Tony Mowbray's side dispatched Gillingham with comfort in front of the biggest Ricoh Arena crowd of the season
Coventry City FC surged to the top of the table on the back of a sensational first-half display that saw Jacob Murphy reel off a ten-minute hat-trick and former favourite Ben Turner notch a comeback goal.
The second period, inevitably perhaps, was an anti-climax, Gillingham pegging back a consolation but Tony Mowbray’s men will go into Tuesday’s match at Bradford with a three-point lead on the League One field.
And the biggest Ricoh Arena crowd of the season went home convinced that they have a side capable of maintaining that pace after the way they dismantled a Gillingham team who went into the game with a goal-average edge.
It took them the Sky Blues half-an-hour to break through but, having survived a major scare when Cody McDonald’s header was cleared off the line, they demolished Gills with a magnificent display of high-speed attacking.
City made the breakthrough after a rare Gillingham raid had forced the first corner of the game in the 34th minute. McDonald rose well to meet Dack’s delivery but O’Brien headed off the line and – with the visitors appealing in vain that it had crossed, City counter-attacked for Murphy to sprint clear from the half-way line and calmly round Nelson to slide home.
Two minutes later, City won their first corner and Kent curled the ball to the far post for Turner to head down and in.
Five minutes later it was 3-0 as O’Brien slipped the ball through to Murphy who again showed admirable calmness to dribble round the keeper.
And City rounded off what must surely be the most exhilarating first half since they arrived at the Ricoh when Stokes dashed down the left and crossed for Murphy to stab it into the back of the net from six yards.
Turner departed in the 55th minute, no doubt with Tuesday’s trip to Bradford in mind, before top scorer Armstrong tried to get in on the scoring act, clipping the outside of the post when Kent slipped him through on the right edge of the area.
Out of the blue Gillingham pulled one back, Jackson sliding over a right-wing cross for Dack to slot in a low shot from the edge of the box.
Mowbray promptly replaced Murphy with Bigirimana but City were struggling to reproduce their earlier control and Charles-Cook had to save from Samuel when Fleck lost possession dangerously close to his own goal.
Bigirimana’s shot was no trouble for the keeper as Vincelot’s tackle on Dack created a three-on-two break and Armstrong was again off target when his persistence and good work by Bigierimana and Fleck created a chance.
Attendance was 15,604 (Away 857).
Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:50 pm