sky Blues wounds as they suffered a disappointing defeat against the rock-bottom Railwaymen.

Trailing 2-0 after a poor first-half performance, they were let back into the game by an own-goal two minutes after the re-start but couldn’t turn their pressure into an equaliser as the home side clung on for dear life.

Steven Pressley made four changes from his midweek Johnstone’s Paint Trophy line-up, Lee Burge reclaiming the goalkeeper’s slot while there were outfield recalls for Danny Pugh. John Fleck and Jim O’Brien. Jordan Willis wore the captain’s armband in the absence of Reda Johnson and Andy Webster.

For two sides who try to play the game the right way the game got off to a scruffy start with City, in particular, struggling to find their passing fluency.

Centre-back Ray squandered a golden opportunity when Tootle’s free-kick found him clear six yards out and, after Fleck’s long-range shot had been turned round the post by Garratt while McQuoid’s free-kick was straight at the keeper, it was Ray who threatened again as his header from a corner was hustled clear.

Hines was unlucky when his thumping header from an O’Brien corner flew into Garratt’s arms when a yard either side would certainly have given City the lead.

But it was Crewe who made the breakthrough in the 25th minute as Turton pushed the ball through the middle and Brandy fended off Pugh to poke it past the exposed Allsop.

The home side doubled their lead seven minutes later as Cooper curled a superb left-foot free-kick into the top corner from two yards outside the box.

And although Coventry tried to step up the pace for the rest of the half they were restricted to long-range efforts, Jackson and Fleck both dragging shots past the post, and were a touch fortunate when Inman broke through but shot straight at Allsop.

City started the second half looking like a side fresh from a tongue-lashing, their first thrust seeing Phillips turn a close-range shot against the post before McQuoid’s follow-up effort was blocked.

And they were handed a massive bonus inside two minutes as Pugh swung in a curling free-kick from the right and Grant’s attempt to head clear veered into the net despite Garratt’s desperate dive.

Crewe’s nerves were stretched two minutes later when Garratt pushed Phillips’s shot round the post and, from the corner, Fleck fired a fierce shot wide.

City spent the rest of the half on the front foot but couldn’t work a decisive opening and they suffered a cruel blow nine minutes from time when a rare Crewe counter-attack saw Brandy tumble under Finch’s sliding tackle and the young defender picked up a second yellow card.

Crewe (3-4-3): Ben Garratt; George Ray, Alan Tate, Adam Dugdale; Matt Tootle, Oliver Turton. Anthony Grant, Greg Leigh; Febian Brandy (84 mins, Chris Atkinson), George Cooper, Brad Inman. Substitutes not used: Scott Shearer (goalkeeper), Jon Guthrie, Vadaine Oliver, Callum Saunders, Liam Nolan, Jamie Ness.

Coventry City (3-5-2): Ryan Allsop; Jordan Willis, Seb Hines (70 mins, Shaun Miller), Jack Finch; Aaron Phillips, Conor Thomas (64 mins, Mohamed Coulibaly), John Fleck, Jim O’Brien (78 mins, James Maddison), Danny Pugh; Simeon Jackson, Josh McQuoid). Substitutes not used: Jake Richards (goalkeeper), Andrew Webster, Ryan Haynes, Marcus Tudgay

Attendance: 5,058 (Away 1,084)