Coventry City 1 - 0 Peterborough United

Latest team news, results, video clips, interviews and live coverage

Coventry City 1 - 0 Peterborough United

Postby dutchman » Sat Apr 08, 2017 2:53 pm

User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50289
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End

Re: Coventry City 1 - 0 Peterborough United

Postby dutchman » Sat Apr 08, 2017 5:37 pm

Match report as Sky Blues live to fight another day

Image

Coventry City continue to cling on to their League One status after beating Peterborough United on the club’s tenth annual Legends Day, celebrating the 30th anniversary of winning the FA Cup and 50th anniversary of promotion to the top flight of English football.

A second half goal from Ruben Lameiras put the Sky Blues on 35 points, closing the gap to safety to 11 points with 12 left to play for in their remaining four games. It was a party atmosphere in the warm spring sunshine at the Ricoh Arena where just under 10,000 home fans sang throughout an entertaining game that saw goalkeeper Lee Burge save a first half penalty before City took their deserved lead against the Posh after a string of chances.

Manager Mark Robins made four changes to his side which saw forwards Kyel Reid, George Thomas and Stuart Beavon restored to the starting line-up after recovering from their respective muscle strains and there was a real purpose to City’s attack who made a bright start that set the tone for the afternoon.

The ball was also rolling a lot better on a vastly-improved pitch that looks to have recovered well in recent weeks, Ben Stevenson knocking a forward pass to Beavon who flicked it on to Lameiras who had a curling effort tipped round the post for a corner, the result of which saw the impressive Jordan Turnbull get his head on the end of the flag-kick at the back post. His looping effort looked to be heading in at the opposite corner until scrambled off the line by covering midfielder Martin Samuelsen. Posh were reduced to playing on the counter attack amid the early pressure and looked particularly threatening with the pace of Marcus Maddison – playing at the tip of a midfield diamond – and who burst past Ryan Haynes to the right of goal and hit a hard and low shot that was pushed wide by a decent save by Lee Burge at his near post, and again a short while after when another angled effort forced him to parry.

Gael Bigirimana and Stevenson were doing an excellent job in midfield for the Sky Blues where they were spreading the play, looking to spring Reid and Thomas free on the wings. Reid sent in a superb delivery that went agonisingly close to the opening goal just short of the half-hour mark when Beavon executed a brilliant overhead kick from the second ball that rattled the post, before two corners in quick succession maintained the pressure, the second seeing Nathan Clarke get on the end of a Thomas centre and denied by the keeper. But there was drama at the other end seven minutes from the break when Samuelsen was allowed to dribble 30 yards into the box where he went to ground – clearly looking for the penalty when he received the slightest of nudges from Bigirimana – and the referee Gavin Ward pointed, harshly, straight to the spot.

Up stepped Craig Mackail-Smith who hit it straight down the middle with Burge committing himself one way but making the save with his legs to send the home fans wild with delight. Normal service was restore at the other end where Thomas did his full-back, cut inside and curled inches wide with Beavon stretching to get a foot to it to complete a good half from the Sky Blues. Jodi Jones replaced Reid for the second half – making an impressive impact on the game with his pace and trickery on the ball – and it was just six minutes into the re-start when City finally broke the deadlock with a deserved lead from their determined and sustained efforts.

The move started with a four v four attack on the right with Thomas slipping the ball inside to Beavon and passed it on to Lameiras who controlled just inside the box and unleashed a low shot across the keeper with his left foot. The goal suddenly sparked Posh into life and a few minutes of pressure resulted in Burge being forced into a double save to deny dangerman Maddison before manager Grant McCann made a triple tactical change, sending on winger Chris Forrester for holding midfielder Anthony Grant and replacing striker Craig Mackail-Smith with Tom Nichols in a like-for-like swap, before taking off left-back Jerome Binnam-Williams for another forward, Paul Taylor.

United switched to a flat midfield four with Maddison moving to the wing from his earlier No.10 position – the forward causing problems for City in a nervy end to the game. Meanwhile, City were forced to make a change when Stevenson limped off injured, replaced by Callum Reilly, and while the fans enjoyed a chorus of ‘Twist n’ Shout’ on a loop for a good ten minutes, so City were being battered left, right and centre and getting absolutely no protection from a poor referee as they sought to hold on to their fragile lead, which they almost gave up when the smallest man on the pitch, Junior Morais, was allowed a free header that Burge saved low on his line.

The home side were in desperate need of a bit of respite from the mounting pressure and got that when Thomas found himself in space and tested on-loan Spurs’ keeper Luke McGee. But the Sky Blues saw out the remainder of the game to log their third win in their last four league games to leave many wondering what might have been had Robins taken over earlier in the season.

Attendance: 10,551 (849 away)

Image
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50289
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End


Return to Sky Blues

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

  • Ads